The King of Queens

Even though I'm not a Kevin fan.... the show was still funny.

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.

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).

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 never thought I would ever say this, but...the funniest sitcoms out right now (2002) are on CBS! The network used to broadcast only shows that the 65 and over crowd would enjoy. This is a very, very funny show!

Now, most sitcoms depend a lot on forced humor. This show doesn't. The writing and performances are very natural. And I never watch the show without getting at least 10 good laughs.

Kevin James is a great, underrated comedian. He should really get more recognition for his talent. He always cracks me up. Kevin's not a bland comic, yet he doesn't go over-the-top. He has just the right anecdote to produce big laughs. By the way, he hosted the "People's Choice Awards" and he was great! It was hilarious when he walked off stage in his boxers.

Jerry Stiller, thankfully, gets the chance to once again display his incredible talent. He was memorable as Frank Costanza on "Seinfeld" and he's actually given a role that lives up to it. I guess you can say he's the one "Seinfeld" cast member, as of now, who's still a television success.

Leah Remini is a beautiful actress. She is great to look at, and has a superb sense of timing. She holds her own, not getting upstaged by the two professional comedians.

If you haven't checked out the show as of yet, I really suggest you do. It's one of the few funny shows on television. I'm really discerning when it comes to sitcoms, so take my word for it--it's great!

My score: 8 (out of 10)