‘All That’ is back: Kenan Thompson will produce reboot of the 90s classic

There are fewer things in the world purer than the melody to the theme song of Nickelodeon’s All That.

Sang by the legendary R&B group TLC, that unmistakable high falsettoed “Oh, oh, oh / This is All That / This is All That! /”  made you stop whatever you were doing to run in front of the television. Even now, playing it back sends chills fo nostalgia down my spine.

Coming on to the scene in the 90s, the live-action sketch comedy-show which starred a teenage cast and was targeted at younger viewers was the most popping thing for young adults at the time.

It was like a kids version of In Living Color or SNL and with characters like Baggin’ Saggin’ Barry, Super Dude, and the misfit fast food employees of Good Burger, the quality of talent matched, too.

Today, according to reports from Variety, Nickelodeon is bringing back the legendary program with it’s original and first cast member, who is also SNL’s all-time longest-tenured member, Kenan Thompson as executive producer.

Co-creator and an executive producer of the original run of the series, Brian Robbins, tells Variety that the show has managed to “stay in the zeitgeist for many years” and that “people really like it”, but more importantly, could be the key to what’s next long term.

“We think there’s a great opportunity to find the next pool of stars,” said Robbins.

“We want to bring the show back in a real fun way. This summer, we are going to bring back a lot of the original cast and the cast through the years, and let them introduce the new cast of ‘All That’ to the world.” He also suggested the program would be “a sort of mash-up of some of the old sketches and a lot of new sketches.”

Robbins was the eye that found Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes, Nick Cannon, Jamie Spears, and others. A lot of them went on to star in other major Nickelodeon series, such as The Amanda Show, Kenan and Kel, and Drake and Josh.

For Thompson, it was an easy decision. After being pitched the idea from Robbins it was reported that he didn’t hesitate to comply. The two had remained close after their first stint at Nickelodeon and both are fond of each other’s work. However, Thompson plans on staying at SNL.

“If I’m not at the table read, I’ll be on the phone during the table read,’ he tells Variety. “I’ll be around.” He hopes the program will have a similar role at the Viacom-owned kids’ outlet. “I think it should be a staple show for Nickelodeon,” he said.

With some of the original minds around this project, it’s exciting to see how they’re going to tap in into the modern culture with a classic twist.

The youth could use more positive examples of people like them doing constructive good and All That can fill that void. The show can also be an opportunity for kids to get shine and to go on to the next level of talent.

The official air times have not been released.