The King of Queens isn’t among the shows that, in mid-2020, started pulling episodes from streaming due to instances of blackface, but an otherwise silly episode like “Strike Too” will sour with a casual use of the word retarded. Having watched every episode of The King of Queens more times than I have nearly any other sitcom, I might know the show’s weaknesses nearly as well as Armstrong. This class of shows has become such an exemplar of lazy sitcom development that it has become the basis of Valerie Armstrong’s deconstructive meta-series, now in its second season, AMC’s Kevin Can Fuck Himself (a title that references Kevin Can Wait, a post- Queens Kevin James vehicle that, after its first season, killed off his character’s original wife and made Leah Remini a series regular). Discerning viewers are supposed to disdain such shows because of their inherent sexism (true gender equity will have been achieved when America welcomes its first Fat Wife/Skinny Guy sitcom, I guess).

The King of Queens is in a critically drubbed subgenre: “Fat Guy/Skinny Wife.” This vertical predated King of Queens, with shows like The Honeymooners, Family Matters, and even The Simpsons, but the success of The King of Queens arguably kicked off a CBS boomlet with sitcoms like Still Standing and According to Jim. That isn’t all the show has going against it. Unlike The Good Place, it’s not … about philosophy and stuff. Unlike Parks & Recreation, it doesn’t confirm anyone’s notions of female empowerment or the importance of local government. Unlike Seinfeld, it didn’t change the ethos of the form and expectations for how much “heart” an American situation comedy must contain. Unlike Cheers, it wasn’t showered with Emmys for its sharp direction and incisive writing. The King of Queens, which ran on CBS from 1998 to 2007, is not generally part of the critical conversation around prestige sitcoms. The challenges of integrating this cantankerous old man into the household lead to a wide range of comical situations - some predictable, many very much not. Doug is going to have to move his big-screen TV and Jets swag out of the basement so that Arthur can move in. Everything’s going great in the earliest days of their marriage, until they find out Carrie’s irascible father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller), has mismanaged his finances and urgently needs a place to live. They have a good life in Queens, goofing around with their best friends, the Palmers - Deacon (Victor Williams), also a driver at IPS, and Kelly (Merrin Dungey), a friend of Carrie’s from high school.

His wife, Carrie (Leah Remini), is a legal secretary in Manhattan. Photo-Illustration: Vulture/Photos Courtesy of TV Land/YouTube, Throw Back TV/YouTube and CBS Paramount Network Televisionĭoug Heffernan (Kevin James) drives a truck for courier service IPS.

In the Present Tense by Carrie Pack