‘Kevin Can Wait’ Premiere Addresses Donna’s Death

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for the season premiere of Kevin Can Wait! Continue reading at your own risk…

As Kevin Can Wait returned for its second season, the series finally solved one of the biggest television mysteries of the year. Fans now know exactly how Kevin’s wife Donna died, and how the title character is going to work through his grief.

The new season takes place over one year after Donna’s death. Kevin and his kids address the loss multiple times, but they never say exactly how she died.

Following its successful freshman season, the CBS sitcom shocked the TV world by announcing that star Erinn Hayes was being let go from the production. All of a sudden, the mother on a show about a family was gone, and the role of matriarch needed to be filled.

Around the same time that Hayes’ departure was announced, Leah Remini was added to Kevin Can Wait as a series regular. The actress starred alongside Kevin James for every season of King of Queens, and she was brought on to the new show as a guest star in the season finale. The chemistry was still there between Remini and James, so the creative team decided to move forward in a new direction.

A couple of months after the casting swap was announced, CBS executives revealed that Donna would be killed off the show, and Remini’s character Vanessa would help Kevin cope with his loss.