1998 was a simpler time. I was only 9 years old and Kevin James was funny. “The King of Queens” was a good place for him. In the vein of a “Seinfeld”, this program tried to make us root for the bad guys. Doug Heffernan was a lazy jerk and his wife was bipolar. They never said that about Carrie, but she had to be. She made Debra Barone seem like a mild mannered woman. The cast is littered with unlikable folks. The only one who is truly likeable is Spencer because he’s just a nerd; a poor helpless nerd. But this was the 90s baby (well kind of, the show ran until 2007) so we’re right on schedule with the awful wife, idiot husband, a couple black friends and terrible in-laws. As awful stand-up comedians say (Kevin James), “Strap in baby!”
Call me a misogynist if you want, but the “overbearing yet supremely intelligent wife” character always kills sitcoms for me. Carrie Heffernan actually kind of turns it around. She is supremely vicious at times and treats her husband like a chimp, but she does get comeuppance from time to time so it was refreshing. She also has a lot to deal with so I’m okay with her being on edge. She’s got a stressful job, her sister disappeared fairly early in their lives and her father….well this is her father:
Before we get to Arthur there, let’s talk about our king here. Every character on this show suffers from “Flanderization”. I think Doug deals with it the least. While most of the characters devolve into evil and selfish monsters, Doug is still mainly motivated by not wanting to be bothered. I’m not letting him off scot free, but keep in mind his IQ is that of a crayon.
Jerry Stiller has been playing a crazy old man for a while. Many people will always love him as Frank Costanza on “Seinfeld”. His portrayal of Arthur Spooner though shouldn’t be forgotten. He was a nut job. At the beginning of the series he was an eccentric and dignified older man. By the end, he was a raving lunatic. That’s Jerry Stiller though so why not go that route? Honestly the fact that this man raised Carrie makes sense. They both explode in anger in use people.
There is also a dog walker who takes money to hang out with an old man. Spencer lives with Doug’s cousin and they are often insinuated as being gay. Then the Palmer’s are also the worst. I’m going to be honest. I got a phone call that lasted like 90 minutes between sentences and I lost all my steam. You’ve seen the show. That’s why you clicked this. It lasted a long time and like most sitcoms it really tapers off towards the end. Here is a nice picture:
