'Kevin Can Wait' Season 2 Cast News: Erinn Hayes Quits After Leah Remini Joins Show Permanently
CBS is shaking up "Kevin Can Wait" season 2 in a big way. The network has added Leah Remini in the cast permanently following her two-episode guest appearance as undercover cop Vanessa Cellucci in the first season finale.
With her addition, however, "Kevin Can Wait" season 2 loses one of its main stars. Erinn Hayes, who plays Kevin's wife Donna Gable, will not be coming back.
Hayes confirmed on Twitter she has been "let go" from the show. Insiders said that her firing was not because of her performance but because the series will take on a new direction for its second season.
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"Kevin Can Wait" was originally centered on a retired New York cop, Kevin Gable (Kevin James), and the whole first season was about him relearning to navigate his home life. The final two episodes, however, featured Kevin briefly returning to the police force for undercover work.
The premise made James's reunion with Remini possible. The two worked together as husband and wife in the comedy series "King of Queens," which also ran on CBS from 1998 to 2007.
The buzz is that "Kevin Can Wait" season 2 will now delve into Kevin returning to the force permanently, allowing Remini to become a series regular. It's unclear how the changes will affect the rest of the cast – Taylor Spreitler (Kendra Gable), Ryan Cartwright (Chale Witt), James DiGiacomo (Jack Gable) and Mary Charles-Jones (Sara Gable) – who played the kids. It's also unclear how season 2 will explain Donna's absence given that the Gable marriage was not in trouble in the show.
Amid the cast shake-up, "Kevin Can Wait" had no problems with ratings as it reportedly ranked as the number one new comedy show for the 2016-2017 season. Changes to the show, however, came as no surprise as its original showrunner, Bruce Helford, dropped out in the middle of production, with Rob Long replacing him.
"Kevin Can Wait" season 2 will premiere on Monday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. Then it will move to Monday 8 p.m. beginning Oct. 30.
