‘Key & Peele’ season 5 to be the last on Comedy Central

Well, how about this for an announcement that caught us totally off-guard? Right at what is arguably their highest point of celebrity, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have decided that they are going to end “Key & Peele” after the upcoming fifth season. This is a show that has slowly build up more and more of a following over time, and it even scored some Emmy love earlier this month.

Of course, you have to wonder why in the world they would want to end it now when things are going so well. As Key explains to TheWrap, much of it has to do with them simply wanting to do some other things for at least a little while:

“This is our final season — and it’s not because of Comedy Central, it’s us … It was just time for us to explore other things, together and apart. I compare it to Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. We might make a movie and then do our own thing for three years and then come back and do another movie.”

Given that these two guys have done some great sketches over the past few years, the announcement is sad … but it also makes some sense. Why stick with something at this particular moment in time and risk it starting to become unappreciated? They can leave now when public opinion has never been better, try out movies and other projects, and if they don’t work out they can always come back here and be beloved again.

Plus, sometimes brevity helps many comedies be remembered fondly. Just look at “Chappelle’s Show” lasting for an even shorter period of time, and how popular that still is.

Do you think that ending ‘Key & Peele” now when things are great is ultimately the right move? Share below, and head over here to get some other TV updates on all we cover, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Comedy Central.)