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CBS Chief Reveals Reason Why ‘Kevin Can Wait’ Was Canceled After Just Two Seasons
It seems Kevin Can't Wait. The CBS sitcom starring Kevin James was recently canceled by the network after just two seasons — and now fans of the series want to know exactly why.
"The numbers," Kelly Kahl, the CBS Entertainment president, told Deadline in a new interview. "It was a strong show for us, it’s had a lot of decline this year, it was heading in the wrong direction. The numbers were going down as the year went on and looking forward, it didn’t look like a show that was going to be strong enough to anchor a night for us going forward."
Kevin Can Wait made headlines after Season 1 when it fired Erinn Hayes, who played Kevin's wife, Donna Gable, on the series. As part of the plot, Donna died, leaving behind her husband and three children. However, the series never really explained how, which left many fans curious about what happened to her for all of Season 2. "The show made a choice at the beginning of this year, we agreed to go along with it, and unfortunately the audience did not respond to it," he added.
The show stirred up even more drama when Kevin's former The King of Queens co-star, Leah Remini, replaced Erinn as a series regular. We guess the KOQ reunion wasn't enough to convince the network to renew Kevin Can Wait for Season 3, though.
Kevin took to social media to react to the unfortunate news. "I want to say thank you to all the fans for the love and support. I was so blessed to be able to work every day with the most amazing cast, crew, writers and support team! Thank you all!" the 53-year-old wrote alongside a photo of his Kevin Can Wait leather jacket. "Thank you @cbstvstudios and thank you @sony for your constant dedication to the show. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world… Okay, maybe a season 3. Love to all."
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Leah also followed up with a sweet tribute. "I want to say thank you to the amazing cast, crew, producers, and the writers of @kevincanwaitcbs. You accepted me with open arms. For me to get to work with @officialkevinjamesagain day in and day out was a Godsend," she wrote alongside a pic of her and Kevin. "I laughed every day, and I will miss that the most. You don’t always get a second chance at something that meant so much to you and I did, and I am so grateful for it."
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She added, "It came at a time when I needed to laugh. So thank you all. I am so happy that it happened and I will miss seeing all of you. Thank you to @cbstv and @sony for a great time. #KevinCanWait." Here's hoping Kevin and Leah will now try for a King of Queens reboot — with Jerry Stiller in it, of course.
