Four episodes into Kevin Can Wait‘s second season and fans are still angry about Erinn Hayes’ Donna character leaving the show. They took to Twitter to complain, with some even accusing the writers of turning the show into King of Queens 2.
During the season two premiere, it was revealed that Hayes’ character died, leaving Kevin James‘ Kevin Gable to become a single parent. The show flashed forward a year and Leah Remini, James’ former King of Queens co-star, became the new female lead. She began appearing on the show as Vanessa Cellucci during the season one finale.
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Up Next: Erinn Hayes Is ‘Liking’ Fan Tweets Calling for a ‘Kevin Can Wait’ Boycott
When the season two premiere aired last month, fans came out in force on Twitter to complain. Some called it tasteless. James said Donna was killed because the writers were “running out of ideas.” The ratings for the show have suffered since the change.
“The plot of the show didn’t have enough drive,” James told the New York Daily News. “If we got through a second season, I wouldn’t see us getting through a third one. We were literally just running out of ideas.”
As for the King of Queens comparisons, James told Entertainment Weekly in September that the show is not becoming a reboot of the earlier show.
“It’s totally different from King of Queens,” James said. “This show was originally going to be about a single dad, but the way the story started going, we went with the great Erinn Hayes. But then it felt like a very familiar family sitcom again and it kind of went down the track where we felt like the show needed a little emotional weight to drive the character. So when we had Leah on last season, it was great to have her and we knew that connection. I’ve always wanted to work with Leah again, but it was never to do the King of Queens again.”
Hayes herself added fuel to the Twitter boycott fever by liking tweets calling for people to stop watching the show.
During the Oct. 23 episode, “Plus One Is The Loneliest Number,” the Twitter complaints continued.
King of Queens 2?
Some fans criticized the show for making Remini the leading lady because it makes the show feel like a follow-up to King of Queens. Like Kevin Can Wait, that show also aired on CBS.
So they basically fired her bc the writers don’t know how to write stories and they wanted King of queens back ? #KevinCanWait
— Is It The 27th Yet (@klphoen) October 24, 2017
I wonder how long till they write in that all the kids died in an avalanche and Jerry Stiller moves in. #KevinCanWait
— Todd (@CosmosTheMouse) October 24, 2017
Yea ,so if you wanted Leah back should have just canceled it and did a reboot of king of queens it would have been better
— Karen Stephens (@karenstephens62) October 24, 2017
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#KevinCanWait where’s Deacon?? Needed him for this #KingofQueens I mean #KevinCanWait episode. pic.twitter.com/ZOL6FnHBtv
— Tracey (@sweetsucre) October 24, 2017
when you have to kill off your tv wife b/c u have no more ideas 4 your show thats a sign u shld wrap things up #KevinCanWait
— ?Polly? (@born2luvmusic) October 24, 2017
Why don’t they just call it king of queen #KevinCanWait
— Specialkay (@specialkay410) October 24, 2017
Unoriginal Ideas
Some complained that the jokes on tonight’s episode were lazy. One fan said he’d seen the plot on sitcoms “1,000 times” before.
#KevinCanWait said they killed off wife so they can advance the story. Ive seen tonights exact story 1000 times on other sitcoms.
— jeffry (@jeffinurpants) October 24, 2017
Same set up. Doug aka Kevin lying & mishapping, & Carrie aka Vanessa catching him. Even a nu black bestie. I miss Deacon. #KevinCanWait
— Tracey (@sweetsucre) October 24, 2017
Here are some fans who have called for a boycott of the show.
Their excuse for killing off @hayeslady Is they are running of ideas? Sounds like a writer problem. Boycott this show! #KevinCanWait
— Ryan Wynne (@ryanwynne) October 19, 2017
“We were literally just running out of ideas”-Kevin James. Based off this I dont expect your show to last very long @hayeslady is better off
— Michael Chau (@MichaelChauTV) October 16, 2017
I refuse to watch “Kevin Can Wait” since he fired his tv wife, loved her! To bring back his “King of Queens” wife! Shame on both of them!!!
— Sandra D (@ISandraDSanders) October 24, 2017
@hayeslady, my family and I have tuned out?. If Kevin Can Wait?, so can we – for you to have a bigger career than him!!!?
— Brandon Navarre (@Navarticus) October 18, 2017
