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Let's Face It, 'Kenan And Kel' Was The Greatest Kids' TV Show Ever Made

Let's Face It, 'Kenan And Kel' Was The Greatest Kids' TV Show Ever Made

Nineties children, this one's for you!

Michael Minay

Michael Minay

Shall we just get this out the way? Who loves Orange Soda? Kel loves Orange Soda!! In fact, every time someone has offered it to you since, you've probably had that line run through your head.

And you'll never forget where it came from. It came from arguably the greatest '90s kids' TV show ever to grace our screens: Kenan and Kel.

So just for the moment, park your Get Your Own Back, put your ChuckleVision on the shelf, and tell anybody who grew up in the era of Drake And Josh to leave the room.

Kenan Thompson (named Kenan Rockmore in the show) turns 39 (thirty nine!) today, and what better way to celebrate than remembering the brilliance that he brought to our screens?

As an audience, we loved it, and we still do to this day. If it was ever repeated on television, there would be a host of 20-somethings rushing home from work to catch it.

It's incredible to think that the show ended 17 years ago (which would have made Kenan 22 when he stopped filming, while Kel is only a couple months younger), but after 62 episodes the curtain closed for the final time.

But over the previous 61 episodes, we were left in hysterics as each week Kenan and Kel got themselves into all sorts of situations.

The love affair started with the infamous theme tune, sang by none other than Coolio: 'Everyone out there / Go run tell your homeboys and homegirls / It's time for Kenan and Kel...'

Credit: Nickelodeon

The boys would then emerge from behind a red curtain and do something that kids' shows never really did: break the fourth wall.

This was probably what helped endear us further. They'd come from behind the curtain and it would only be Kenan who knew what the episode would be about (in all but one episode that is). Kel's blissful ignorance allowed us to imagine their escapades were happening 'live', and also kept the mystery alive for us.

Right from the start we loved the duo, with their adventures including the time Kenan finds a screw in his tuna sandwich, is offered $10m and rejects it only to find Kel dropped it in there; Kel convincing everybody he has psychic abilities; and Kenan succeeding in curing Kel's cold - only for him to get the next batch of medicine quite wrong.

Does that bring back memories? How about Kel trying to give up orange soda for a week? Kenan getting his head trapped in bars two hours before a date? Or the pair trying to look after someone's girlfriend?

Basically, for every situation they found themselves in, they had a brilliant way of getting around it, and we loved them for it.

The pair have kept us fuelled with catchphrases from our single-digit years, through our teens, and probably into adulthood. Two, in particular.

As mentioned at the top, Kel has a huge love for Orange Soda. But it came to us in so many formats. We had him making out with a bottle of Orange Soda, bathing with it and we also had him writing a poem about the orange goodness.

And to reaffirm his love for it, there were plenty of 'I do's' to the bottle. I do, I do, I do-ooooooooo!

There was also the classic start to every show. Kenan would run off stage to begin the show, while Kel, still clueless as to what was about to unfold, would be left on his own.

Running to join his friend, he'd shout: 'Awww, here goes!' and our faces lit up at the prospect.

The show won the 1998 'Favourite TV Show' category at the Kids Choice Awards, and both Thompson and Mitchell were ranked 40th and 39th respectively on VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars. Quite frankly, how they are not higher is one of life's greatest mysteries.


Credit: Nickelodeon

As on-screen partnerships go, these guys have to be ranked alongside Ant and Dec, or Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.

After the show ended, rumours of the pair falling out were rife. We hope they were not true, although they have not been confirmed.

Kenan is now a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live, while Kel has appeared in several TV shows and films.

But for four years in the mid-to-late '90s we loved these guys. There was no escaping them - not that we cared!

Featured Image Credit: Nickelodeon