Author: Verne Gay / Source: Newsday
“Kevin Can Wait,” the first network sitcom to be produced on Long Island and which starred a devoted Long Island booster — Kevin James — was canceled Saturday, CBS confirmed.
The series lasted just two seasons.The surprise cancellation came after weeks of deliberation at CBS, which owned the program, but finally came down to the usual suspect — ratings. “Kevin” was the top-rated new sitcom of the 2016 season, but the series lost some 16.5 percent of its audience base over the last season, totaling about 2 million viewers. Because the series is expensive to produce, with James in the starring role and the Long Island production locale, that likely tipped the balance. As is typical with most cancellations, CBS had no comment.
Produced at Bethpage’s Gold Coast studios — a former Grumman facility — “Kevin Can Wait” was initially taped before a live audience and was seen as an important part of the film industry revival on Long Island. Gold Coast had also been the home of an ambitious ABC series, “Pan Am,” which didn’t last a season.
While sophomore slumps are not uncommon with network series, the one that beset “Kevin” was unusually severe and may have been self-inflicted. Before the start of the second season, the show dropped James’ co-star Erinn Hayes, who played his character’s spouse, Donna Gable. Her absence was never fully explained — other than a brief affirmation that she had died — and in her place, Leah Remini was added. Remini had played opposite James on his long-running CBS hit “The King of Queens.”
In the opening seconds of the second season, Kevin Gable — James — was seen in full-beard, presumably meant to signify his mourning process. None of the characters specifically addressed Hayes’ absence until…
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