King of Queens

Definitely the top "mainstream" sitcom next to Seinfeld-and easily top 5 or 6 sitcom of all time. I avoided it for a long time because I thought it was another Raymond or Friends type show but it is surprisingly hilarious.

I consider myself to be a connoisseur of sitcoms, and used to spend many long hours wasting my life watching them all. Sense Seinfeld, Friends and many other great sitcoms have left the scene I am left with wasting my life on the one great series that is left, "The King of Queens", and in my humble opinion beats them all. I have to admit, as has been mentioned before, it takes a couple of shows before you get hooked but it doesn't take long before you start realizing the brilliant comedic performance and timing of Kevin James, Patton Oswalt, Jerry Stiller and Leah Remini. I don't think the few people criticizing the show realize just how much talent it takes to make the world laugh, they really don't. However, I'm puzzled only about one thing, "Everybody Loves Raymond," but I don't, and it is hovering around #5 in the ratings but The King of Queens, which totally kicks ass on Raymond isn't even showing up in the top 20, what's up with that? Don't get me wrong because I've watched Raymond and I think it is "okay" funny but not nearly the caliber that KoQ's is. CBS needs to give a little more respect and focus some PR on the show and especially Kevin James because when movie goers get finally get tired of the very funny Adam Sandler I predict Kevin is next in line (or at least I secretly hope).

This show is hilarious. You've got Doug played by Kevin James who is the loving and sometimes self-centered husband to Carrie played by Leah Remini. Now Carrie her character is witty and somewhat high-strung. Living with them is Carrie's father Arthur who appears to be one of the highlights of the show. This show was released in 1998 and I didn't start watching it until about a year ago and found it interestingly funny. Out of mostly all the sitcoms on TV this show has a realistic quality about it. King of Queens is a show focus on everyday life of a middle working-class couple. It's very rare to see a sitcom like this within the past decade. The humor is full of satire which makes the show catchable to enjoy. Arthur played Jerry Stiller is a well-known comic and as a supporting cast member he is terrific. King of Queens is definitely a show to watch week nights after a days work. Even the repeats are still enjoyable.

In the best sitcoms, the comedy arises not just from the situations, but from the characters. Consider "Friends", "Seinfeld", "Frasier" and "Cheers", for example. Each series has humorous characters, which are necessarily played by excellent actors. "The King of Queens" is on the list of best sitcoms precisely for that reason.

Kevin James plays the titular head of the household as Doug Heffernan, a prototypical, jock-centric male who works for a delivery company like UPS. James expertly plays the buffoon with delusions of coolness.

As his wife, Carrie, Leah Remini is the perfect foil. With a voice that sounds like it comes right out of the Bronx, she is his whip-smart nemesis, always calling him out for his bad decisions. Their chemistry compares well with the gold standard---Ralph and Alice Kramden.

The supporting cast is terrific, and it is headed by Jerry Stiller, who plays Arthur Spooner, Carrie's live-in father. His role is similar to the part he played on "Seinfeld"---an opinionated irritant who never fails to raise his voice at the slightest provocation.

This is one of those series that can be watched again and again.

Kevin James (Doug) best part of his career was really well suited to the delivery role. Who is happy in his Job and looking forward to lunch, with his perfectly suited wife Leah Remini (Carrie) who has ambition to improve her life while Doug thinks things are all good as they are. Add to that Carrie's brilliant father played by Jerry Stiller and you have trio worth building a fun show around. Still a laugh easy watch worth going back to. As good now as it was on its release. For easy viewing.