*“Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson is going back to his roots with his latest endeavor.
The actor, who began his career as a child star on Nickelodeon kids’ sketch show, “All That,” is creating a new live-action sketch comedy series for kids with digital-media startup Pocket.watch.
The half-hour “Pocket.watch Presents Skoogle” will feature Thompson as the voice of an Alexa-like digital assistant for kids who has been created to help them with daily problems.
The show will include a cast of kids, with sketches satirizing everything from apps to streaming services and social media.
With “Skoogle,” Thompson reunites with Albie Hecht, Pocket.watch’s chief content officer and the former Nickelodeon president who was the original development executive behind “All That.”
“I’m excited to once again team up with Albie Hecht and work alongside his great new team at Pocket.watch to bring ‘Skoogle’ to life,” Thompson said in a statement. “Having been a part of sketch-comedy shows throughout my career, I’m thrilled to be able to introduce the show format that I love to an entirely new generation of kids.”
“Skoogle” is the first major series production for the startup, comprising 10-13 episodes. The company plans to shop the show, aimed at kids 6-11, to streaming services and cable and broadcast TV networks, according to Hecht. Casting for “Skoogle” will take place over the next several months, with production slated for this fall.
The show will be shot live in front of a studio audience (most likely in L.A.) with some prerecorded bits. In additional multiple-length sketches, “Skoogle” will include cameo appearances and musical guests. “We want that vibrancy and energy of a live audience that Kenan knows so well,” Hecht said.
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