Leah Remini Teases Romantic Plotline With Kevin James On ‘Kevin Can Wait’

Kevin Can Wait fans are still getting used to the retooled second season of Kevin James’ sophomore sitcom, but they could soon see a familiar dynamic on the CBS comedy. Amid the controversial killing off of James’ character’s wife, Donna (Erinn Hayes), the actor’s longtime co-star, Leah Remini, says producers will have to address a romantic storyline between her character, Vanessa, and Kevin at some point.

“You have to at some point,” Remini told the New York Daily News of a future romantic plotline between her character and James’.

“It’s not a ‘no,’ it’s just there’s so many episodes to do before that.”

After ending their nine-season run on The King of Queens a decade ago, Kevin James has been vocal about the fact that he’s thrilled to be working with Leah Remini again. Kevin told the Daily News that Remini’s two-episode guest stint on the first season of Kevin Can Wait was “the greatest” and that it inspired a new creative drive for the show.

“Fans loved it, everybody on the crew loved it,” Kevin said of Leah’s appearance. “We just knew right away, so we thought, ‘How can we get her here full-time to be on the show?'”

One way was to kill off Kevin’s TV wife. For Season 2, the show has fast-forwarded a year after Donna Gable’s death. Leah Remini has reprised her role as Vanessa Cellucci, Kevin Gable’s (James) former police partner and new security firm business partner who is now the show’s full-time leading lady.

While Kevin Can Wait fans are getting used to their playful banter, Leah Remini revealed that the backstory for Kevin and Vanessa hasn’t even begun to play out.

“These were ex-partners,” Leah said of her and Kevin James’ characters.

“They worked together, and we haven’t even begun to go into the backstory of that in exploring what their relationship was other than a few sentences here and there.”

Remini also said she has been waiting to reconnect with Kevin James on the small screen for a decade — even if it meant relocating from Los Angeles to the east coast, which is what she ultimately did.

“I would’ve taken any opportunity to work with Kevin again,” Remini said.

“I’ve worked with other leading men after Kevin, but there’s something very special that you just can’t kind of explain when something works with somebody.”

Of course, while Kevin James and Leah Remini’s chemistry is undeniable, Kevin Can Wait executive producer Rob Long has already revealed there is no immediate plan for their characters to get romantic.

“Honestly, we’re trying not to [put them in a romantic relationship],” the Kevin Can Wait producer told TV Line. “These two actors have incredibly fun chemistry together, but they’re also great antagonists. So as much as there’s a lot of snap and crackle on screen, there’s also a lot of fun in watching two people not get along.”

Do you think Kevin James and Leah Remini’s Kevin Can Wait characters will get together at some point? Take a look at a sneak peek from the Kevin Can Wait episode “Plus One Is The Loneliest Number,” in which Kevin pretends to be Vanessa’s wealthy doctor boyfriend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeFXl4SJ_M

Kevin Can Wait airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

[Featured Image by Credit: Jeffrey Neira/CBS]