Kenan Thompson single-camera sitcom “Saving Larry” has received a pilot production commitment from NBC.
Here’s the logline:
After his wife dies, a dad (Thompson) 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.
Thompson is set to executive produce and star on the project. His “SNL” boss Lorne Michaels will also executive produce.
Jackie Clarke is the showrunner, Andrew Singer also earns an executive producing credit.
Could “Saving Larry” be the reason Thompson finally leaves “Saturday Night Live” after such a long run? Should it be picked up to series, the answer is yes, probably — especially if it gets a hefty episode order.
It’s not totally unprecedented for an active “SNL” player to star on a sitcom. Aidy Bryant does “Shrill” for Hulu, for example, though the streaming show only had six episodes in Season 1. A person with knowledge of Thompson’s deal told TheWrap that, practically speaking, it would basically be impossible to do both. Either way, Thompson will appear on this season of “SNL.”
“Savings Larry” hails from Universal Television and Michaels’ Broadway Video — so it’s not like any of this will catch Lorne by surprise.
Thompson is represented by UTA, Michael Goldman and Del Shaw. Clarke is repped by UTA and Felker Toczek.
“Saturday Night Live” will return for its 44th season on Sept. 29, with host Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman” the recent “Star Wars” movies) and musical guest Kanye West.