Review: 'Kevin Can Wait' - You'll Never Admit It, But Theres a Good Chance You'll Like It

Kevin James' new show 'Kevin Can Wait' premiered tonight. I must admit it -- I'm a closet Kevin James fan, and I was actually looking forward to this one. Was it worth it?

Even before watching this pilot episode, I saw all of the horrible reviews that inevitably come along with Kevin James shows and movies, and I wasn't surprised.

Most people will never admit to liking Kevin James shows or movies, but apparently, a very large number of us do -- he makes more profit for his films than almost any other Hollywood actor.

And 'King of Queens' didn't last nearly a decade because nobody tuned in.

So let me be the first to confess: I love Kevin James, and I was really excited to see what his new show was going to be like, given that I've watched every single 'King of Queens' episode several times.

The show, 'Kevin Can Wait,' is about a retiring cop who has a wife and three kids -- two at home and one in college.

In this pilot episode, his daughter brings home a boyfriend, whom he doesn't approve of because he's a computer geek instead of an athlete.

The shocker is that daughter and her boyfriend are actually engaged, and they will be moving into his house.

That's about where the differences end between 'Kevin Can Wait' and 'King of Queens'.

Just like 'King of Queens,' 'Kevin Can Wait' is about a blue-collar guy and his interactions with his wife and blue-collar friends.

This time, Kevin James is a retiring police officer instead of an IPS guy -- but his demeanor, mannerisms, and personality are almost exactly the same.

Kevin James' friends in the show will be very familiar to 'King of Queens' watchers. Gary Valentine -- who played Danny in 'King of Queens' -- plays Kevin James' brother, a pseudo-firefighter who is the butt of many of the jokes.

There's also a kind-of-NY-Italian-guy very reminiscent of Richie Iannucci (yes, I remember his last name).

And of course, there's a Deacon -- a black guy who worked with Kevin James' character on the police force, and now hangs out and drinks beer with him.

Not surprisingly, they managed to cast a guy that sounds exactly like Deacon, although he looks different.

The show is made up of the same themes as 'King of Queens.' The jokes are almost all about the same things -- being fat, the beer-drinking lifestyle, and dealing with his wife.

There are the jokes about how he never exercises, and the jokes about his laziness. He even wants a go-kart -- just like he did in 'King of Queens.'

Even the wives are similar. In 'Kevin Can Wait', the wife is nicer than Carrie, but avid watchers of 'King of Queens' will remember that Carrie was really nice at the beginning of the show as well.

So is 'Kevin Can Wait' worth watching?

Yes, I know everyone will say it's awful and tell you they're not going to watch it.

And yes, a lot of those people will watch anyway -- just like the people who watched nearly a decade of 'King of Queens.'

In the end, if you liked 'King of Queens' you'll probably like 'Kevin Can Wait.' It is filled with Kevin James' unique, sort of anachronistic brand of comedy that harkens back to the 90s, when not every joke was about hooking up, and not every character was a 20-something picked out of an Abercrombie ad.

It's just a pure, easy-going comedy, and that's a rarity on TV today.