Let's get this out the way now - this show is basically a fat man's fantasy. It involves a very overweight and petulant manchild who just happens to be married to a stunning model-like wife, who not only has regular sex with him, but heavily mothers him too. He constantly indulges in underhanded and emotionally hurtful tactics to hang with his buddies and drink beer, or even just to get out of responsibility, and she regularly forgives him for it.
The saving grace is that this show is absolutely hilarious! Kevin James and Leah Remini work great together, and their comic chemistry is absolutely spot on. James is highly physical despite his large stature and he puts his all into a skit. Remini matches her co-star with impeccable timing and vocal mannerisms which had me belly laughing. She's playing the typical straight character, but she can absolutely do the goof just as well as the others.
Of course, one cannot review this show without mentioning the late great Jerry Stiller - father of Ben Stiller (who makes a guest appearance in the show). Jerry's portrayal of the "crazy old man" is spot on, and having someone who has worked in the business for such a long time is a huge asset. There is some question to portraying his awkward madness as a socialist (as hinted in the show) but I don't think it was malicious.
The show is heavy on the laughs, but the stars can reign it in and go serious when the occasion calls for it, and all the performers have the necessary dramatic acting chops to handle some of the more heavy storylines.
King of Queens (despite sounding like a great name for a gay sitcom) is far better than 90% of other American TV shows, most of which I find very dreary, safe, and generic. For me its up there with Friends and Frasier in terms of comedy, yet it was always seen as a third-tier show with many people having not even heard of it.
So, do yourself a favour and check out this absolute gem of a show!
