Nickelodeon is Reviving 'All That' with Kenan Thompson as Executive Producer | Nick Upfront 2019

Nickelodeon Is Reviving All That With Kenan Thompson as Executive Producer

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All That was the show that kept on giving to Nickelodeon over the course of a decade in the 1990s and 2000s. Now the company’s new president thinks a revival of the sketch-comedy series could be all that — and more.

Nickelodeon will revive the program — a Saturday Night Live for the tween set — with an all-new cast. But the show will have callbacks to its past as well. Kenan Thompson, the long-running SNL cast member who got his start on television when All That launched in 1994, will serve as an executive producer. Nickelodeon expects some former cast members to make appearances in the series.

Update (4/28) - Showfax is reporting that the new season of All That will use season 11 production codes, which suggests that the new season is being treated as a revival, rather than a total reboot (as in a new "season one").

The sketch comedy show “stayed in the zeitgeist for many years,” Brian Robbins, president of Nickelodeon, told Variety. “People are really fond of it.” One regular sketch, Good Burger, featuring Kel Mitchell, was set in a fast-food restaurant with a clueless cashier, and served up the premise for an original movie in 1997, starring Thompson and Mitchell. Kids also loved recurring characters like “Walter the Earboy,” "Everyday French with Pierre Escargot," "Vital Information with Lori Beth Denberg," “The Spice Boys,” and “Baggin’ Saggin’ Barry.”

The cast of Nickelodeon's "All That" appear on stage for a taped segment in front of an audience in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles . From left are Kyle Sullivan, Jamie Spears (the younger sibling of superstar Britney Spears), Giovonne Samuels, Shane Lyons, Bryan Hearne and Lisa Renee Foiles. Spears expects to act for awhile before launching a singing careerBRITNEYS SISTER, LOS ANGELES, USA

Thompson is one of the people who remembers the series fondly. “It means everything to me,” he told Variety. “It was my first job that I ever had. It gave me an opportunity.”

Robbins was a co-creator and an executive producer of the original run of the series, which during its time featured Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes, Nick Cannon and Jamie Spears, among others. Many of the cast members went on to star in other landmark Nickelodeon series, such as The Amanda Show, Kenan & Kel and The Nick Cannon Show. Other regular stars included Lori Beth Denberg, Danny Tamberelli (Pete & Pete), and Josh Server. Thompson said many of the show’s stars remain close more than a decade after “All That” went off the air.

An All That revival would continue Nickelodeon’s recent efforts to dig into its past to help secure its future. In recent years, Nickelodeon executives have tested new editions of one-time stalwarts like Hey Arnold! and Legends of the Hidden Temple, sometimes as movie specials. Such programs can spur viewing by both parents and children, as one generation tries to interest another in favorite pieces of popular culture.

The new 'All That' logo.

“We think there’s a great opportunity to find the next pool of stars,” said Robbins. “We want to bring the show back in a real fun way. This summer, we are going to bring back a lot of the original cast and the cast through the years, and let them introduce the new cast of All That to the world.” He suggested the program would be “a sort of mash-up of some of the old sketches and a lot of new sketches.”

For Thompson, the idea, pitched to him directly by Robbins, was a “no-brainer.” Thompson said he and Robbins have “always remained close. He is one of my second fathers.” Thompson didn’t hesitate when Robbins suggested he work on the new program as an executive producer.

“Every time he does that, he has been right on the money. He has done it infinite times in my life,” Thompson said.

Thompson is not giving up his day job on Saturday Night Live, however, and he acknowledges “my time is limited.” But he expects to have some say over the show’s tone and casting, among other things. “If I’m not at the table read, I’ll be on the phone during the table read,’ he said. “I’ll be around.” He hopes the program will have a similar role at the Viacom-owned kids’ outlet. “I think it should be a staple show for Nickelodeon,” he said.

Thompson is also working with kids media brand Pocket.watch and Viacom to develop Skoogle, a kids sketch comedy show created by and starring the Nickelodeon alum Kenan Thompson for Nickelodeon.

Skoogle will feature Thompson as the voice of the titular Skoogle, an Siri/Alexa-like digital assistant for kids who has been created to help with their daily problems. Along with his cast of kid entrepreneur inventors, Skoogle will satirize everything from service apps to streaming entertainment to social media. The series marks the first major series production for pocket.watch.

There is currently no word whether the iconic All That theme song, performed by TLC will also be returning.

More Nick: Nickelodeon Embarks on New Direction with its Biggest, Most Wide-Ranging Content Slate Ever!

Originally published: Thursday, February 14, 2019 at 7:43pm GMT.

Sources: Anime Superhero Forum /@Theagames10, @kanc, Nickandmore!.

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