Why Kevin Can Wait Is the "Perfect Storm" for Kevin James

Kevin James talks inspiration for his new CBS sitcom

By Lauren Piester Sep 19, 2016 3:42 PMTags
Watch: Kevin James Reveals How "Kevin Can Wait" Came About

The TV version of Kevin may not be able to wait, but Kevin James waited until he had the perfect reason to come back to TV. 

"This was like the perfect storm of everything coming together," Kevin James tells E! News of his new show, Kevin Can Wait, which is his first trip back to TV since King of Queens ended in 2007.  

The CBS sitcom finds James retiring from the police force, only to discover that his daughter is about to drop out of college so she can support her fiance, his other daughter is struggling at school, and his son is a hypochondriac. So Kevin's dreams will have to wait until he can sort out his family.

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"It's based on a lot of my buddies on Long Island," James says of the show, which is also filmed on Long Island. "They all became cops together, they went through the academy at the same time, and they all retired 20 years later. They do their 20 and they're out, so they retired in their mid-40s and had all these plans to have fun and relax a little bit, and then you know, life gets in the way." 

Kevin Can Wait also stars Erinn Hayes as Kevin's wife, Donna, while Taylor Spreitler, Mary-Charles Jones, and James DiGiacomo star as their kids, Kendra, Sara, and Jack.

As for what's going to be trending during the premiere tonight, James has got his mind on the food. 

"Hashtag Kevin can wait for shepherd's pie. Is that a hashtag?" 

Kevin Can Wait premieres tonight at 8:30 p.m. on CBS.