Kenan Thompson joins Maya Rudolph – Martin Short variety show; could this impact ‘SNL’ future?

The previously-announced variety show Maya Rudolph and Martin Short on NBC just added one more talent to the mix.

It was announced today that this series, entitled “Maya and Marty in Manhattan,” will premiere come May 31 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time, and it will follow the premiere episode of “America’s Got Talent.” (Pretty great lead-in!) Not only that, but “Saturday Night Live” veteran Kenan Thompson is going to be coming aboard as a part of the show, which will give it even more NBC flair. For those wondering, the schedule for this show won’t overlap with “SNL” in the slightest, so it’s certainly possible that he can do both if he so chooses.

In announcing this move, NBC’s alternative / late-night head Paul Telegdy said the following:

“With their cumulative expertise and experience in live comedy, we couldn’t ask for a better trio to deliver what we know will be a fantastic show … Their respective accomplishments on Saturday Night Live and beyond are extraordinary.”

For the time being, we’re cautiously optimistic on the show. What it has going for it are some very-talented people, but it’s been a long time since there was a variety show in America that was actually worth watching week in and week out. It needs to be edgy enough to actually draw headlines, while at the same time enough family-friendly to get a network audience to watch. Thanks a very difficult gap to bridge when there are a zillion other options out there for people to watch.

We’ll have more on this series in due time, but for now head over here in the event you want to see a promo for this weekend’s “SNL” hosted by Ariana Grande. Also, you can sign up over here in the event you want some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)