Kevin Can Wait – “Pilot” Advance Review. Let’s Play GoBalls.

Season 1, Episode 1

Air Date: Monday, September 19, 2016, 8:30/7:30c on CBS

Rating: ★★★★★

“That’s not a plan; that is literally every stripper’s backstory.” – Donna

Working off some aggression.

Having just retired from the police force after 20 years of service, Kevin (Kevin James) is looking forward to relaxing with his wife Donna (Erinn Hayes) and their three kids, Kendra (Taylor Spreitler), who recently dropped out of college; Sara (Mary-Charles Jones), who is dealing with some anger issues; and Jack (James DiGiacomo), who is the hypochondriac of the family. Kevin’s newfound freedom also gives him a chance to plan some mischief with his buddies, Goody (Leonard Earl Howze), Mott (Christopher Brian Roach), and Duffy (Lenny Venito). Day drinking and crossbows, what could possibly go wrong?

I couldn’t be more excited to see James return to television. I was a big fan of his long-running series, King of Queens, which ended in 2007 after nine seasons on CBS. Personally, I’m convinced James is actually a set of twins. One makes crappy movies like Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Grown Ups, while the other makes very entertaining television shows like King of Queens. Thankfully, TV James shows up for Kevin Can Wait.

Not only is James hilarious, it’s fun to see the big guy get the girl, especially as a large guy myself. James has been fortunate enough to have two beautiful TV wives, King of Queens’ Leah Remini and now the lovely Hayes. James and Hayes have wonderful chemistry together, making their scenes very enjoyable to watch. I couldn’t help but laugh at Kevin and Donna during the Gyro Bowl scene featured in the trailer. Given how long James and Remini played husband and wife, I hope Remini makes an appearance on Kevin Can Wait, perhaps as an ex-girlfriend or college sweetheart. Hint, hint!

Sitcoms these days often try too hard setting up punchlines that often make the jokes seem forced. Thankfully, James, who created, stars in, and serves as executive producer of Kevin Can Wait, is masterful at comedic dialogue. Instead of a family telling jokes, Kevin Can Wait has a family having a discussion that’s funny. While that doesn’t sound like a huge difference, it creates a flow to the humor that feels more natural.

Figuring out the future.

The Kevin Can Wait cast is full of people you may recognize but aren’t quite sure where you know them from. For example, Ryan Cartwright, who plays Kendra’s quirky boyfriend Chale. He played Gary, a young savant with autism on the Syfy series Alphas, but he is almost unrecognizable in Kevin Can Wait because he uses his native British accent rather than a fake American one.

DiGiacomo is another young actor I couldn’t quite place. It took me a while before I realized he’s the kind hearted boy in a recent touching Kleenex™ commercial who encounters a girl on a bus who’s crying. Gary Valentine, who plays James’ brother Kyle, is another familiar face for anyone who has watched anything involving James; the two are brothers in real life.

Family comedies like Kevin Can Wait are a dime a dozen. For every King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond, which together lasted 18 seasons, there are shows like Growing Up Fisher, Trophy Wife, and Truth Be Told, all of which barely made it through one season. What makes Kevin Can Wait enjoyable is not only the stars and the great dialogue, but the chemistry of the cast and the personalities of the characters.

Kevin Can Wait is the type of series a whole family can watch together. It has a very family friendly message that many, regardless of age, will find relatable. Much of the “Pilot” focuses on Kevin, Donna, and Kendra but I’m looking forward to seeing more scenes with Sara and Jack. James is a big kid at heart and given that kids didn’t enter the picture on King of Queens until the final episode, I’m excited to see some antics between James and his young costars.

Tune in to the series premiere of Kevin Can Wait Monday, September 19 at 8:30/7:30c, only on CBS.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about Kevin Can Wait – “Pilot.”

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.