Currently the most underrated cast member on Saturday Night Live, Kenan Thompson is now up for the only role typically more underappreciated: the father on a sitcom. NBC announced two comedy pilot orders Friday evening, including Saving Kenan, Thompson’s previously revealed project. According to the single-cam show’s description, “Kenan Thompson stars as a newly widowed dad determined to be everything for his kids while begrudgingly letting his persistent father-in-law become more involved in their lives.†Lorne Michaels will, of course, executive produce.
NBC also placed a pilot order for Like Magic, a single-camera comedy about an up-and-coming female magician. “A workplace comedy that follows an optimistic young woman pursuing her dream to be a headlining magician in the eccentric and ego-driven world of the Magic Palace,†the series’ longline reads. Hmmm, aspiring lady magician. Maybe the only underestimated character that could give “sitcom dad with a bossy father-in-law†a run for his perpetually undervalued money.