The popular comedy show “The King of Queens” is coming to an end after nine seasons. The show, which debuted in September of 1998, is scheduled to air its series finale May 21 on CBS.
The sitcom, which stars Kevin James and Leah Remini, focuses on married couple Doug and Carrie Heffernan. The show takes place in Rego Park, Queens, N.Y., with Doug, a deliveryman, and Carrie, a secretary at a law firm, who both live with Carrie’s out-of-control father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller). The couple tries to make the best of what they have, and at the same time, make their marriage “somewhat normal” while getting through the small problems that they have together, including the occasional run-in with Carrie’s father.
“The King of Queens” celebrated its 200th episode April 9, marking just the seventh time a TV comedy has reached the mark since 1990. Seven new episodes are remaining and will tie up the loose ends for the 8.7 million viewers that watch each week, including whether or not Doug and Carrie will have a baby and how Carrie’s father Arthur will leave the couple’s basement.
“I never understood why the show didn’t get more recognition,” creator/executive producer Michael J. Weithorn said on SFGate.com. “The thing that really irked me over the years is that Kevin, Leah and Jerry never won an Emmy, and Kevin wasn’t even nominated until last year. The work they were doing was so first-rate and definitely on par with the other nominees.”
Sophomore Jaclyn Machowicz didn’t know the show was coming to an end.
“That’s kind of upsetting; first ‘Friends,’ ‘Will & Grace,’ and now ‘The King of Queens?’ Thankfully they’re all in syndication,” she said.
A year ago, “The King of Queens” was in danger of being cancelled after its eighth season, but through the Web site ipetitions.com, fans gathered together to sign a petition to give the show a proper ending as apposed the abrupt season eight series finale.
CBS was mailed the petition, signed by 1,517 people, and on April 16, CBS announced that the show would indeed be back for a ninth (and now final) season.
Though secrets about the finale have been kept under wraps, the Web site tv.com has a message board in which its members continue to discuss the finale, and a YouTube Web address was leaked to show a clip of the finale. However, the clip is unavailable to the general public. But, according to the message board, a member who happened to view the clip wrote that it looks as though Carrie and Doug are going to move to Manhattan or are going to split up. These are just two of the four theories speculating how the show could possibly wrap up.
“It’ll be sad to see that show go,” sophomore Janine Elliot said. “I’ll definitely miss Carrie and Doug’s fights and their witty sense of humor.”
Sophomore Kristine Sheehan is also sad to see the show end. “This was one of the last comedy shows from the nineties that I actually watch. It sucks that it’s ending. It’s so funny,” she said.
The show is already in syndication on TBS and the MyTV Network.
