Kevin James starring on a CBS sitcom?
Sounds like deja vu all over again.
James, 51, headlined blue-collar comedy “The King of Queens” opposite Leah Remini for nine seasons (1998-2007) before seguing to the big-screen in movies including “Zookeeper,” “The Dilemma” and two “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” flicks.
Now, nine years later, he’s back on CBS with “Kevin Can Wait” playing Kevin Gable, a recently retired cop living on Long Island with wife Donna (Erinn Hayes) and kids Kendra, Sara and Jack (Taylor Spreitler, Mary-Charles Jones, James DiGiacomo). Rounding out the crew are Lenny Venito, Gary Valentine (James’ real-life brother) and Leonard Howze as Kevin’s retired pals Duffy, Kyle and Goody.
James, a Long Island native (born in Mineola, raised in Stony Brook) and diehard Mets fan, talked to The Post about why he’s returning to series television after nearly a decade.
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This is your first regular role since “The King of Queens.” Were you itching to get back into TV?
I always wanted to get back. Right after I did “The King of Queens” I wanted to break for a little bit, but I got the itch to come back and do multi-camera TV soon after that. I love making movies, and I’ll still do that, but there’s something about performing in front of a live audience. When I was on “The King of Queens,” after the first few years I was so excited to have a TV show but then that faded. It was like, “The silver screen is the big one right there, if I can get into movies, that’s where I want to be.” TV was kind of looked-down-upon. That’s changed now. The greatest talent is on TV. Movies are still great and I still get to do them, but [TV] doesn’t have that stigma anymore. And I’ve always loved the sitcom genre.
The biggest factor was doing [the series] on Long Island [at Gold Coast Studios in Bethpage]. Believe me, [CBS] fought me on that one a long way. I figured if I can get this thing on the Island and do it here, I’ll do it. If not, I won’t do it. Long Island plays a character in the show.
Were you rusty regarding your sitcom timing?
Your timing is really based on the people you’re working with, other than waiting for a laugh and knowing when to ride out an audience laugh. It’s the timing of the cast … They can either make or break you. When I do standup, it’s just me. In a sitcom you’ve got other people and … It takes time, sometimes years to get into a groove. But, honestly, I’ve never felt so comfortable out of the gate with a cast before. They’re just crushing it. I feel like I’ve been with them for four years already.
TV was kind of looked-down-upon. That’s changed now. The greatest talent is on TV.
- Kevin James on how film was seen as superior to TV when he was on 'The King of Queens'
“The King of Queens” was so successful. Are people going to have certain expectations with “Kevin Can Wait”?
That’s a good question. It’s always 50/50. That’s the struggle of my career: Half of the people want to see you do funny stuff, what you’re known for, and the other half want to see something new. It’s a constant balance of trying to please and get the widest audience you can. You don’t want to do the same stuff, but you want [the viewers] to feel comfortable with you. It’s tricky. That’s why this show, to me, is the perfect vehicle — it’s similar to “The King of Queens” in that feel and rhythm, yet it’s different. I have kids, which I never had on a TV show before. It takes on its own life.
Was having a live audience for “Kevin Can Wait” one of your demands?
When I first came back to TV again, they offered me a 10/90 deal. [That’s where a show is picked up for 90 episodes if, after its first 10 episodes, it reaches a certain ratings level.] I was trying to wrap my head around that. I said, OK, maybe if the idea is right. They said, “The only thing you don’t have is the money of the major networks … and there’s no live audience.” You shoot [the series] like a movie, two episodes a week. I got freaked out by that. I need an audience, that laughter. I want it to be an event when we shoot. That was a big deciding factor. I said, “I can’t do this” and pulled out of it and set [the series] up right away at CBS with Sony. Without a doubt that was the right move. I wanted to do it with the best people.
Are you happy with how your movies have turned out?
Look, there are always movies where you go, “Man, we missed it here, we gotta do something different” [and] the feel of will people buy into it, will they accept you that way? You just gotta try your best. There’s a lot of Monday-morning quarterbacking from me, like “Ooh, we kind of missed it here. I wished we could’ve done it better.” But then there’s the excitement of trying to do better the next time.