Keegan-Michael Key addresses the chances of a Key & Peele revival. Created by Key and Jordan Peele for Comedy Central in 2012, the sketch comedy series consisting mainly of pre-taped skits starring the titular duo ran for a total of 53 episodes over five seasons before going off the air in 2015.
For its creative sketches that cover a variety of societal topics, Key & Peele was the recipient of a Peabody Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards, including a win for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series in 2016.
Since Key & Peele ended in 2015, the former comedic duo have frequently reunited on other projects, including Keanu, Toy Story 4, and the upcoming Wendell and Wild. However, Key and Peele have also proven their talent on their own individual projects.
Peele reinvented the horror genre with Get Out, Us, and this year’s Nope, winning an Oscar for penning his debut film. On the other hand, Key is a highly sought-after comedic talent and voice actor, and a few of his recent projects include Judd Apatow’s The Bubble and Disney’s new live-action Pinocchio movie.
However, with Key & Peele constantly increasing its following through streaming and its regularly updated YouTube channel, many have been wondering about the likelihood of a revival.
Now, during a recent interview with Slash Film promoting his new Hulu series Reboot, Key is asked about the chances of a possible Key & Peele reboot. The co-creator admits that he and Peele have thought about a revival, but that isn’t the end of the story. Read what Key had to say below:
“It’s something that is in the back of our brains sometimes, but right now, we’re just happy to be working on the stuff that we’re working on. When I say ‘it’s in the back,’ I mean it’s way, way in the back, yeah.”
Key’s comments are not good news for those hoping to see a Key & Peele revival sooner rather than later. However, his response doesn’t spell doom for its chances either. The former comedic duo is simply preoccupied with other projects for the foreseeable future.
Key has upcoming roles in the Super Mario and Wonka movies while Peele is likely hard at work writing another feature film to follow-up Nope. It’s exciting that both Key and Peele have grown their careers beyond the original series, but it also leads to some disappointment when it comes to a potential revival of their show.
Considering they were heavily involved in writing, producing, and starring in the show’s sketches every single week, a Key & Peele revival is a massive commitment the duo simply doesn’t have time for right now.
Besides, given the inundation of revivals, reboots, and legacy sequels that exist today, perhaps it would be better for Key and Peele to let their impressive body of work stand on its own.
For those yearning to see Key and Peele back together again, perhaps the stop-motion film Wendell & Wild, which releases on Netflix in October, might be able to scratch that itch.