The King of Queens Information

The King of Queens is an American sitcom that originally ran on CBS from September 21, 1998, to May 14, 2007.

This show was produced by Hanley Productions and CBS Productions (1998"2006), CBS Paramount Television (2006"2007), in association with Columbia TriStar Television (1998"2002), and Sony Pictures Television (2002"2007). It was filmed at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, USA.

After the series finale broadcast on May 14, 2007, The King of Queens became the last American live action sitcom that premiered in the 20th century to end its run.

Plot

Doug and Carrie Heffernan (Kevin James and Leah Remini) are a working class couple living at 3121 Aberdeen Street in Rego Park, Queens, New York along with Carrie's eccentric father, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller). Doug works for the fictional International Parcel Service (IPS) as a delivery driver, while Carrie works as a secretary in Manhattan, first for a law firm and later for a real estate firm. Their lives are complicated by the demands of Arthur, so much so that they eventually hire Holly (Nicole Sullivan), a professional dog walker, to spend time with him as she walks dogs in the park.

Also featured on the show are Doug's friends Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams), Spencer Olchin (Patton Oswalt) and Richie Iannucci (Larry Romano, seasons 1"3 only), as well as his cousin Danny Heffernan (Gary Valentine season 3 onwards). Deacon's wife Kelly (Merrin Dungey) is Carrie's best friend.

Doug's parents (played by Jenny O'Hara and Dakin Matthews) who live in Florida, appear occasionally, as does his sister (played by Ricki Lake). In the pilot episode, Carrie also has a sister (played by Lisa Rieffel), but she is dropped after appearing in five of the sitcom's first six episodes without explanation and never mentioned again.

Most scenes usually take place in the Heffernans' home, but other common locations include Doug and Carrie's workplaces, the restaurant "Cooper's" and the residences of friends and family. While locations seen during the theme-song were filmed in areas surrounding New York, the series was filmed in California.

The show begins after Doug and Carrie have already married, and how they met is slightly unclear due to continuity issues. In one flashback episode, Doug meets Carrie when he is a bouncer at a nightclub that Carrie attends. However, in another episode "Road Rayge", Carrie reflects on a song that she says Doug asked her to dance to when they were in Junior High School. In a later episode, it was implied that they all went to high school together, as Kelly and Carrie were said to have slept with the same guy neither husband knew of until the day of the guy's wedding.

Cast and characters

Main

• Doug Heffernan (played by Kevin James) is an average parcel delivery man, with a smart-aleck nature. Vehement in character, Doug never hesitates to protest his grievances intensely. Doug's birth date is February 9, 1965. According to what Doug's parents revealed to him in episode 5x23 "Dog Shelter", he was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Some of his misadventures are often fueled by his love of food. These basic desires sometimes cause him to think of strange, intricate schemes in order to get what he wants, although they always manage to fall through in the end causing constant squabbles between him and Carrie. Doug's tendency to give in to his temptations, despite promising Carrie otherwise, is another common reason why the two have disagreements. He generally enjoys the simple pleasures of watching sports and playing poker with his friends.

• Carrie Heffernan (played by Leah Remini) is Doug's saucy and sharp-tongued wife. She has a tough attitude and is even physically abusive to Doug periodically. She has been judged by Holly and Doug as being scary (particularly when she's upset). During a flashback, Carrie finds that she is usually happier (she describes herself as never being truly happy) when others are miserable. She never finished college and is employed as a hard-working legal secretary. Her constant attempts to make their relationship and daily lives more romantic and meaningful causes Doug endless frustration as Doug prefers things to be simple and to have as few restrictions in life as possible. The more perceptive and insightful of the couple, Carrie often pushes Doug to make more of himself and improve his morals but can be just as unscrupulous as he. Although Carrie admonishes Doug for his inconsiderate behavior, she has proven herself to be even more inconsiderate at times, with little patience for others' problems or tolerance for their quirks. Many episodes have shown the couple trying to escape some socially unpleasant situation at Carrie's behest with it resulting in her abandoning Doug who, being the push-over, is left to fend for himself; she once left him lost in a forest to go have lunch, while another time she left him at an odd Bed and Breakfast run by an eccentric couple while she checked into a hotel and went dancing. Carrie's best friend is Deacon's wife, Kelly Palmer.

• Arthur Spooner (played by Jerry Stiller) is Carrie's widowed father, who has been married three times and then for the fourth time to Spence's mother (played by Anne Meara, his real-life wife) during the final season, is the classic oddball of the family. He lives in the basement of the Heffernan house because he accidentally set fire to his own uninsured home, burning it to the ground saving only his hotplate, which started the fire, in the pilot episode. Very volatile, Arthur is mostly known for his incoherent, irascible outbursts. He tells a lot of questionable stories of what he claims he's been through in his past. Arthur is usually seen causing regular chaos and getting on someone's bad side with his antics, craziness, and obnoxious behaviors. Carrie and Doug sometimes have trouble finding some time alone just for the two of them because Arthur tends to get in the way. Arthur also tries to cause trouble with Doug's friends. He especially picks on Spence, but also (unsuccessfully) tries it on Deacon, who often refers to him as "the old man."

• Deacon Palmer (played by Victor Williams) is Doug's best friend. Deacon is the more responsible of the two, in addition to being the classic "family man." He is tall and athletic. Deacon and his wife Kelly have two sons named Major and Kirby. He's often seen hanging out with Doug, whether it's at their lunch break, over the weekend, or for a family gathering. Although he is often experiencing relationship problems, Deacon always has time to chill out and have fun. He will often help Doug plan elaborate schemes to fool Carrie, but rarely likes to get involved in the scheme himself. It is mentioned in a number of episodes that Deacon attended St. John's University in Queens, but whether or not he graduated is never referenced. In the first season episode "Best Man," Deacon mentions having served in the National Guard.

• Spencer "Spence" Olchin (played by Patton Oswalt) is another friend of Doug's, who is often viewed as the nerd of the group. Not only is he very paranoid, he also takes an interest in science fiction, fantasy movies, and comic book conventions"?interests that his friends do not share. Spence's birthday is February 14. He is of Albanian heritage, and works as a subway token collector. He moved to the New York area from rural West Virginia. In one episode, he is a "house boy" for Deacon and Kelly. His character is based largely on the actor who plays him, Patton Oswalt. Spence demonstrates intelligence and capability in a variety of pursuits, but he is haunted by his family history, his domineering and unstable mother, and his inability to assert himself with others. Numerous episodes mention that Spence is asthmatic (a burden he shares with Danny) and allergic to peanuts (however, in the episode "Richie's Song" he is seen eating Peanut M&M's out of Doug's vehicle). He asked if the M&M's were any good, and Doug asks if they were regular or peanut, in which he responds peanuts and proceeds to eat them. In the season eight episode "Hartford Wailer", Spence is said to be from Ottawa. In the series' penultimate episode, "Single Spaced," Spence becomes obsessed with romancing Carrie when it appears she and Doug will divorce.

Recurring

Daniel "Danny" Heffernan (played by Gary Valentine) is Doug's cousin, and he is also seen hanging out with Doug, Spence, and Deacon. In the show's early seasons Doug has a negative view of Danny, bordering on hate. However as the show progressed, they become friends and co-workers, and regularly hang out along with Deacon and Spence. Danny even becomes Spence's roommate in a small apartment. The two often looked as if they were involved in a romantic relationship together, and they fought like a married couple. At one point, they actually got legally married in order to get a free TV from a sales pitch after they discovered only married couples were eligible. Danny also used to own a pizza place, and he is divorced from a woman named Eva. He once had the nickname "Stumpy," which was given to him by Doug. As shown in the episodes "Silent Mite" and "Paint Misbehavin,'" Danny has asthma and uses an inhaler. Gary Valentine and Kevin James are brothers in real life. They both created last names for acting. Valentine is their father's middle name.

Holly Shumpert (2001"07; played by Nicole Sullivan) is a cheerful, yet insecure dog-walker hired by Doug and Carrie to walk Arthur. She is often seen arriving at the Heffernan house to pick up Arthur, but is also a family friend of the Heffernans. She is often viewed as a bit strange because of her habits and the men she dates (not to mention her habit of over-drinking, to which she openly confesses). In one episode, Holly asks Carrie (referring to her inability to find a boyfriend), "What am I doing wrong? I give them money, I let them stay at my house." Overall, however, Holly is a gentle soul, especially when she puts up with Arthur's antics. Holly was written out of the series at the end of season eight, but she later returned pregnant one last time for the series finale.

Richard "Richie" Ianucchi (1998"2001; played by Larry Romano) is one of Doug's closest friends. He and Doug were roommates before Doug married Carrie shown in the episode "Meet By-Product". He was quietly written out of the show in season three due to Romano's request to work on another sitcom. During that season, he only appeared in one episode, called "Paint Misbehavin.'" He mostly addressed Doug as "Moose". Richie was known as the ladies' man among Doug's friends, even admitting to sleeping with Doug's sister. Richie was an FDNY firefighter. He also was somewhat of a con artist. His last appearance on the show was in the episode "Paint Misbehavin" in which he has sex (offscreen) with Doug's sister Stephanie (Ricki Lake) and afterwards she promises to call him later, although she has no intention to. He was also briefly seen in a few clips during the flashback montage at the end of the series finale.

Sara Spooner (1998; played by Lisa Rieffel) is Carrie's younger half-sister who was constructed as an irresponsible aspiring actress. She appears in only four episodes (episodes 1, 2, 5, and 6) and then disappeared without any explanation. She was only mentioned one other time (although not by name) in episode 52 by Doug as an excuse to his boss to get out of performing a roast. After the show became more popular, Kevin James was asked to explain what happened to Sara during an interview. According to James, the producers could not think of any storylines to develop Rieffel's character, so she was discontinued. During the pilot she was on camera for roughly half the episode. However in the other episodes where she was included, her character did not have much to say or do. Subsequent dialogue suggests that Sara Spooner never existed, and that Carrie is an only child. This is an example of "Chuck Cunningham Syndrome" (see Happy Days).

Kelly Palmer (1998"2001; 2003"07), Deacon's wife (played by Merrin Dungey) is Carrie's best friend. She has two children with Deacon. Kelly and Deacon have experienced some serious relationship problems, much more serious than the petty arguments between Doug and Carrie. On one occasion, Deacon mentions being hit in the head with a frying pan. She was absent from the show in 2002 because she needed to take a break from the series.

Lou Ferrigno (2000"07; himself) is the actor known for his role as The Incredible Hulk. Ferrigno and his wife are neighbors of the Heffernans. A running gag on the series is that the neighbors (including the Heffernans) are fascinated by him and it gets on his nerves. Other characters often make reference to his previous role as the Hulk. For example, at one point Doug is angry and Lou tries to calm him down; Doug retorts with the famous line from the Hulk series "Don't make me angry, you wouldn't like me when I am angry." He also seems to be somewhat of a gossip.

Raymond "Ray" Barone (played by Ray Romano) is Doug's Long Island friend. Romano and James appearing on each other's respective shows was part of a network program crossover, as CBS aired both Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens. Romano's appearance was successful enough to warrant all other lead characters (Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle) to appear as their respective characters as well. Appropriately, episodes featuring Romano contained "Ray" in its title (e.g. "Road Rayge" and "Raygin' Bulls").

Minor

• Stephanie Heffernan (Ricki Lake), Doug's sister
• Veronica Olchin (Grace Zabriskie/Anne Meara), Spence's mother
• Doug Pruzan (Alex Skuby), Carrie's former boss at Kaplan, Hornstein & Steckler
• Joseph "Joe" Heffernan (Dakin Matthews), Doug's father
• Janet Heffernan (Jenny O'Hara), Doug's mother
• Supervisor Patrick O'Boyle (Sam McMurray), Doug's boss
• Carla Ferrigno (herself), Lou Ferrigno's wife (2000"07)
• Denise Ruth Battaglia (Rachel Dratch), Spence's girlfriend
• Mr. Kaplan (Victor Raider-Wexler), Carrie's boss (2001"03)
• Mr. Kaufman (Victor Raider-Wexler), Carrie's boss (2006"07)
• Kirby Palmer (Omari Lyles/Marshaun Daniel/Philip Daniel Bolden)
• Major Palmer (Desmond Roberts/Austin Astrup)
• Young Doug (Tyler Hendrickson)
• Young Carrie (Madison Lanc)
• Father McAndrew (Joe Flaherty), priest at the Heffernans' church
• Tim Sacksky (Bryan Cranston), the Heffernans' neighbor
• Dorothy Sacksky (Dee Dee Rescher), Heffernan neighbor
• Mike Ross (Michael Lowry)
• Debi Ross (Marcia Cross)
• Mickey (Ford Rainey), a friend of Arthur's
• Kim (Melissa Chan), Carrie's co-worker at Kaplan, Hornstein & Steckler
• Amy (Christine Gonzales), Carrie's co-worker at Kaplan, Hornstein & Steckler
• Dawn (Laura Silverman), Carrie's co-worker from the accounts department
• George Barksdale (Gerry Black)
• Stu (Gavin MacLeod), Doug's uncle and Danny's father
• Trudy (Beecey Carlson), Danny's mother
• Jimmy (Jimmy Shubert), Doug's co-worker at IPS
• Duke (Steve Tancora), another of Doug's co-workers
• Georgia Boone (Lisa Banes), Carrie's boss at the Dugan Group
• Donna (Sandra Taylor), Richie's girlfriend

Guest appearances

• Kirstie Alley (episode: "Apartment Complex")
• Mookie Barker (several episodes)
• Julie Benz (episode: "Train Wreck")
• Shelley Berman (2 episodes)
• Peter Boyle as Frank Barone (episode: "Road Rayge")
• Tucker Carlson (episode: "Manhattan Project")
• Bas Rutten (2 episodes)
• Randy Couture (episode: "Fight Schlub")
• Allen Covert (2 episodes)
• William Daniels (episode: "Icky Shuffle")
• Chris Elliott (2 episodes)
• Jon Favreau (episode: "Trash Talker")
• Dave Foley (episode: "Jung Frankenstein")
• Janeane Garofalo (episode: "Cheap Saks")
• Brad Garrett as Robert Barone (episode: "Road Rayge")
• Marla Gibbs (episode: "Patrons Ain't")
• Robert Goulet (episode: "Sold-Y Locks")
• Patricia Heaton as Debra Barone (2 episodes)
• Dan Henderson (episode: "Fight Schlub")
• Florence Henderson (episode: "Dark Meet")
• James Hong (episode: "Apartment Complex")
• William Hurt (episode: "Shrink Wrap")
• Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (episode: "Fight Schlub")
• Lainie Kazan (2 episodes)
• Robert Klein (episode: "Sparing Carrie")
• Huey Lewis (episode: "Hartford Wailer")
• Gavin MacLeod (2 episodes)
• Eddie McClintock (episode: "Connect Four")
• Eddie Money (episode: "Eddie Money")
• Donny Osmond (2 episodes)
• Judge Reinhold (episode: "Secret Garden")
• Burt Reynolds (episode: "Hi, School")
• Doris Roberts as Marie Barone (episode: "Road Rayge")
• Eric Roberts (episode: "Paint Misbehavin'")
• Daniel Roebuck (episode: "Court Date")
• Pat Sajak (episode: "Inner Tube")
• Adam Sandler (episode: "Mild Bunch")
• Steve Schirripa (episode: "S'Ain't Valentine's")
• Ben Stiller (episode: "Shrink Wrap")
• Erik Per Sullivan (episode: "Shrink Wrap")
• Peter Tork (episode: "Best Man")
• Frank Trigg (episode: "Fight Schlub")
• Adam West (episode: "Shear Torture")
• Vanna White (episode: "Inner Tube")
• Todd Zeile (episode: "Major Disturbance")

Show background

Based on the lives of blue-collar couple Doug and Carrie Heffernan, The King of Queens debuted on CBS on September 21, 1998. For most of its run it was a Monday night staple, competing with shows such as the long-running drama 7th Heaven. In 2003, when scheduled against The West Wing and Nanny 911, it dropped slightly in the ratings. The final episode aired on May 14, 2007. The show is currently in syndication worldwide and airs on TBS and TV Land in the United States and on TVTropolis and OMNI in Canada. In Sweden and the UK it runs on the ComedyCentral network.

According to the DVD commentary of the Pilot episode, the character of Arthur was conceived with Jerry Stiller in mind, but he initially turned down the role. Veteran comedian Jack Carter was then cast and a pilot was shot. Soon afterwards, Stiller changed his mind and took the part, which required reshooting of scenes featuring Carter.

The King of Queens was partly inspired by the classic television sitcom The Honeymooners, as the characters of Doug and Carrie are based on the Kramden couple, with similar mannerisms and deadpan expressions. In a 2001 episode of the show ("Inner Tube"), the show pays homage to The Honeymooners, as a distraught Doug dreams that he is Ralph Kramden, his wife Carrie is Alice Kramden, and his friend Deacon is Ed Norton. The sequence was filmed in black-and-white and the audio quality (including the audience) matches a 1950s style.

The King of Queens was one of the first series to broadcast in 16:9 high-definition video, broadcasting in 1080i. At the time of the show's premiere, CBS had just regained broadcasting rights to the NFL, and was an early adopter of HDTV technology as a result, allowing The King of Queens to broadcast with the technology.

Theme song and opening sequences

The season one main opening was a simple eight-second sequence which showed the window of a subway train with moving through and quickly stopping at the original show logo, which then peeled off to reveal the names of the show's creators.

Starting with season two, the show added a new theme song called "Baby All My Life I Will Be Driving Home to You," which was written by series writers Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, composed by Jonathan Wolff and Scott Clausen, and performed by Billy Vera and the Beaters. An instrumental version was used as the closing theme during season two, but was replaced in season three with a new closing theme composed by Kurt Farquhar.

The opening credits from seasons two through nine featured an opening shot of Doug getting into an IPS truck, which then cuts to a long shot of a bridge, where he drives under a bridge onto which the show's logo is digitally placed, as if it's a street sign. It then cuts to scenes of Doug, Carrie and Arthur spending time around Queens. In the season two sequence, Kevin James' starring credit was placed over a shot of the Brooklyn Bridge with the Manhattan skyline, but was re-edited after the September 11 attacks that felled the World Trade Center. Two short versions of the sequence exist: in original airings where the opening was shortened due to time constraints and in some syndicated airings, the opening featured the shot of the IPS truck going under the bridge, then to the final shot of the credits where Doug and Carrie get ices at the Lemon Ice King of Corona on 108th St in Queens. The second version used in U.S. syndicated airings since 2007 simply features the first eight seconds of the full sequence with the opening establishing shots of Queens placed before the truck scene. In syndicated airings of season one episodes that have aired in the U.S. since the fall of 2007, this version replaced the standard season one sequence in all episodes for unknown reasons.

Reception

U.S. television ratings

Season	Timeslot (EDT)	Season premiere	Season finale	TV season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1	Monday 8:30 P.M. (September 21, 1998 " May 17, 1999)	September 21, 1998	May 17, 1999	1998"1999	#35	12.5
2	Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 20, 1999 " May 19, 2003)	September 20, 1999	May 22, 2000	1999"2000	#34	12.7
3		October 2, 2000	May 28, 2001	2000"2001	#26	13.4
4		September 24, 2001	May 20, 2002	2001"2002	#21	13.9
5		September 23, 2002	May 19, 2003	2002"2003	#27	13.0
6	Wednesday 9:00 P.M. (October 1, 2003 " May 18, 2005)	October 1, 2003	May 19, 2004	2003"2004	#33	11.1
7		October 27, 2004	May 18, 2005	2004"2005	#48	9.8
8	Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 19, 2005 " May 22, 2006)	September 19, 2005	May 22, 2006	2005"2006	#49	10.0
9	Wednesday 8:00 P.M. / Monday 9:30 P.M. (December 6, 2006 " May 14, 2007)	December 6, 2006	May 14, 2007	2006"2007	#33	11.4

Episodes

See List of The King of Queens episodes for more information

Home media releases

In Region 1, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released all nine seasons of The King of Queens on DVD in the USA & Canada

In Region 2, Paramount Home Entertainment has released all nine seasons on DVD in the UK. The series has also been released in Germany by Koch Media, all nine seasons have been released.

In Region 4, Paramount Home Entertainment has released all nine seasons on DVD in Australia.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release Dates
		Region 1 (US)	Region 1 (CAN)	Region 2 (UK)	Region 2 (Germany)	Region 4 (Australia)
The Complete First Season	25	November 18, 2003	August 11, 2009	January 29, 2007	November 26, 2004	January 11, 2007
The Complete Second Season	25	April 20, 2004	August 11, 2009	July 9, 2007	March 31, 2005	July 12, 2007
The Complete Third Season	25	February 22, 2005	August 11, 2009	September 15, 2008	September 2, 2005	July 31, 2008
The Complete Fourth Season	25	April 14, 2005	January 5, 2010	February 9, 2009	December 2, 2005	January 15, 2009
The Complete Fifth Season	25	June 20, 2006	January 5, 2010	May 18, 2009	May 26, 2006	May 7, 2009
The Complete Sixth Season	24	September 19, 2006	January 5, 2010	July 13, 2009	November 24, 2006	August 6, 2009
The Complete Seventh Season	22	January 16, 2007	November 9, 2010	March 22, 2010	March 9, 2007	April 1, 2010
The Complete Eighth Season	23	May 1, 2007	November 9, 2010	June 21, 2010	August 24, 2007	June 3, 2010
The Complete Ninth Season	12	September 25, 2007	November 9, 2010	September 20, 2010	October 19, 2007	September 16, 2010
The Complete Series Box Set	207	November 6, 2007	TBA	TBA	March 7, 2008	TBA

Blu-ray releases

Seasons two and three were released on Blu-ray Disc by Koch Media on November 21, 2008. They are presented with 1080i/25fps VC-1 video, 2.0 DTS audio tracks in both English and German with German subtitles optional. They include the same extras as the DVD releases from Koch Media. Though they are only released in Germany and Austria they are not region locked.

Syndication

• King of Queens (Mbreti i Kuins) ([[Vizion +]])

  The King of Queens (Sony Entertainment Television)

  The King of Queens (111 Hits, Nine Network, Eleven)

  King of Queens (ATV)

  Kralj Queensa (OBN)

  The King of Queens (SET)

  ????"? ?? ????"???? (bTV Comedy)

  The King of Queens (Omni Television)

  Kralj Queensa (Nova TV) (RTL)

  Kongen af Queens (TV 2, TV 2 Zulu)

  Kellarin kunkku (Nelonen)

  Un Gars du Queens (Comédie!)

  King of Queens (RTL II, Kabel eins, TNT Serie)

  ? "???????"? "??"? ??"???"? (Alpha TV)

  Férjek gyöngye (Viasat 3)

  The King of Queens (Star World)

  The King of Queens (3e, Comedy Central UK, Channel 4)

  The King of Queens and Kóngur Queens (Skjár 1)

  ??? "??"?"??"? (HOT3, Yes stars 3)

• King of Queens (Comedy Central)

  The King of Queens (Sony Entertainment Television)

  The King of Queens (RTL 5)

  King of Queens (Comedy Central)

  Kongen av Queens (TV3, Viasat4)

  The King of Queens (Star World)

  The King of Queens (Maxxx)

  Diabli Nadali (Polsat, Comedy Central, Comedy Central Family, TVN7)

  O Rei do Bairro (TVI); Eu, Ela e o Pai (SIC Radical, SIC Mulher)

  Tr?sni?ii din Queens (TVR2);

  El Rey de Queens (La Sexta)

  Kralj kom?iluka (B92)

  Doma?e kraljestvo (Kanal A)

  Kungen av Queens (TV4)

  King of Queens (SF zwei)

  King of Queens (CNBC-e), (ComedyMax)

  The King of Queens (Comedy Central UK, Channel 4)

  The King of Queens (TBS, TV Land, various local stations)