Kenan Thompson teams with Tradition Pictures for TV slate

Kenan Thompson is developing multiple television projects with independent producer Tradition Pictures.

The collaboration pairs Thompson and John Ryan Jr.’s Artists for Artists banner with the company led by chief executive Matthew Einstein, according to an exclusive report by Deadline published on 7 October 2026. No titles, channels or start dates have been disclosed. The plan covers television only.

Tradition Pictures was founded in 2015. Einstein runs the Los Angeles-based organisation as chief executive.

The company is also forming a new advisory board. It includes veteran producer and former studio executive Mark Canton, actor and musician James Maslow, and Joseph Sikora, an actor, director and executive producer known for the Power franchise.

Tradition Pictures has lined up other business around the slate. It has entered joint ventures with Echobend for production services and Finesse for post-production, the hands-on filming support and the editing, sound and finishing work that follow a shoot. It also has a docuseries collaboration with Stephen Neely’s Agents of Change and an intellectual property partnership with Daniele Bolelli’s History on Fire.

Thompson and Ryan have worked together across comedy, film and short-form video. Ryan served as an executive producer on Good Burger 2, as reported by Variety. Their Artists for Artists banner co-produces Good Sports with Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat, according to Variety. Range Media Partners and Google also launched microdramas, meaning very short scripted episodes made for phones, in partnership with Artists for Artists.

Thompson remains a fixture on Saturday Night Live. He returned for his 23rd season with Season 51, according to Variety.

For viewers, this means new projects to watch for. Nothing has been ordered to series yet, meaning no channel has committed to air a finished show, and no casting has been announced.