The King of Queens

The King of Queens

From left to right: Jerry Stiller, Kevin James, and Leah Remini
Format Sitcom
Created by David Litt
Michael J. Weithorn
Starring Kevin James
Leah Remini
Jerry Stiller
Victor Williams
Patton Oswalt
Lisa Rieffel (1998)
Larry Romano (1998–2001)
Gary Valentine (2001–2007)
Nicole Sullivan (2001–2005, 2007)
Opening theme "Baby All My Life I Will Be Driving Home To You" by Billy Vera (1999–2007) Season 2 onwards
Ending theme "Baby All My Life I Will Be Driving Home To You" (instrumental) Season 2 onwards
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of seasons 9
No. of episodes 207 (List of episodes)
Production
Location(s) Sony Pictures Studios
Culver City, California
Running time 21 to 22 minutes
Production company(s) Hanley Productions
CBS Productions (1998)
CBS Paramount Television (2007)
CBS Television Studios
Distributor Columbia TriStar Television (1998)
Sony Pictures Television (2002)
Broadcast
Original channel CBS
Picture format 480i 4:3 (SDTV),
1080i 16:9 (HDTV)
Audio format Dolby Surround 2.0
Original run September 21, 1998 (1998-09-21) – May 14, 2007 (2007-05-14)
Chronology
Related shows Everybody Loves Raymond
External links
Website

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 ,and CBS Television Studios (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 1990s to end its run.[1]

Contents

Plot

Doug and Carrie Heffernan (Kevin James and Leah Remini) share their home at 3121 Aberdeen Street in Rego Park, Queens, New York,[2] with Carrie's oddball dad, Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller).[3] Doug, who makes a living as a delivery driver for the International Parcel Service (IPS), spends most of his time at his home with his wife Carrie. Carrie works as a secretary for a law firm in midtown Manhattan and later is a secretary for a real estate firm. This is complicated by Arthur, who can be quite a handful—so much so that they hired a dog walker, Holly (Nicole Sullivan), to walk him along with her canine charges in the local park.

Doug hangs with his advice-giving buddies Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams), Spence Olchin (Patton Oswalt), Richie Iannucci (Larry Romano Season 1-3 ) and Danny Heffernan (Gary Valentine Season 3 onwards). His friend Spence is a Star Trek-loving nerd who is not very savvy when it comes to women. Deacon Palmer is Doug's best friend, and can often be seen working at IPS with Doug. Danny is Doug's cousin, whom Doug initially cannot stand but eventually warms up to. Richie is a firefighter and casanova. The gang frequently hangs out at Cooper's Ale House in Glendale in West-Central Queens.

The show usually revolves around intricate plots between either Doug or Carrie (sometimes both) to hilariously get something out of the other or a third party; Deacon Palmer and Holly are typical targets of this. However, there are instances where one of the two, or both, are inspired to do good deeds (such as donating to charities or helping a person find a job), or to do something beneficial for themselves (such as flipping a house, or investing in the stock market). They (usually Doug) will typically botch these plans causing one of the two (usually Doug) to panic and sabotage that situation, or they (usually Carrie) will get hung up on not receiving the proper credit for their actions. Most of the time the results of their antics leave the characters in a stagnant position by the end of the episode.

Unlike the traditional sitcom formula, the central conflict of many episodes is left unresolved at the end. Many episodes' opening teasers (in episodes that actually have a teaser) feature situations that have absolutely nothing to do with that episode's storylines. The ending scene of most episodes is a very short joke that most of the time is related to the main story line.

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.

How and when Doug and Carrie first met is unclear. In one episode, a flashback episode of how they first met, Doug and his friend Richie are bouncers at a club and meet Carrie and one of Carrie's girlfriends who are partying at the club. The girls go back to the guy's apartment to hook up. But, in another episode 'Road Rayge', Doug and Carrie are on their couch watching TV and the song Boogie Oogie Oogie comes on the TV show they are watching. Carrie asks Doug to dance, because she says it's their song. Doug doesn't remember and Carrie says Doug asked her to dance to the song at Kim Ianola's birthday party when they were in Junior High School. So, they would have had to have known each other while attending that school or at an earlier time.

Cast and characters

Recurring characters

Minor characters

Guest appearances

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, which made The King of Queens one of the last longest-running sitcoms of the 1990s–2000s (decade). The show is currently in syndication worldwide and airs on TBS 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 1 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 of this theme was used during the second season, but was replaced in season three with a new closing theme composed by Kurt Farquhar.

The opening credits from Seasons 2 through 9 featured an opening shot of Doug getting into an IPS truck, which then cuts to a far shot of a bridge, where he drives under a bridge in which the show's logo is digitally placed over. 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, 2001 terrorist 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.

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[4]
2 Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 20, 1999 – May 19, 2003) September 20, 1999 May 22, 2000 1999–2000 #34 12.7[5]
3 October 2, 2000 May 28, 2001 2000–2001 #26 13.4[6]
4 September 24, 2001 May 20, 2002 2001–2002 #21 13.9[7]
5 September 23, 2002 May 19, 2003 2002–2003 #27 13.0 [8]
6 Wednesday 9:00 P.M. (October 1, 2003 – May 18, 2005) October 1, 2003 May 19, 2004 2003–2004 #33 11.1[9]
7 October 27, 2004 May 18, 2005 2004–2005 #48 9.8[10]
8 Monday 8:00 P.M. (September 19, 2005 – May 22, 2006) September 19, 2005 May 22, 2006 2005–2006 #49 10.0[11]
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[12]

Episodes

Home media releases

In Region 1, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released all 9 seasons of The King of Queens on DVD in the USA & Canada

In Region 2, Paramount Home Entertainment has released all 9 seasons on DVD in the UK.[13] The series has also been released in Germany by Koch Media, all 9 seasons have been released.

In Region 4, Paramount Home Entertainment has released all 9 seasons on DVD in Australia.[14]

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[15]
The Complete Seventh Season 22 January 16, 2007 November 9, 2010[16] March 22, 2010 March 9, 2007 April 1, 2010
The Complete Eighth Season 23 May 1, 2007 November 9, 2010[17] June 21, 2010 August 24, 2007 June 3, 2010
The Complete Ninth Season 12 September 25, 2007 November 9, 2010[18] September 20, 2010 October 19, 2007 September 16, 2010
The Complete Series Box Set 207 November 6, 2007 TBA TBA March 7, 2008 [19] TBA

Blu-ray releases

Seasons 2[20] and 3[21] were released on Blu-ray Disc by Koch Media on November 21, 2008. They are presented with 1080p 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

References

  1. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165581/trivia
  2. ^ The exterior shots of the Heffernans' house have been made in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, see "The King of Queens House". October 30, 2009. http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2009/10/30/the-king-of-queens-house/. 
  3. ^ "King of Queens – The Complete Eighth Season". CBSStore.com. http://cbs.seenon.com/detail.php?p=43900&v=cbs-kingofqueens. Retrieved 2009-05-30. 
  4. ^ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. 2009-10-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20091029011819/http://geocities.com/Hollywood/4616/ew0604.html. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  5. ^ Quotenmeter.de - Das Online-Fernsehmagazin (2002-05-30). "US-Jahrescharts 1999/2000". Quotenmeter.de. http://www.quotenmeter.de/cms/?p1=n&p2=9946&p3=. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  6. ^ Jun 01, 2001 (2001-06-01). "The Bitter End". EW.com. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,256435,00.html. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  7. ^ "How did your favorite show rate?". USA Today. May 28, 2002. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2002/2002-05-28-year-end-chart.htm. Retrieved May 25, 2010. 
  8. ^ "Nielsen's TOP 156 Shows for 2002-03 - rec.arts.tv | Google Groups". Groups.google.com. http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv/browse_thread/thread/ee82c0640bcaeb06/82c78e0fe7710443?lnk=st&q=nielsen+top+156&rnum=1#82c78e0fe7710443. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  9. ^ "I. T. R. S. Ranking Report: 01 Thru 210". ABC Medianet. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930171419/http://www.abcmedianet.com/Web/progcal/dispDNR.aspx?id=060204_11. Retrieved May 25, 2007. 
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ [2]
  12. ^ "Final Nielsen ratings for 2006-07 season". 606studios.com. 2007-05-25. http://www.606studios.com/bendisboard/showthread.php?t=114628. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  13. ^ "King Of Queens - Season 9 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Kevin James, Leah Remini, Victor L. Williams, Patton Oswalt, Nicole Sullivan: Film & TV". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003N18OBA. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  14. ^ "King of Queens, The - 9th Season (2 Disc Set)". Ezydvd.com.au. 2010-09-14. http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/814512. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  15. ^ [3]
  16. ^ "King of Queens S7: Amazon.ca: DVD". Amazon.ca. 2010-11-09. http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0040NOZJU. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  17. ^ "King of Queens S8: Amazon.ca: DVD". Amazon.ca. 2010-11-09. http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0041RDC9O. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  18. ^ "King of Queens S9: Amazon.ca: DVD". Amazon.ca. 2010-11-09. http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0040NOZIQ. Retrieved 2011-09-19. 
  19. ^ Koch Media Home Entertainment
  20. ^ Blu-ray.com Season 2 Info
  21. ^ Blu-ray.com Season 3 Info

External links

http://kingofqueens.wikia.com/wiki/King_of_Queens_Wiki