Kevin Can Wait is an American sitcom television series starring Kevin James. The series premiered on September 19, 2016. The series marked James' second starring role in a CBS sitcom, after The King of Queens, which ran from 1998 until 2007. On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 25, 2017.
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 season two, 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.
Video Kevin Can Wait
Plot
Kevin Gable is a newly retired Nassau County police officer living in Massapequa, New York, on Long Island, with wife Donna, daughters Kendra and Sara, and son Jack. He looks forward to spending time with his family and hanging out with his friends, who are also retired officers: Goody, Duffy, and Mott. However, his elder daughter Kendra, who was away at college, moves back into town with her unemployed fiancé, Chale, and 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's and Chale's wedding. Most scenes during the first season took place either at the Gable household or the restaurant Enzo's.
Season two picks up over a year after the events of the first-season finale. Donna has been deceased for about a year, leaving the widowed Kevin with the three kids, and now working full-time with his old work rival, Vanessa Cellucci, in their new security company, Monkey Fist Security.
Maps Kevin Can Wait
Cast and characters
Main cast
- Kevin James as Kevin Gable:
- Erinn Hayes as Donna Gable (season 1):
- Taylor Spreitler as Kendra Gable-Witt:
- Ryan Cartwright as Chale Witt:
- Mary-Charles Jones as Sara Marie Gable:
- James DiGiacomo as Jack Gable:
- Gary Valentine as Kyle Gable:
- Leonard Earl Howze as Tyrone "Goody" Goodman:
- Lenny Venito as Duffy (season 1):
- Leah Remini as Vanessa Cellucci (season 2-present; guest season 1):
Recurring cast
- Christopher Brian Roach (also credited as Chris Roach) as Mott, another one of Kevin's friends, who is usually regarded as the dimmest of the group. He is married to Cindy, and has seven young, rambunctious kids.
- Bas Rutten as Rutger Vandekamp, the Gables' annoying Dutch neighbor who becomes Kevin's friend. He lives with his mother and his long-term girlfriend. During the first season, he works in the warehouse at a big box store. In the second season, Kevin and Vanessa hire him at their security company.
- Jim Breuer as Father Philip, the priest at the Gables' Catholic church.
- Joe Starr as Enzo, the owner of Enzo's, and Kendra's boss.
- Saidah Arrika Ekulona as Didi, Goody's wife and a friend of Donna's. She frequently expressed worry about Goody facing danger on the police force. (Season 1)
- Chris Weidman as Nick Dawson, a rookie cop who is the new partner of Kevin's former partner. (Season 1)
Notable guest stars
- Ray Romano as Vic Margolis, an annoying hot tub salesman, whose son befriends Jack ("Beat the Parents")
- Noah Syndergaard as Halloween Viking ("Hallow-We-Ain't-Home")
- Adam Sandler as Jimmy, Kevin's former partner ("Who's Better Than Us?")
- Billy Joel as himself ("Kevin's Bringing Supper Back")
- Harry Connick Jr. as himself ("Kenny Can Wait")
- Chazz Palminteri as Vincent Cellucci, Vanessa's father ("Plus One is the Loneliest Number")
- Loni Love as Yvette, a pawn shop owner ("The Owl")
In addition, James' family has appeared in the series (in addition to regular cast member Gary Valentine). James' real-life wife, Steffiana De La Cruz, and two of James' daughters, Shea James and Sienna James, have appeared in the series; De La Cruz was in "Double Date" as a half of a couple Kevin and Donna try to befriend, while Shea and Sienna appeared in various roles throughout both seasons. Remini's husband, Angelo Pagán, also appeared in "Business Unusual". Also, both theme song performer Michael Delguidice, and writer Mike Soccio, have appeared in the series in minor roles.
Episodes
- All episodes thus far have been directed by Andy Fickman.
Series overview
Season 1 (2016-17)
Season 2 (2017)
Production
In October 2015, it was announced Kevin James would star in a new family-comedy television series for CBS, while Rock Reuben will executive produce the series, and Bruce Helford would serve as the show runner.
On October 17, 2016, CBS ordered a full season of 22 episodes. In November 2016, Bruce Helford exited the series as showrunner after the first thirteen episodes, due to 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 is 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.
Casting
In January 2016, Taylor Spreitler had been cast in the series as Kendra, Kevin's daughter. In February 2016, Ryan Cartwright, Mary-Charles Jones, and James DiGiacomo had been cast in the series, as Kendra's boyfriend, and James' characters other children, respectively. That same month, Leonard Earl Howze and Erinn Hayes joined the cast portraying James' character's friend and former police partner and James' wife, respectively. In March 2016, Lenny Venito and Gary Valentine joined the cast.
In September 2016, it was announced Ray Romano and Gina Brillon would guest star. In November 2016, it was announced Adam Sandler would also guest star. In March 2017, it was announced 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 upped to 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 she portrayed in the first-season finale, and that Hayes' dismissal was for creative reasons and "not a reflection" of the actress' performance. In August 2017, it was reported Hayes' character will be killed off before season two begins and the season will take place 7-10 months after season one ended, in order to make room for Remini.
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". It has been rumoured and hinted at that the addition of co-star Leah Remini was an attempt to save the show from cancellation due to their great chemistry and ability to play off one another well.
Ratings
Season 1 (2016-17)
Season 2 (2017)
See also
- The King of Queens, James and Remini's first CBS sitcom
- Man with a Plan, another CBS sitcom often compared and partnered with Kevin Can Wait
- Heaven Can Wait, the phrase to which the title of the sitcom alludes
Notes
References
External links
- Official website
- Kevin Can Wait on IMDb
- Kevin Can Wait at TV.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments