Kevin Can Wait

Kevin Can Wait is an American sitcom television series created by Kevin James, Rob Long, Bruce Helford and Rock Reuben which was premiered on September 19, 2016 and it was concluded on May 7, 2018, for a total of 48 episodes and two seasons.

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 new boss at a security company. While the first season focused on Kevin's personal life, the second concerns his new profession, his relationship with Vanessa, and his adjustment to life as a single parent.

On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 25, 2017. The series has formally cancelled on May 12, 2018, after two seasons.

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 for his old work rival Vanessa Cellucci in her new security firm, Golden Phoenix Security.

Recurring

 * Christopher Brian Roach as Mott
 * Joe Starr as Enzo
 * Jim Breuer as Father Philip
 * Bas Rutten as Rootger Vandekamp
 * Chris Weidman as Nick Dawson (Season 1)
 * Saidah Arrika Ekulona as Didi (Season 1)

Developing
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 would be killed off before season two began and the season will take place 7–10 months after season one ended, in order to make room for Remini.

Cancellation
On May 12, 2018, it was announced that CBS officially cancelled Kevin Can Wait, along with Superior Donuts and 9JKL, including the essential cancellations are Living Biblically and Me Myself & I. A combination of factors, including declining ratings, CBS's desire to have an ownership stake, and the network needing to clear space for three new sitcoms in the fall 2018 schedule, led to the show's demise.

DVD Release
On September 5, 2017, Sony Pictures released Kevin Can Wait - Season One on DVD via their Sony Pictures Store.

Reception
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".

Trivia

 * The series marked James' second starring role in a CBS sitcom, after The King of Queens, which ran from 1998 until 2007.
 * The house used in the show was also used for Melissa and Joey which also starred Taylor Spreitler.