Kevin James moved his new show to Long Island in part so he can take his kids to more Mets games
On Monday night, Kevin James will return to network television with his new CBS sitcom, "Kevin Can Wait." It's been a long time since James headlined a show on the small screen, as "King of Queens" ended its run in 2007.
James, a Mineola, N.Y., product, has always been a rather high-profile supporter of the Mets -- his Doug Heffernan character on "King of Queens" often wore Mets gear pretty frequently and he wore a jersey to the premiere of "Paul Blart 2." In real life, James also just visited the Mets this past weekend and took some hacks during batting practice, even crushing a homer during his time in the cage:
Star of #KevinCanWait @KevinJames took BP with us yesterday and showed off his power! #BatFlipLegend 💥⚾️💥 #Mets #LGM pic.twitter.com/SQZhe8ddKN
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 18, 2016
During his visit, he also posed for a photo with one of New York's most beloved superheroes,
It's within this context that the New York Daily News' recent profile of James and his new show makes perfect sense.
According to the piece, written by Ethan Sacks, James and CBS agreed on a deal for the show with one very important stipulation: that the production move from Los Angeles to Long Island.
As he told the Daily News, the pull of going back home -- and being able to frequent Citi Field more -- was too much to ignore:
"I lived in L.A. for 17 years, I met my wife there," said James. "I have a lot of great friends, a lot of great memories. But it just never felt like home. To be able to take my kids to games at Citi Field now - it's the food, it is the culture, it is the people, the energy that drives me. It just originated here and it's what sustains me."
The Mets, and egg sandwiches:
People ask why I came home to film my new show on Long Island, part of it was to be near family, the other part was for the egg sandwiches.
— Kevin James (@KevinJames) September 14, 2016
In "Kevin Can Wait", James portrays a retired NYPD officer named Kevin Gable who has to suspend post-retirement life to help his wife with a family obligation:
Now that he's back home, James can get a close-up look at his Mets as they continue their push for a postseason spot.
