critic agree : Kevin James ' new sitcom is not very good . Kevin Can Wait , the 51 - year - old comic ’s return to CBS after a nine - twelvemonth period ride his Paul Blart Segway across American film screens , has receive the case of middling reviews that you ’d accept for a show with a wordplay on the star ’s name for a title .
" Kevin Can Waitis neither as bad as you may have feared nor as good as you may have hoped , " writesNewsday . Taking a more aggressive glide slope , Vultureproclaims , " Kevin Can WaitIs Exactly As dread As You reckon . " None of this is surprising . The show will probably be a strike . That ’s the Kevin James way .
For more than 10 years , James has starred in a drawstring of financially successful movies –Paul Blart : Mall Cop , Grown Ups , Zookeeper , Here amount the Boom– that were savaged by critic upon their button . The only hot - activity movie he ’s appeared in that get a " fresh " military rating onRotten Tomatoeswas the Will Smith romantic comedyHitch , which sits at a just fresh 69 % . Like his frequent collaboratorAdam Sandler , James has build a loyal fanbase that will not be deter by negative reviews .
King of Queens|CBS
But it was n’t always that agency : when James first uprise to national prominence via his starring office in the CBS sitcomThe King of Queens , which air for nine seasons from 1998 to 2007 , he was not a factious physical body . He was n’t a critical Darling River , but the other critique of his show tended to be affectionate , encouraging , and respectful , rivet on his persona Doug Heffernan ’s blue - collar card and his chemistry with co - star Leah Remini , who played his long - suffering wife , Carrie . In fact , Entertainment Weekly’spositive reviewof the show was glowing , refer to it as " a near - perfect synthesis ofSeinfeldandRaymond , recombine many of the best ingredient of each show into something wholly , delightfully new . "
It ’s arduous to imagine a critic writing that rapturously about a James vehicle now , but going back and rewatching episodes ofThe King of Queens , I think that revaluation buzz off it mostly good . The King of Queenswas a rum , serviceable situation comedy , the type of show you got sucked into because you forgot to turn the television receiver off on your way to the fridge . It had Jerry Stiller doing Frank Costanza . It had Patton Oswalt occasionallystanding very still . It had that very shady string of episodes where Doug ’s obstetrical delivery company went on strike . In a pre - streaming idiot box creation , it was the type of show you just watched because it was on , then eventually order , " Hey , this isactuallypretty honorable ! "
ThoughKing of Queensjustifiably gets lumped in with other " Ugly Guy , Hot Wife " sitcoms of the other ' 00s , likeStill Standing , Yes , Dear , andThe George Lopez Show , it had a better handle on how to twist Greco-Roman situation comedy assumption than many of its schlubby contemporaries . An episode like the Season 5 standout " Flash Photography , " where Doug expend a disposable television camera to take a picture of his penis wearing a top lid and almost ends a admirer ’s wedding , took the " nuptials instalment " to the type of dismal place shows likeYou’re the WorstorIt ’s Always gay in Philadelphianow specialise in . The show never announced itself as experimental or form - breakage – and the braying laugh track might be a stylistic road pulley for young viewers lift on single - photographic camera shows – but it was quietly , reliably funny .
So , if the show was well - liked , why doesn’tTheKing of Queenshave a ethnical footmark online ? UnlikeFriends , Seinfeld , or evenFraiser , you wo n’t find GIF - sate lean about " Why Doug and Carrie ’s Relationship Was Serious Relationship goal " or thinkpieces about " How Deacon Subverted Deliveryman Stereotypes . " Unlike other show that have emerged as nostalgia touchstones for millennials , TheKing of Queensis not uncommitted on any of the popular cyclosis political platform . ( Though most episodes are available on YouTube . ) It never went off the rails to the power point that citizenry startedwriting articlesabout how softheaded it was . No one is makinga documentaryabout exporting it to other state . The King of Queenssits in sitcom purgatory , all forgotten despite its long - running condition , becoming reassessment , and its star ’s continue succeeder .
With the premiere ofKevin Can Waittonight , are we head for a widespreadKing of Queensre - appraisal ? Are you quick for the Jamesaissance ? Yes , that ’s improbable to bump , though I have obscure hopes for his new show , which was create by James , Queenswriter Rock Reuben , andDrew Carey Showcreator Bruce Helford , mostly due to a moment in the trailer forKevin Can Waitthat bring at the heart of what establish James an appealing comic role player . James receives a Gyro - Bowl as a retirement natural endowment from his once again elbow room more attractive wife ( Childrens Hospital ’s Erinn Hayes ) , pour tomato ketchup into it , and examine out the bowl by trip the light fantastic around his kitchen , pretending he ’s in a fishing boat . It ’s not going to win any awards , but I laughed .
James excels at goofy yet refined forcible comedy . His minuscule Gyro - Bowl shimmy is the same type of move that made his work as a shy comptroller wholearns to danceinHitchso effective . It ’s why his old stand - up material , like his 2001 specialSweat the Small Stuff , generally holds up pretty well . It ’s why hoi polloi still pause onKing of Queensreruns in syndication . Though James has turned into something of a vital punching bag , we should n’t totally give up on him yet .
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