Kenan & Kel

Not to be confused with Kevin and Kell.
Kenan & Kel
Created by Kim Bass
Starring Kenan Thompson
Kel Mitchell
Ken Foree
Teal Marchande
Vanessa Baden
Dan Frischman
Theme music composer Victor Concepcion
Opening theme "Aw, Here It Goes"
by Coolio
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 62 + 1 TV Movie (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Kim Bass
Dan Schneider
(seasons 1-2)
Mike Tollin
Brian Robbins
Producer(s) Kevin Kopelow
Heath Seifert
Location(s) Nickelodeon Studios
Orlando, Florida (1996-1997)
Nickelodeon on Sunset
Hollywood, California (1998-2000)
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 24 minutes
Production company(s) Tollin/Robbins Productions
Bass Entertainment
Nickelodeon Productions
Broadcast
Original channel Nickelodeon
The N
Picture format SD: 480i
Audio format Dolby Surround
Original run July 15, 1996 – July 15, 2000
Chronology
Related shows All That
The Amanda Show
Cousin Skeeter
External links
Website

Kenan & Kel is an American teen comedy sitcom created by Kim Bass for Nickelodeon. It starred then-All That cast members and Saturday Night Live alumni Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell.[1] Sixty-five episodes and a made-for-TV movie were produced over four seasons. The first two seasons were filmed at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida, and the remaining two were filmed at the Nick On Sunset theater in Hollywood.

Kenan and Kel won "Favorite TV Show" in the 1998 Kids Choice Awards. Thompson and Mitchell were ranked No. 40 and No. 39, respectively, on VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars.

Overview

The show was set in Chicago, Illinois, and centered on the antics of two mischievous teenagers, Kenan Rockmore (Kenan Thompson) and Kel Kimble (Kel Mitchell). Kenan is a high school student with a job at a local grocery store, while Kel is his clumsy, orange soda-loving best friend.

Episodes of the series always opened and closed with Kenan and Kel breaking the fourth wall by interacting with the studio audience; standing in front of a red curtain that is placed in front of the main set, while still in character. A frequent running gag of the openings would be Kel never knowing what the night's episode would be about and Kenan refusing to tell him. The closings would frequently feature Kenan coming up with a new scheme–often asking Kel to get various assorted items and meet him somewhere. Frazzled, Kel would exclaim his catchphrase, "Aww, here it goes!"

Theme song

The theme song entitled "Aw, Here It Goes" is performed by rapper Coolio. He is featured in the opening credits of the show along with Kenan and Kel. The lyrics describe the format of the show and give references to other famous duos such as Abbott & Costello, Penn & Teller, and former Los Angeles Lakers teammates Magic Johnson & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, as well as references to Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys.

Production

The series was created by Kim Bass (who also co-created the teen sitcom Sister, Sister). It was reminiscent of the classic comedic duo stylings of Laurel and Hardy, Martin and Lewis or Abbott and Costello (who were actually mentioned in the theme song), with Kenan being the straight man and Kel his comedic foil.[2]

The show was taped in front of a live-studio audience and ran from July 15, 1996, to May 3, 2000, totaling 62 episodes. One full-length TV movie was created, entitled Two Heads Are Better Than None, which aired on July 22, 2000, thus ending the series serving as its finale. The Kenan & Kel characters also made a special guest appearance on the Cousin Skeeter episode, "Hoo, I'm Wild Wild West" on September 18, 1999.[3]

Broadcast

Reruns of the series briefly aired on Nickelodeon Games and Sports for Kids in 1999.[4] After the series finished its run, reruns continued to air on Nickelodeon from July 16, 2000, to February 15, 2004.[5] It also aired on CBS as part of the Nick on CBS block from September 18, 2004, to September 17, 2005

The series reran on The N (later known as TeenNick) from October 13, 2007, to August 2, 2009. It then returned to the channel from July 25, 2011, to February 3, 2013, and again from March 4, 2013, to May 31, 2014, as part of its The '90s Are All That programming block. The show currently airs weekdays on TeenNick's daytime lineup.

Characters

Episodes

DVD releases

DVD Release Date Disc 1 Disc 2 Disc 3
The Best of Seasons 1 & 2 May 21, 2014 [6] "Pilot,"

"The Tainting of the Screw,"

"Doing Things the Heming-Way,"

"Mental Kel-Epathy,"

"Duh Bomb,"

"Mo' Sweater Blues,"

"Diamonds Are For Roger,"

"The Cold War"

"Dial 0 for Oops,"

"Merry Christmas, Kenan,"

"Twizzles Fizzles,"

"Pair-Rental Guidance,"

"Turkey Day,"

"The Crush,"

"Ditch Day Afternoon,"

"Clownin' Around"

"The Lottery,"

"Who Loves Orange Soda?"

"Foul Ball," "A Star is Peeved,"

"Get the Kel Out of Here,"

"Bye-Bye, Kenan: Part 1,"

"Bye-Bye, Kenan: Part 2,"

"I Haven't Got Time for the Paint"

DVD Release Date Episodes
The Best of Seasons 3 & 4 November 6, 2014[7] "We Are The Chimpions"

"Aw, Here It Goes To Hollywood : Part 1 & 2",

"Two Heads Are Better Than None"

On July 28, 2011, the first season of Kenan & Kel was released on the iTunes Store.[8] On November 29, 2011, the second season was released. On February 13, 2012, the third season was released. On August 13, 2012, the fourth season was released.[9] Seasons 1 and 2 were released on the UK iTunes store in September 2013. Kenan and Kel won "Favorite TV Show" in the 1998 Kids Choice Awards.

References

Quotes

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Kenan & Kel