[2] Kevin Can Wait follows Kevin Gable (James), a newly retired Nassau County police officer living in Massapequa, New York, on Long Island, with his wife Donna (Hayes) and their three children: daughters Kendra (Taylor Spreitler) and Sara (Mary-Charles Jones), and son Jack Cole (James DiGiacomo).

His eldest daughter, Kendra, returns home from college with her unemployed fiancé, Chale (Ryan Cartwright), and the couple moves into the family’s garage.

Meanwhile, Sara struggles with anger management issues, and Jack, the youngest, is a hypochondriac with anxiety, regularly seeking help from the school therapist.

During the first season, Kevin takes on various odd jobs to supplement his pension while dealing with the family’s challenges, including Kendra and Chale’s wedding.

In October 2015, it was announced that Kevin James would star in a new family-comedy television series for CBS, with Rock Reuben as executive producer and Bruce Helford serving as showrunner.

[70] In February 2016, additional cast members were announced, including Ryan Cartwright, Mary-Charles Jones, James DiGiacomo, Leonard Earl Howze, and Erinn Hayes.

[81][82][83] According to a report in Variety, sources confirmed that Remini would reprise her role as Detective Vanessa Cellucci, the character she had played in the first-season finale.

[84] On May 12, 2018, it was announced that CBS had officially canceled Kevin Can Wait after two seasons due to declining ratings, the network's desire to have an ownership stake, and the need to clear space for three new sitcoms in the Fall 2018 schedule.

Critics compared the revamped show unfavorably to James and Remini's previous series, The King of Queens, assessing it as an inferior imitation.

In the Season 2 premiere, "Civil Ceremony," Donna's death is briefly mentioned through a piece of mail, followed by a joke that many viewers found distasteful.

[89] In the episode "Grief Thief," the characters use a single-parents' support group to avoid work and meet potential romantic partners, which also received backlash.

However, James insisted the decision was purely creative, as the writers felt they were running out of ideas for the original concept and that he was unsure if the show would continue beyond a second season.

As of December 1, 2017, Kevin Can Wait was averaging 8.2 million viewers (with delayed viewing) in the second season, competing against more established shows like Dancing with the Stars and The Voice.