Kevin Can Wait

Kevin Can Wait is an American television sitcom starring Kevin James that aired on CBS from September 19, 2016 to May 7, 2018. The series marked James' second starring role in a CBS sitcom, following "The King of Queens" (1998–2007).
The series began with James starring as a recently retired Nassau County, New York police officer and father of three, married to Donna (Erinn Hayes). Beginning with the second season, the character of Donna has died, and the series' new female lead is Vanessa Cellucci (Leah Remini), Kevin's former rival on the force and now his partner at their new security company, Monkey Fist Security. While the first season focused on Kevin's personal and family life, the second concerns his new profession, his relationship with Vanessa and his adjustment to life as a single parent.
On May 12, 2018, CBS canceled the series after two seasons.
Plot.
Kevin Gable is a newly retired Nassau County police officer living in Massapequa, New York, on Long Island, with his wife Donna, daughters Kendra and Sara and son Jack Cole. He looks forward to a carefree early retirement hanging out with his friends, who are also retired officers: Goody, Duffy and Mott. However, Kevin soon realizes that his smaller pension paycheck and family challenges will put those plans on hold. His elder daughter Kendra, who was away at college, moves back into town with her unemployed fiancé, Chale, and they begin living in the home's garage; Sara is becoming increasingly difficult, with anger-management issues; and youngest son Jack is a hypochondriac who sees the school therapist for anxiety-related issues.
During the first season, Kevin holds various odd jobs to supplement his retirement income while the family deals with several issues, including Kendra and Chale's wedding. First-season episodes revolve around Kevin and Donna, although Kevin is frequently seen with his group of friends. Most scenes during the first season take place either at the Gable household or the bar Enzo's (where Kendra is employed and Kevin hangs out with his friends).
Season 2 picks up more than a year after the events of the first-season finale. Donna has been dead for about a year, leaving the widowed Kevin with the three kids. He works full-time with his old rival Vanessa Cellucci in their new security company, Monkey Fist Security. With Donna's death, Kevin's reentry into the work force, and the regular inclusion of Vanessa, Season 2 also features more of the supporting characters not seen much in the first season. The Monkey Fist Security office also becomes a frequently used location.
Cast and characters.
Notable guest stars.
Several members of James' family have appeared in the series (in addition to James' brother and regular cast member Gary Valentine); his wife Steffiana De La Cruz appears in "The Back Out" and daughters Shea and Sienna James appear in various roles throughout both seasons. Remini's husband Angelo Pagán appears in "Business Unusual." Theme-song performer Mike DelGuidice and writer Mike Soccio have also appeared in the series in minor roles.
Production.
Development.
In October 2015, it was announced that Kevin James would star in a new family-comedy television series for CBS, with Rock Reuben to be executive producer and Bruce Helford to serve as the showrunner. On May 12, 2016, CBS placed a series order.
The series premiered in the 2016–17 network television schedule and aired at 8:00 p.m. On October 17, 2016, CBS ordered a full season of 22 episodes. In November 2016, Helford exited the series after the first 13 episodes because of creative differences. "Cheers" alum Rob Long replaced Helford as showrunner. On January 6, 2017, two additional episodes were added, bringing the season to a total of 24 episodes.
The series was filmed entirely on Long Island at Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage, New York. The pilot episode was filmed on April 1, 2016. Production on subsequent episodes began taping on August 5, 2016.
On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 25, 2017 and concluded on May 7, 2018. Season 2's original order was for 22 episodes and was later increased to 24 episodes.
Casting.
In January 2016, Taylor Spreitler was cast as Kendra. In February 2016, Ryan Cartwright, Mary-Charles Jones, James DiGiacomo, Leonard Earl Howze and Erinn Hayes were cast. In March 2016, Lenny Venito and Gary Valentine joined the cast.
In September 2016, it was announced that Ray Romano and Gina Brillon would appear as guest stars. In November 2016, it was announced that Adam Sandler would also appear. In March 2017, it was announced that James' former "King of Queens" co-star Leah Remini would guest-star in the first season's final two episodes.
In June 2017, Remini was made a series regular starting with Season 2; shortly after, it was announced that Erinn Hayes would not be returning for the show's second season. Sources cited in a "Variety" article confirmed that Remini would be returning as Detective Vanessa Cellucci, the character whom she had portrayed in the first-season finale, and that Hayes' dismissal was the result of creative reasons and "not a reflection" of her performance. In August 2017, it was reported that Hayes' character would be killed off before Season 2 began and that the season will take place seven to ten months after Season 1 had ended, in order to make room for Remini.
Cancellation.
On May 12, 2018, it was announced that CBS had officially canceled "Kevin Can Wait" after two seasons because of declining ratings, CBS's desire to have an ownership stake and the network's need to clear space for three new sitcoms in the Fall 2018 schedule.
Reception.
Critical response.
During the first season, "Kevin Can Wait" received generally negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 30%, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Kevin James proves a likable, funny lead, but "Kevin Can Wait" relies too heavily on predictable, unfunny jokes and a series of lackluster subplots to stand out from the crowd." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the series has a score 39 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews."
With the firing of Hayes and addition of Remini in Season 2, the series' retooling also received negative reviews, this time assessing the series as inferior to James and Remini's former show "The King of Queens".
Controversy.
The replacement of Erinn Hayes with Leah Remini and the manner in which the show handled Donna Gable's death have been a source of controversy for the series. Criticism has been levied especially at the episodes "Civil Ceremony" and "Grief Thief." In "Civil Ceremony", the Season 2 premiere, Donna's death is only briefly mentioned via a piece of mail, followed by a joke that many found distasteful. In "Grief Thief", the second season's fifth episode, the characters use a single-parents' support group to avoid work and meet potential romantic partners. The series' scant mention of Donna following her death, the cause of which is never explained, has also been the target of criticism.
Viewers and critics of the show remain divided over the retooling. Some liked the changes, feeling that the chemistry between James and Remini improved the quality of the series. Others said that Hayes' firing, the addition of Remini, the manner in which the show handled Donna's death and poor script quality lowered the show's quality. Despite the division, Hayes and Remini spoke highly of each other. Remini stated that, before Hayes' firing, she was looking forward to working with her again; Hayes (who mostly remained silent over the firing) asked fans to not place blame on Remini.
It has been rumored that the addition of Remini was an attempt to save the show from cancellation, an effort to capitalize on the chemistry between James and Remini and their success on "The King of Queens" a decade earlier. However, James insisted that the choice was purely creative, as the writers felt that they were running out of ideas, and he was unsure if the show would continue beyond a second season. James also stated that the original plot line of the series was to have him as a single father, but the original producers gave him a wife instead.
Despite the controversy surrounding the revamp, the series' ratings remained steady. As of December 1, 2017, the series was averaging 8.2 million viewers (with delayed viewing) in the season, competing against the more established top-20 series "Dancing with the Stars" and "The Voice". The series also performes well in the much-coveted 18-49 demographic, ranking as the fifth-highest rated program on CBS in that category.
Home media.
The complete first season was released on DVD on September 5, 2017 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.