'Kevin Can Wait' struggles with passé premise

With mid-budget studio films slowly disappearing from the silver screen, the entertainment industry is witnessing what critics like to call  “peak TV.” Today, with the rise of Internet platforms such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, the number of scripted shows on air has doubled over the past six years. The growth is not just quantitative; the quality of the shows produced is equally remarkable. Major-league directors and stars who want a certain kind of autonomy without having to struggle through funding sign with networks that are open to edgier and more ambitious productions. Unfortunately, CBS isn’t one of these networks. Its rookie sitcom “Kevin Can Wait," which premiered on Sept. 19, is anything but edgy and ambitious. Moderately sexist, intentionally conventional and overtly banal, “Kevin Can Wait” is a throwback show no one asked for.

“Kevin Can Wait” centers on a newly-retired police officer “struggling” to keep up with his family. In reality, Kevin — like any sitcom dad — is a lazy, self-involved slob who acts like a toddler but somehow thinks he is the household's authority figure. After retirement, he decides to spend the family’s savings on building go-karts and buying fast pass tickets to theme parks. Somehow, his family is the real piece of work.

In the pilot episode, Kevin’s oldest daughter Kendra introduces her boyfriend to Kevin for the first time. They have been dating for a year now, but Kendra hides this from her dad because a college-aged girl dating a guy is obscene and unimaginable. To Kevin’s dismay, Kendra is not only dating a guy, but she is also dating an omega-male nerd. It is later revealed that Kendra is actually engaged to him and considering dropping out of school to support him. In what seems like an attempt to be feminist, the show mocks and condemns Kendra for deciding to leave school, failing to recognize that respecting Kendra's choices would be considered even more feminist. In the end, Kevin convinces Kendra to remain in school because Kendra is unable to make any decisions without the help of the men in her life.

Sitcoms from the 90s used to have materialistic, demanding and nagging wives to balance the immaturity and incompetency of the husbands. Viewers would feel sorry for the husband while completely ignoring his flaws. The matriarch in “Kevin Can Wait” is, fortunately, different; Donna seems to be the only sensible and likeable character on the show. She even tolerates Kevin’s shenanigans and is supportive of everyone throughout the episode. Donna’s decision to marry Kevin is the biggest mystery and the most intriguing aspect of the show.

To be fair, the show is not entirely unwatchable. Lead actor Kevin James admittedly has decent comedic timing skills (he is an Emmy-nominated actor, after all), which makes Kevin a slightly less intolerable character. Erinn Hayes is certainly charming as Donna, who actually has the potential to be mildly fascinating. That said, cliché plots and lackluster writing overshadow all of the positive aspects. Indeed, the writing is as dreadful as the pun in the title.

“Kevin Can Wait” is Kevin James’ first TV project since “King of Queens” (1998-2007). While “King of Queens” was awfully similar to “Kevin Can Wait” in terms of gender stereotypes and sitcom formulas, the show fitted its time and therefore still remains a classic. The main problem with “Kevin Can Wait” is that it does not align with the smart, bold comedies one sees on TV today. Watching “Kevin Can Wait” is like running into a rerun of a 90s sitcom on TV, minus the nostalgia. With innovative shows like "Veep" (2012-present), "Master of None" (2015-present) and "Transparent" (2014-present) winning big at award ceremonies, “Kevin Can Wait” should be a wake-up call for CBS.