"We don't have Jerry": Kevin James finally answers why The King of Queens reboot might not happen (and it's quite the heartbreak)

Created by Michael J. Weithorn and David Litt, The King of Queens, was a sitcom that aired on CBS from 1998 to 2007. The show has nine seasons and features Kevin James, Leah Remini, Jerry Stiller, and others. The comedy show focused on a working-class couple living in Rego Park, Queens, along with the wife’s overbearing father. While Doug (James) was a delivery driver for a parcel service, his wife Carrie (Remini), was a legal secretary in Manhattan. The couple lived in Queens, New York, and also cared for Carrie’s widowed and elderly father, Arthur Spooner (Stiller).

The show features various hilarious hijinks as the lives of the couple are consumed by the chaotic and overbearing demands of Arthur. On the other hand, Doug tries to constantly use schemes and deceit to overcome situations, but ends up getting humiliated often as his plans backfire and cause humor. The show has since become a cult classic, and in a recent interview with Collider, Kevin James mentions the heartbreaking reason why he doesn’t think that The King of Queens will get a reboot—Jerry is no longer here with us. Here’s why James does not want to do a reboot without Jerry.

Why Kevin James thinks there won’t be a reboot for The King of Queens

The King of Queens was a cult-classic sitcom that aired from the late 1990s to the early 2000s and gained wider popularity while being in syndication. The show’s humor was loved by viewers, and it focused on the simple and everyday chaos that surrounded a middle-class family in Rego Park, Queens. During an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, the show’s star, Kevin James, who played the title role of delivery driver Doug Heffernan, discussed the possibility of the show getting a reboot.

Steve mentions how other shows like Happy Gilmore 2 and Frasier are getting the legacy treatment, and reboots of decade-old shows are coming out in modern times. He poses the question to James about whether he thinks that The King of Queens will receive the same treatment, and can fans expect a reboot at some point in time?

To this, James mentions that the show did well during its airing, but it was not as popular as “(Everybody Love) Raymond or Friends”, which were ruling the roost during that period, along with some office comedies. James does acknowledge that the show has done well after its airing in syndication, and he is grateful for that.

Coming to the question of whether the show will get a reboot, the actor mentions that he doesn’t think it’s possible because Jerry Stiller is not alive anymore, and for James, Stiller was the “glue” that held it all together. Jerry Stiller played the role of the quirky and eccentric Arthur in the show, who is Doug’s father-in-law and lives with his daughter and husband. James’ observation has merit as the series owes its popularity to Stiller’s stellar portrayal.

The possibility of using AI or not keeping Jerry physically present in The King of Queens

During the same interview, Kevin James also mentions how people are talking about using AI for actors who have passed away and how the technology can create actors at any age. However, James does not want that to happen. While Steve Weintraub mentions that The King of Queens could do a reboot by talking and mentioning Jerry in the show, but not making him physically present, James mentions that he would not say no to the role if the show makes a comeback, but it would be hard for him. James states that it would be hard for him as Jerry was an integral part of the series, and he feels that it would be “weird” to mention Jerry in the show but not show him.

For the interview, James came alongside Christina Ricci, to promote his latest project, Guns Up.

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The King of Queens is available on Paramount+.

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