Every few years a sketch comedy show comes along that defines its given generation. In Living Color was hugely successful in the early 1990’s. The Chappelle Show carved out its own spot in history about a decade ago. Most recently it was the Key & Peele show that took its grip on America’s funny bone with their irreverent, yet topical brand of comedy that touches on race, class, celebrity, and just plain out ridiculousness.
The comedy team consists of Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele. The two actors met during their six seasons on MadTV, where their on-screen chemistry proved so strong, that it carried them over to their own Emmy nominated show on Comedy Central. The fifth and final season already began airing earlier this month. However, in an interview with The Wrap on Friday, Key had this to say about the show’s future.
“This is our final season – and it’s not because of Comedy Central, it’s us. It was just time for us to explore other things, together and apart. I compare it to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. We might make a movie and then do our own thing for three years and then come back and do another movie. I’m thinking we could do that every three years – take a year, go bang out a movie. That’s the plan right now.”
So this season will be the show’s final run, which will wrap up in September. While it is bittersweet, at least fans will get to appreciate the final season and the network will surely appreciate the boost in ratings, from the added attention. It is rare to have a comedy team that is so attached, it will be interesting to see how their solo careers flourish. However, this is not a break-up, both comedians are simply broadening their horizons, presumably both on and off camera. Key explains more about the duo’s plans for the future.
“There will be Key & Peele productions coming up. We’re doing the reboot of ‘Police Academy,’ and there’s a TV show in the works that me might do for Comedy Central. There’s lots of stuff we have cooking up.”
It seems that the demands of their TV show was simply taking away too much of their attention from their burgeoning film careers, with Key already making a ton of notable cameos in movies such as Let’s Be Cops, Pitch Perfect 2, and Vacation. In addition to the reboot of Police Academy, they have a feature film adaptation of one their signature Key & Peele sketches in development as well, called Substitute Teacher. Where Key will reprise one of his signature roles as Mr. Garvey, while Peele will play a rival teacher. So despite the announcement, this could actually mean that fans of Key & Peele could be getting even more from the duo, with the end of their show. Regardless, it is an end of an era, so fans should make sure to set your DVRs.
Key & Peele airs on Wednesdays at 10pm on Comedy Central.
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Source: The Wrap