King of Queens stars reunite in Kevin Can Wait
Wanna see a TV fan squeal like a toddler in a tickle fight? Just say the R word: Reunion. The possibility of seeing beloved actors interact again brings so many tantalizing questions. Is the chemistry still there? Who’s aged worse? And will we be able to tell if an actor has been plotting to toilet-paper his former co-star’s house for the past five years?
Lately, there have been a few chances for fans to see stars reunited, and it feels so good.
Last week, Darren Criss joined his Glee cohorts Melissa Benoist and Grant Gustin in a pair of The Flash/Supergirl crossover episodes. Earlier this month, some of the original Degrassi Junior High cast members shared the stage at Toronto’s ComiCon.
And now, CBS has announced that Leah Remini and Kevin James will reunite in the two-part season finale of James’s new comedy Kevin Can Wait. The two headlined CBS’s sitcom The King of Queens from 1998 to 2007, fumbling their way through family foibles and such. This is the first time they’ve teamed up since Queens faded to black.
The May 1 and May 8 episodes of Kevin Can Wait will see former cop Kevin (played by James) temporarily come out of retirement to go undercover with his partner Vanessa (played by Remini). The two will pose as husband and wife, and presumably hilarity — or gentle bemusement — will ensue.
“Check out Leah Remini on Kevin Can Wait. She just can’t quit me,” James tweeted on Friday. “My old wife meets my new wife. Awkward,” read another post.
Remini fronts the A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which has been renewed for a second season, as has Kevin Can Wait. A second helping of Kevin was a no-brainer for CBS — the show has been a steady performer, averaging about seven million U.S. viewers weekly. Occasionally, it pops up in the list of Top 30 Canadian shows.
James will also appear in Adam Sandler’s next movie for Netflix, Sandy Wexler, which starts streaming April 14.