It was a great accomplishment: two African-American comedians at the helm—and also starring in—a sketch-comedy show that aired on a cable network not specifically targeting African Americans.
Key & Peele was anecdotal proof that black comics, and the content they might produce about race every now and then, could be consistently appreciated by mainstream audiences who want to laugh.
But all good things must come to an end. Comedy Central announced Saturday that the show's current season, its fifth, would be its last.
The duo—Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele—launched the show in 2012. Peele confirmed news of the cancellation by encouraging his Twitter followers to watch the last eight episodes.
https://twitter.com/JordanPeele/status/625008079894024192
But that's not the last we'll hear of Key and Peele—nor are they completely severing ties with Comedy Central. The network announced last year that it was giving the pair a spinoff based on the “Vandaveon and Mike” characters they introduced on Key & Peele. The Hollywood Reporter says that it will be an animated series that follows the lives of 12-year-old hallway monitors in a junior high school.
What a setting. No word yet on when Vandaveon & Mike will air, but it'll probably be funny.
For more of black Twitter, check out The Chatterati on The Root and follow The Chatterati on Twitter.
Diana Ozemebhoya Eromosele is a staff writer at The Root and the founder and executive producer of Lectures to Beats, a Web series that features expert advice with scarily insightful people. Follow Lectures to Beats on Facebook and Twitter.