Kenan & Kel
Kenan & Kel is an American sitcom created by Kim Bass. The show originally aired on the Nickelodeon network for four seasons, from August 17, 1996, to July 15, 2000. Set in Chicago, Illinois, the series follows Kenan Rockmore and best friend Kel Kimble, who go on a number of misadventures.
The show features Kenan's family, which consists of his father Roger, mother Sheryl, and younger sister Kyra. The show also features Kenan's boss Chris Potter. Moreover, Kenan & Kel is notable for the appearances of a number of guest stars, including game show host/radio disc jockey Bob Eubanks, basketball player Ron Harper, and singer Britney Spears.
It won the "Favorite TV Show" award at the 1998 Kids' Choice Awards. After the conclusion of the series, it was followed by the television film Two Heads Are Better Than None.
Premise
Set in Chicago, Illinois, Kenan & Kel follows Kenan Rockmore and Kel Kimble, a pair of high school students who go on several misadventures, which usually occur as a result of Kenan devising a scheme to get-rich-quick, or avoid trouble from his elders. These schemes are often foiled as a result of Kel's aloof, happy-go-lucky nature.The show employs a number of running gags. Episodes open and close with Kenan and Kel breaking the fourth wall by interacting with a studio audience, standing in front of a red curtain that is placed in front of the main set while they are still in character. A running gag of the openings is Kel never knowing what the night's episode would be about and Kenan refusing to tell him, while the closings frequently feature Kenan coming up with a new scheme, often asking Kel to get various assorted items and meet him somewhere. Frazzled both times, Kel exclaims his catchphrase, "Aww, here it goes!".
Production
Kenan & Kel was created by Kim Bass, and stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell as the title characters. The actors previously starred in the Nickelodeon series All That. Mitchell and Thompson would joke around on the set of All That, which caught the attention of producers, including Bass, who wished to package Thompson and Mitchell in a series. During a hiatus of All That, the producers kept Thompson and Kel so they could film the pilot for Kenan & Kel. Mitchell later expressed fondness working with Thompson on the series. Kenan & Kel was Mitchell's second professional acting performance, having only worked on All That and in amateur theater productions in Chicago beforehand. Thompson's previous experience included a role in . Kenan is the series' straight man, and Kel is his comedic foil.The first season contained 14 episodes, filmed between April and August 9, 1996. The season was filmed in front of a studio audience at Universal Studios Florida. With Kenan & Kel, Thompson and Mitchell were the first black stars of a Nickelodeon sitcom. The characters of Kenan and Kel make a crossover appearance on the Nickelodeon series Cousin Skeeter.
Broadcast
Reruns of the series briefly aired on Nick GAS in 1999. After the series finished its run, reruns continued to air on Nickelodeon from January 21, 2001, to February 15, 2004.The series reran on The N 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, which continues to air sporadic reruns. The series also airs reruns frequently on Nickelodeon's Pluto TV channel.
Characters
Episodes
Home media
Kenan and Kel is only available on DVD in the compilations Best of Seasons 1 & 2 and Best of Season 3 & 4. They are DVD-R releases manufacture on demand through Amazon.com. Individual seasons are not available. The Best of Seasons 1 & 2 DVD is missing 3 episodes to complete the set, but Season 2 is complete. The Best of Seasons 3 & 4 DVD is also missing 3 episodes, but Season 4 is complete. These DVD releases are absent of any bonus features.| DVD | Episodes | Release Date | Disc 1 | Disc 2 | Disc 3 |
| The Best of Seasons 1 & 2 | 23 | May 21, 2014 | "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 Bull" "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" |
On July 28, 2011, the first season of Kenan & Kel was released on the iTunes Store.
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.
Seasons 1 and 2 were released on the UK iTunes store in September 2013.