The executive producer of Kevin Can Wait wants people to know that killing off the show’s main character’s wife, Donna (played by Erinn Hayes) was not only the best move creatively for the show, but also for the actress who played her. “The goal was to give Kevin’s character a real drive and a real predicament [involving] how a family comes back together [after tragedy],†Rob Long told TVLine. “Also, out of respect for the character of Donna — and certainly the way that Erinn Hayes portrayed her — it seemed like the only right and fair way to treat her character.â€
Apparently, the producers want to make Kevin Can Wait a show about a single father learning “how to do all of the stuff†that comes with raising a family on one’s own and bringing his loved ones together in the wake of a tragedy. But it also seems like CBS would prefer we chalk up the announcement that James’s former King of Queens co-star Leah Remini will be a series regular in season two — which came one day before news of Hayes’s departure broke — to coincidental timing.