How ‘Kevin Can Wait’ Could Write-Off Erinn Hayes’ Character in Season 2

Kevin Can Wait may have been one of the breakout comedy hits of the season, but not all will be the same when the series returns in the fall.

Erinn Hayes, who starred as Kevin’s wife Donna in the first season, won’t be back for Season 2 when September comes around.

Leah Remini guest starred in the Season 1 finale and the fan response was enough to convince the series producers to bring the actress on full-time, making her a series regular. With Remini being brought on, Hayes was asked to leave the show.

CBS Fall TV Premiere Schedule

It’s clear Kevin Can Wait is heading in a new direction, but how will the series explain the sudden disappearance of its main family’s matriarch?

We’ve got a couple of ideas.

Kevin Can Leave

Donna is going to be gone and Remini is reprising her role as Vanessa, meaning that this isn’t a recasting job. So someone will need to explain why Donna isn’t around.

The easiest thing to do here is have Kevin leave home. Whether Donna kicks him out for some reason, or Kevin leaves on his own, having him on his own will keep the series from having to deal too heavily with the broken family aspect.

If this is the case, expect Kevin Can Wait to become a lot more like King of Queens than it was before. 

The original series just followed one couple who didn’t have any children, and Kevin Can Wait could follow suit.

Donna Can Leave

If Kevin isn’t going to leave, Donna definitely can.

Let’s say Kevin got intimate with Vanessa and Donna walks out on him. That’s a fairly logical scenario if we’re being honest.

Donna can leave Kevin for any number of reasons, making him the sole parent to continue raising the children.

Having Vanessa come in and try to be a stepmother figure for the kids could be a humorous situation for viewers to watch.

Kevin Can Become a Widower

Kevin Can Wait could go the tragic route of some other TV shows and kill Donna off the series.

This would completely explain Donna’s absence from the series, and it would give Vanessa the opportunity to step in to the family. Kevin will undoubtedly need the help.

The only negative here is that the usually-jolly sitcom would have to take a much sadder turn this year.

CBS Can Reboot the Series

When all else fails, a reboot can fix anything.

If Kevin goes back to the police department and works with Vanessa, the show could become something much different. That scenario wouldn’t need to address Donna’s departure as Kevin could always be seen at work.

There’s also a chance Kevin Can Wait could just ignore the events of Season 1. Since it’s not exactly a series that’s built around its narrative, there’s no reason why it couldn’t just start over this fall.

No matter what happens, Kevin Can Wait will never be the same once Season 2 rolls around.