Kevin James Can’t Wait

Many critics believe that television is in another Golden Age, with dozens of series across multiple channels and streaming platforms pushing the limits of creativity.

Yet there’s still a lot to be said for shows that simply try to entertain people on a basic level — a fact that Kevin James learned while starring in nine seasons of the hit CBS sitcom  “The King of Queens” between 1998 and 2007.

All the elements are there to make viewers feel like they’re back with an old friend.

That series, about a doughy, average-Joe UPS delivery driver with a beautiful wife and an annoying father who invades their home, was the kind of blue-collar sitcom that has been a popular staple of television, stretching from “The Honeymooners” and “All in the Family,” all the way through “Roseanne.”

But since “Queens” ended its run, James headed for the big screen, where he found big success as part of Adam Sandler’s gang of friends in two “Grown-Ups” movies, along with a smash hit on the first “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” movie and a big dud on the “Blart” sequel.

During his departure from TV, ABC’s long-running “The Middle” stood pretty much alone as a representation of the working-class family sitcom.

But now James is back with a new sitcom, airing Mondays on CBS, called “Kevin Can Wait.” He adjusts his magic formula just slightly by playing a New York City cop who retires to full-time family life on Long Island — only to find that life with his surprisingly pretty wife and three kids can be even more nerve-wracking than life on the beat.

All the elements are there to make viewers feel like they’re back with an old friend, and that’s exactly the appeal that James is going for. Or rather, not exactly the appeal.

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While speaking to the Television Critics Association’s fall preview in August, he tried to make clear that he sought to find a balance between his old persona and some new ideas.

“You always want to do something different yet the same,” he said, according to TV Guide’s coverage of the event. “It’s a constant battle in my career to say, ‘I don’t want to do the same thing again or this or that,’ and so you say you want to do something different but automatically you lose half your audience, the people that enjoyed what you were doing.”

James is particularly excited to do stories about being a father, since he never had kids on “Queens.” He’s also made “Kevin” the first sitcom ever to be shot on Long Island, with the main studio just 15 minutes from his house. Lots of outdoor scenes feature locations all over his beloved home island, where he was born and raised.

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The show will feature frequent shenanigans in real locales, as James’ character and his fellow cop buddy retirees try to fill their days with ridiculous stunts and games when they’re not tending to their families. But the importance of the Long Island setting goes beyond the ability to have an easy shoot — James has actually been quoted as saying that he shoots as often as possible on the East Coast because he doesn’t feel funny in California.

It’s surprising that James never had kids in his prior sitcom, given that in real life he’s the father of four. He’s also a staunch Republican (as is his close friend and frequent costar Adam Sandler); and he’s a devout Catholic, who not only attends Mass weekly, but is known to quietly attend daily as well (alongside his best friend Ray Romano) when he’s not working on a project.

It’s those humble, everyman aspects to James that endear him to viewers, even as the artistic arbiters of television saw fit to only nominate him for one Emmy during his lengthy “Queens” run — and critics are divided on their opinions of the new show.

Whether they like it or knock the “Kevin Can Wait” concept, however, both sides seem to agree that James himself has made a welcome return to television.