Kenan Thompson Might Be Leaving Saturday Night Live for His Own Sitcom

Saturday Night Livemight have to prepare for a future without Kenan Thompson sooner than it would have thought. Deadline reports that NBC has committed to producing a pilot for a comedy called Saving Larry that would star the SNL fixture as a single father.

Saving Larry is written by Superstore's Jackie Clarke and executive-produced by Clarke, Thompson and SNL boss Lorne Michaels. According to Deadline, "Saving Larry centers on a dad (Thompson), who after his wife dies, has to be both mother and father to his kids. And he has to do it all with his father-in-law hovering over him."

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Currently heading into his 16th season, Thompson is the longest-tenured cast member in SNL history and earned his first Emmy nomination this year. He joined the show in 2003 after establishing himself on the kids' comedy shows All That and Kenan & Kel. Saving Larry would be his first sitcom since Kenan & Kel ended in 2001. He is expected to leave SNL if Saving Larry gets picked up to series.

Saving Larry is still in very early stages, but we're rooting for it to work out. As much as we'd miss him on SNL, he can't do it forever, and he's earned his own series several times over.

Saturday Night Live Season 44 premieres Sept. 29 at 11:30/10:30c with host Adam Driver and musical guest Kanye West as well as new featured player Ego Nwodim.