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Kevin Can Wait - Mondays at 8:30PM ET/PT (Moves to 8:00PM ET/PT on October 24) on CBS
Premieres Monday, September 19, 2016 at 8:30PM ET/PT

by Todd

Kevin Can Wait stars Kevin James as a newly retired police officer looking forward to spending carefree, quality time with his wife and three kids, only to discover he faces tougher challenges at home than he ever did on the streets. Kevin's retirement plans consist of chilling with his family and having epic adventures with fellow retirees Goody, his former partner and close friend, and Duffy, his oldest pal, as well as his brother, Kyle, a fireman whose closest encounter with a blaze would be a grease fire in the firehouse kitchen. However, Kevin's dream is jeopardized when he discovers that Donna, his wonderful wife of 20 years, has shielded him from key family info while he worked overtime protecting the community. Their usually reliable eldest, Kendra is dropping out of college so she can support her unemployed fiancé, Chale, while he designs the next “big app”; his teenage daughter, Sara has budding anger-management issues; and their youngest, Jack is a bit of a hypochondriac. For now, his plans for a cushy life will have to wait, because Kevin has work to do, and this time, his family is his beat.

Cast Details:

Kevin James as Kevin Gable
Erinn Hayes as Donna Gable
Taylor Spreitler as Kendra
Mary-Charles Jones as Sara Gable
James DiGiacomo as Jack Gable
Ryan Cartwright as Chale
Gary Valentine as Kyle
Leonard Earl Howze as Goody
Lenny Venito as Duffy

Kevin James (Kevin Gable) is best known for playing Doug Heffernan on the hit CBS sitcom The King of Queens for nine seasons from 1998-2007. Some of his film credits include Hitch, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, Zookeeper, Here Comes the Boom, Grown Ups 2, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 and Pixels.

Erinn Hayes (Donna Gable) is known for her role as Dr. Lola Spratt on the Adult Swim comedy Childrens Hospital. She has starred in the sitcoms The Winner, Worst Week and Guys with Kids. She has guest starred in Parenthood, Parks and Recreation and New Girl.

Taylor Spreitler (Kendra) starred as Lennox Scanlon in the ABC Family sitcom Melissa & Joey. She portrayed the role of Mia McCormick in the NBC soap opera Days of Our Lives. Her guest appearances include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Bones, Criminal Minds and Casual.

Mary-Charles Jones (Sara Gable) has guest starred in October Road, Grey's Anatomy, Hannah Montana, Necessary Roughness, Hot in Cleveland and New Girl.

James DiGiacomo (Jack Gable) has guest starred in Unbrekable Kimmy Schmidt, The Following, Fresh Off the Boat and K.C. Undercover. He appeared in the film Brooklyn.

Ryan Cartwright (Chale) is an English actor who has guest starred in The Big Bang Theory, Mom and Truth Be Told. He starred as Gary Bell in the Syfy series Alphas.

Gary Valentine (Kyle) is best known for his role as Danny Heffernan in The King of Queens. He is the older brother of Kevin James.

Leonard Earl Howze (Goody) has guest starred in My Name Is Earl, Cuts, NCIS, Shameless, Memphis Beat, Legit and The League.

Lenny Venito (Duffy) starred in the ABC comedies The Knights of Prosperity and The Neighbors. His guest appearances include Law & Order, NYPD Blue, The Job, Rescue Me, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Blue Bloods.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Airs September 19 at 8:30PM ET)

Kevin James stars as a newly retired police officer looking forward to spending carefree, quality time with his wife and three kids, only to find he faces tougher challenges at home than he ever did on the streets.

Directed by Andy Fickman
Written by Kevin James, Bruce Helford and Rock Reuben

Guest Stars: Chris Roach as Mott, Carlos Alazraqui as Slawinski, Reid Prebenda as Todd, Maxine Presscott as Elderly Woman


Analysis:

Kevin Can Wait is a multi-camera sitcom from CBS Television Studios, Sony Pictures Television, Mohawk Productions and Hey Eddie Productions. Bruce Helford, Rock Reuben, Kevin James, Jeff Sussman and Andy Fickman are executive producers. The pilot episode was directed by Andy Fickman (Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, The Game Plan, Liv and Maddie).

In the "Pilot" episode, Kevin talks to his wife and two of his children about his retirement party for later that night. Donna gives him a retirement gift - a gyrobowl. Kevin talks to his three friends and gives a PowerPoint presentation for his retirement plans. His brother, Kyle, brings over some chili. Kevin and Donna interview an elderly woman for an apartment tenant. Their daughter, Kendra, returns from college and brings him some burgers. Donna and Kendra talk about how she should introduce her boyfriend to Kevin. Kevin and Donna then interview Mr. Alvarez, a cop with a drinking problem. Kendra introduces Todd and Chale to Kevin. He's surprised to learn which one is her boyfriend and how long they have been dating. Kevin goes to the diner to talk to Kendra about her boyfriend. He comes up with a plan to help them. After talking to Donna about his job search, Kevin races go carts and has a paintball fight.

Overall, this is a very solid and funny pilot. It provides a basic introduction to the characters and the premise of the show. This is very much a vehicle for Kevin James. He's in almost every scene. He has some good one-liners and shows off his physical comedy skills. It will be interesting to see how they divide up the time between Kevin's family and his friends. It almost seems like they have too many characters. The middle daughter appears only in the opening scene. The son appears in a few scenes. The oldest daughter, Kendra, and her boyfriend Chale seem to have good-sized roles. Kevin James and Leah Remini had great chemistry in The King of Queens, but I don't see it immediately with Erinn Hayes in the pilot. It will take some time to develop that same kind magic.

Kevin Can Wait features a talented and experienced cast. Kevin James returns to his first television starring role since The King of Queens ended its nine season run in 2007. Erinn Hayes has appeared in several short-lived sitcoms. This show will very likely be her first broadcast network series to run more than one season. Taylor Spreitler brings comedic experience from Melissa & Joey. She is a stand-out in the pilot episode. Mary-Charles Jones and James DiGiacomo are not seen much in the pilot, so hopefully they are given more lines and scenes in future episodes. Ryan Cartwright has some funny lines. Gary Valentine is Kevin James' older brother. He played Danny Heffernan, Doug Heffernan's cousin in The King of Queens. This time he plays his brother. Kevin's buddies are played by Leonard Earl Howze and Lenny Venito.

The series is set in Massapequa, New York. It's being filmed entirely on Long Island at Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage, New York. This is the first network prime-time series to be shot on Long Island in front of a live studio audience. There is just one outdoor scene at the end of the pilot episode. It will be interesting to see how they take advantage of shooting there to make the location another character.

Conclusion:

Kevin James, one of the kings of primetime comedy, makes a welcome return to CBS in his first sitcom starring role in nearly ten years. It's hard to believe that The King of Queens ended its successful nine season run in 2007. Kevin Can Wait looks to be one of the most promising new sitcoms on the fall schedule. It's a traditional multi-camera family sitcom. It's comparable to According to Jim, Mike & Molly and The King of Queens. All of the ingredients to be an instant hit are here. They have a major star, a solid supporting cast, funny writing and a great timeslot. This is just a clean, family friendly comedy that you don't see often enough these days.

Kevin Can Wait will premiere after the tenth season premiere of The Big Bang Theory. They should receive great initial ratings. It will air after The Big Bang Theory for five weeks. This looks like a very wise scheduling move to get viewers to sample the series. It then slides to 8pm on October 24. CBS is obviously banking on the series to be a hit by having it anchor their Monday night comedy block. Fans of The King of Queens and Kevin James should enjoy the show. If you are hungry for laughs, this is a show worthy of checking out. We can't wait to see more of Kevin Can Wait.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, September 19, 2016 at 8:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

CBS.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Kevin Can Wait Photo Gallery

Preview:

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Sep. 19-23, 2016, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!


Saturday, September 17, 2016

• Dawn Wells (Gilligan's Island) - Dawn shares memories from Gilligan's Island on Oprah: Where Are They Now? at 10pm ET/PT on OWN.
• David Faustino (Married with Children) - David will be featured on Oprah: Where Are They Now? at 10pm ET/PT on OWN.

Monday, September 19, 2016

• Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Watch Terry on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat) - Ariana is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Chris Pratt (Parks and Recretion) - Chris visits The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. Chris and the cast of The Magnificent Seven are guests on the AOL Build Show at 3:30pm.
• Clark Gregg (The New Adventures of Old Christine) - Clark stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on the AOL Build Show at 2:45pm
• Damon Wayans Sr. (My Wife and Kids) - Damon visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. He will also be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Ben Feldman (Superstore/A to Z/Living with Fran) - Ben drops by Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Nick Jonas (Jonas L.A.) - Nick is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm. He also talks about Goat on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) - Andy appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Kevin James (Kevin Can Wait/The King of Queens) - Kevin talks about Kevin Can Wait on CBS This Morning sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings. Kevin and the cast of Kevin Cat Wait (Leonard Earl Howze, Gary Valentine, Lenny Venito and Chris Roach) will be on the AOL Build Show at 4:30pm.
• Rachael Harris (Surviving Jack/Notes from the Underbelly) - Rachael visits LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings. She will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Busy Philipps (Vice Principals/Cougar Town) - Busy guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Emma Roberts (Scream Queens/Unfabulous) - Emma is a guest on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Jerry Ferrara (Entourage) - Jerry will be on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Michael Strahan (Brothers) - Michael joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

• Minnie Driver (Speechless/About a Boy) - Catch Minnie on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights or Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• America Ferrera (Superstore) - America drops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family/The Class) - Jesse appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. He will also be on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Nick Jonas (Jonas L.A.) - Nick is a guest on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent/Arrested Development/The Larry Sanders Show) - Jeffrey stops by Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm. He also talks about Amazon's Transparent in the 9am hour.
• Paul F. Tompkins (DAG), Janet Varney (You're the Worst/Burning Love) and Aya Cash (You're the Worst) - Paul, Janet and Aya are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Brian Posehn (The Sarah Silverman Program) - Brian appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Jussie Smollett (On Our Own) - Jussie drops by Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo. He also guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Gabourey Sidibe (The Big C) - Gabourey is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Jamie Lee Curtis (Scream Queens/Anything But Love) - Jamie Lee chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about This Is Me: A Story of Who We Are and Where We Came From on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Tim Allen (Last Man Standing/Home Improvement) - Tim appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Kristen Bell (The Good Place) - Kristen is a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish/Girlfriends) - Tracee appears on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
• Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) - Jada is a guest on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• AJ Michalka (The Goldbergs/Oliver Beene) - AJ appears on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Ben Feldman (Superstore/A to Z/Living with Fran) - Ben talks about Superstore on the AOL Build Show at 4pm. He will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris is a guest on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
• Clark Gregg (The New Adventures of Old Christine) - Clark joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

• Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith) - Watch Kelly on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Tim Meadows (Son of Zorn/Marry Me/The Michael Richards Show) - Tim stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Stark Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Kristen Bell (The Good Place) - Kristen appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Johnny Pemberton (Son of Zorn), Cheryl Hines (Son of Zorn/Suburgatory/Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Artemis Pebdani (Son of Zorn) - Johnny, Cheryl and Artemis are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Eric André (Man Seeking Woman/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - Eric visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Chris Geere (You're the Worst) - Chris is a guest on Chelsea on Netflix.
• Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Minnie Driver (Speechless/About a Boy) - Minnie is a guest on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Jussie Smollett (On Our Own) - Jussie guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken stops by LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Debra Messing (Will & Grace) - Debra appears on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Damon Wayans Sr. (My Wife and Kids) - Damon is a guest on The Real, so check your local listings.
• Emeril Lagasse (Emeril) - Emeril appears on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia will be on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
• Tia Mowry (Instant Mom/The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia is a guest on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Lauren Ash (Superstore/Super Fun Night) - Lauren appears on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• John David Washington (Ballers) - John is a guest on Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.
• America Ferrera (Superstore) - America talks about Superstore on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and 9am hour.
• John Roberts (Bob's Burgers) - John talks about Bob's Burgers on the AOL Build Show at 12:15pm.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

• Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Catch Ken on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He will also be on the AOL Build Show at 1:30pm.
• Anthony Anderson (black-ish/Guys with Kids/All About the Andersons) - Anthony visits The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Mark Consuelos (Hope & Faith) - Mark stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Miley appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry drops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Tom Arnold (Roseanne/Tom/The Tom Show) - Tom appears on Tavis Smiley on PBS, so check your local listings.
• Derek Waters (Married to the Kellys) and Mae Whitman (Arrested Development) - Derek and Mae are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Jeff Garlin (The Goldbergs/Curb Your Enthusiasm) - Jeff appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Whoopi Goldberg (Whoopi/Bagdad Cafe) - Whoopi visits Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• America Ferrera (Superstore) - America is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Juliette Lewis (I Married Dora) - Juliette appears ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings. She also talks about Secrets and Lies on the AOL Build Show at 11am.
• Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World) - Jada is a guest on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Jussie Smollett (On Our Own) - Jussie appears on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Naya Rivera (The Royal Family/The Bernie Mac Show) - Naya reveals why she went public with a private health decision and reveals how the word ‘sorry’ is hurting your health on The Dr. Oz Show, so check your local listings.
• David Alan Grier (The Carmichael Show/Bad Teacher/Life with Bonnie) - David joins the Chew Crew on ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT. He will also be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Jamie Lee Curtis (Scream Queens/Anything But Love) - Jamie Lee appears on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.

Friday, September 23, 2016

• Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth) - Watch Will on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Denis Leary (Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll/The Job) - Denis appears on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Tika Sumpter (The Game) - Tika is a guest on repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Geena Davis (The Geena Davis Show/Buffalo Bill) - Geena chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. She also talks about The Exorcist on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/The Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Sofia appears on Harry, so check your local listings.
• Jussie Smollett (On Our Own) - Jussie is a guest on Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.
• Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken talks about Dr. Ken on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Jay Ellis (Insecure) - Jay discusses the new HBO comedy Insecure on the AOL Build Show at 11am.
• Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) - Chris is a guest on Chelsea on Netflix. He also guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly, so check your listings.
• Whoopi Goldberg (Whoopi/Bagdad Cafe) - Whoopi appears on The Wendy Williams Show at 2am on BET or on your local stations.

All listings are subject to change. Visit our blog and main site for daily updated listings. Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!