The third season of
The King of Queens upholds the quality of the first two: Smart but unpretentious comedy based firmly in the daily lives of blue-collar couple Doug and Carrie Heffernan (Kevin James and Leah Remini) as they cope with their jobs, their friends, and sharing their home with Carrie's eccentric, obsessive father Arthur (Jerry Stiller). While dozens of mediocre sitcoms are built around fat guys implausibly married to sexy women, James and Remini have such chemistry and their characters are so well-crafted and complex that their marriage seems not only convenient for sitcom purposes but downright meant to be.
The show only goes astray when it goes for a gimmick. In one episode, Doug dreams of himself as Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners; while it's understandable for James to tip his hat to one of his idols, this belabored concept sucked all the humor out of the show. But when The King of Queens sticks to small, mundane troubles, the results are unfailingly delightful. For example, Doug becomes self-conscious about his weight when he discovers that Carrie buys his clothes at the Big & Tall Shop; Carrie is excited to go to lunch with some of the women lawyers at her firm, then humiliated when it turns out they didn't know she's a secretary; or Carrie admits she finds Doug's best friend Deacon (Victor Williams) hot. These events launch some wonderful farce, all the funnier because anyone can identify with the characters' insecurity and jealousy. This firm psychological grounding lets the series keep its footing as it dips into some deeper emotions, like the break-up of Deacon's marriage or an unexpected pregnancy. Because James and Remini keep their characters truthful in their most ridiculous moments, they keep us engaged and even moved as they enter what could be maudlin territory--plus, the writers never lose the opportunity for a sharp but telling joke along the way. The King of Queens makes sitcoms look easy, but the show's skillful balance of an ordinary world and fine-tuned humor is anything but. --Bret Fetzer
1 Correction
In regards to an earlier review, the King of Queens was not based on any british comedy, but instead on an earlier American show called the Honeymooners. That's straight out of the director's mouth. So sorry my European friend, Americans do generate all the T.V. shows...well the one's worth watching anyway.
Altogether, this is definitely one of the funniest shows on T.V. to date. Very underated, but like Everybody Loves Raymond, will prove to be a DVD treasure worth collecting long after the show has gone off the air. Worth the $34 bucks I spent on it.
2 Not acting, riffing
This is a funny show if you dont want tos ee acting, just comdeiens riffing one ach other. Most of the jokes are about the wife who "wants to have a bay-bee" and the husband who cant "preform." This is very BRITISH kind of humor, Peo_PLE!! I think this might be a show from Britaint hat they made into an American one. My friend Brett, who is a genious, says that a lot of our sitcoms have British origins. Did yo know that the show threes company from the seventes was originally called Robin's Egg? no, didnt think so. Most people think that americans create allt he tv shows. Also on this show is the dad from Seinfeld who is Histerical!!!! So get this and watch the riffing and the british style comedy!
3 Well worth the Money
I just received my order a few days ago and haven't quite watched all the episodes, but the ones I have so far have been hilarious. I have the first two seasons on King of Queens and Kevin James and co. seem to be really getting in the swing of things in their third season.
If you are a fan of the show i would definitely recommend. If you are not a fan of the show I would say buy this season and you soon will be.
4 No Joke, This is the Best Season of THE KING OF QUEENS!
Second Season of KING OF QUEENS was good, but the 3rd Season is honestly the best of the series. Every episode is funny, from "Do Rico" all the way to "Pregnant Pause." The Third Season was probably the best in ratings too, along with many special guest stars (Uncredited on the DVD) like Florence Henderson, Angelo Pagan (Leah Remini's Husband), Eric Roberts, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Gavin MacLead, Dom Irrera, Ricki Lake, Lou Ferrigno, and the first episode with MADtv's Nicole Sullivan playing Marilyn, (10x funnier role than "Holly" currently in Seasons 4-7). "Paint Misbehavin'" features the last episode with the character "Richie", but this Season includes more of "Spence" & "Danny." I love this show and can admit it's not getting better with the writing compared to 3rd Season. I want to remember KING OF QUEENS with this excellent DVD. I don't have to mention KEVIN JAMES, LEAH REMINI, or JERRY STILLER, because everyone already knows they are the best...and make the show a hit. This Third Season can represent the entire series.
5 One of the Best Shows, Actually my favortie Show
Doug, Carrie, and Arthur keep on making people laugh with this Third, great season, Some of the best Episodes are on this 3-disc set with Carrie wanting to go back to school, Doug and Deacon on strike, Arthur wanting more freedom from Carrie, and finally the season ending with Doug and Carrie trying to have a baby. This season is extremeley funny, with bust-out laughs and with some very serious moments. All you King of Queens fans will love this, and bet you can't wait for Season 4, and all the other seasons to come out and add to this great collection of comedy.
6 Unfunny and terrible cast.....
Story of a fat guy, his wife, and her father who live in Queens. The jokes are unfunny, the cast is annoying, and the plots look like they were written by two year old boys, which they were. TERRIBLE. The wastelend of commerical network TV.
7 The King still rules
I have the first 2 seasons and today I bought season 3 and the show gets better every season. Great comedy. Leah Remini and Nicole Sullivan are hot. The only problem with the DVD is like the other 2 seasons there are not many special features. At least in seasons 1 and 2 there were some special features a commentay track on the both of them. But season 3 only has trailers. I want commentary and a gag reel something. Oh well. Anyway still good to pick up and collect the rest of the season sets and the show gets better with every episode. And now season 4 is coming out on June 14. Woohoo. Cant wait for it.
8 The King of Queens is compared to.
The King of Queens is a great show. Difference between the honeymooners and the king of queens. The Kramdens live in the depression they don't have anything, Ralph always kicked Norton out of his apartment. Ralph Kramden is really mean. The King of Queens they have everything like a house, furniture, tv set and food in the kitchen. Doug Heffernan is really a nice guy, he reminds of Babe Ruth and Fred Flintstone. He had three friends Spence since he known he was a kid, Deacon his co-worker from IPS, Danny his cousin who really fit in with the gang. The King of Queens doesn't also remind of the honeymooners two shows and one movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cheers and American Pie. Doug Heffernan and Spence Olchin is like Xander Harris, Danny Heffernan is Riley Finn, Arthur Spooner is like Daniel "Oz" Osborne, Deacon Palmer is Rupert Giles, Holly Shumpert is like Willow Rosenberg on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Doug Heffernan is like Cliff Clavin, Spence Olchin is like Norm Peterson, Arthur Spooner is like Ernie 'Coach' Pantusso, Danny Heffernan is like Woody Boyd, Holly Shumpert is like Carla Tortelli and Carrie Spooner is like Rebecca Howe on Cheers. Doug Heffernan is like Jim Levinstein, Spence Olchin is like Kevin Myers, Deacon Palmer is like Chris 'Oz' Ostreicher, Danny Heffernan is like Paul Finch, Holly Shumpert is like Michelle Flaherty Arthur Spooner is like Jim's Dad on American Pie.
9 CONSISTENTLY FUNNY AND UNDERRATED
King of Queens is one of those sitcoms that seems to fly just below most people's TV radars. It remains popular enough that it is now into it's seventh season on CBS and yet has never been a major enough hit that it becomes the topic of water cooler discussions the morning after a new episode. At it's core this is a working man's, middle-class comedy. Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) delivers parcels for IPS, and his wife Carrie (Leah Rhemini) is a legal secretary. They are joined in their suburban Queens colonial by Carries father Arthur (Jerry Stiller) who rooms in the basement.
The show typically centers on the mundane problems that all middle-classers face on a daily basis such as not having enough money, squabbles with neighbors, problems at work, etc. We all admire Doug for being a rather typical fat slob but somehow being able to land a gorgeous wife like Carrie. The show is always consistently funny and has a wonderful cast of supporting nut co-stars including Doug's best friend and co-worker Deacon andnebbish mama's boy friend Spencer. King of Queen's never aims too high and never ventures into dramatic plots as some comedies tend to do. CArrie always wants to aim for a higher place in society, much to Doug's aggravation, while he is perfectly content to sit on the couch, watch the football game, and eat Doritos. This tends to set up some of the more hilarious plots.
Notable season Three episodes include:
"Fatty McButterpants" - Doug finds out that Carrie has been buying his clothes at the "Big and Tall Shop" and admits that he may have a weight problem. Carrie tells him that he could stand to lose about 40 pounds. Doug's feelings are upset and he takes it out by nit-picking on Carrie.
"Strike One" - Doug Goes out and Buys a new SUV despite the fact that a strike is looming at work. Sure enough a strike happens and an incensed Carrie has to work overtime to pick up the slack. Spence buys their old car and it promptly drops dead.
"Strike Two" Doug's sister gets him a job as a substitute teacher at her school which Doug thinks will be a breeze...until he meets his students.
"Strike Out" Doug and Deacon are down and out due to the strike and turn to Arthur for companionship. Soon the trio pass the day by pulling pranks on neighbors and yelling lewd comments from the porch to passers-by.
"Work Related" - Arthur comes to work with CArrie and Carrie is horrified when Arthur is offered a job in her office.
"Wedding Presence" Doug and Carrie don't want to attend and out-of-state wedding and hatch a plot to faker their attendance, which goes badly wrong!
"Inner Tube" Doug lies to Carrie to get out of attending a seminar. His guilt causes him to have some bizarre nightmares where he find himself on old TV shows such as "The Honeymooners" and "Wheel of Fortune"
"Swim Neighbors" AFter their fence is destroyed in a storm, The heffernan's new, annoying neighbors want to leave the fence down so they can have one hugh combined backyard. But Doug and Carrie don't like them so they promptly have a new fence built..but they still want to use the neighbors fancy pool.
In addition to the regular Stars, Lou Ferrigno is back playing himself in a recurring role as the Heffernan's next door neighbor. This really is a fun show. Always consistently well-written and well-performed by all.
10 FINALLY!!!
I have been waiting for the third season release for months. It is the best show ever and i cant wait for this release!!!
11 Episode list of this GREAT SHOW!!!!
I love this show. I can watch every episode hundreds of times and still find it hysterical. Here are the episodes for season 3....
1. Do Rico
Doug discovers that whenever he imitates the new guy at work, Rico's, accent, that it turns Carrie on and gets her in the mood for lovin'. He doesn't mind it so much until it becomes clear that Carrie is much more turned on by `Rico' than by old familiar Doug. When he confronts her, she gets mad that he is jealous of himself. But, when Carrie meets Rico and his girlfriend, Francesca, she knows what she must do - she begins to imitate Fracesca's sexy Italian voice and Doug seems to forget all about his insecurities. Meanwhile, Arthur is inspired by the book Tuesday's With Morie, and tries to find someone to chronicle his wisdom.
2. Roast Chicken
Carrie has Doug sign a congratulatory card for his boss' twenty years at the company and the whole thing blows up in Doug's face. Now, Fisker, the boss, wants Doug to participate in the banquet roast and Doug blames Carrie for this fiasco. He does rise to the occasion, however, and even manages to get some good laughs out of the audience. That is, until he starts to tell some jokes that hit a little too close to home.
3. Fatty McButterpants
When Doug finds out that Carrie has been buying his clothes at the "Big and Tall Shop" he suddenly becomes aware that he may have a weight problem. Carrie tries to spare his feelings but when he asks her to be honest, she confesses that if he lost about 40 pounds it wouldn't kill her. Doug, in return, tells her that if she wore less make-up he would feel better. Carrie does and then Doug doesn't stop there - in his frustration to lose weight he nit-picks at Carrie's faults and then feels horrible. Meanwhile, Arthur tries to protect himself against the neighborhood thugs with "Safety Man," a legless, lifeless dummy.
4. Class Struggle
Carrie goes out with some girls from the office who are lawyers and comes home depressed, thinking that she has wasted her life. She gets the brilliant idea to go back to college for her degree and Doug supports her - to a point. Doug begins to feel neglected and his sister, Stephanie, points out that he just might be afraid that Carrie would outgrow him if she pursued higher education.
5. Strike One
Doug and Carrie need a new car but Carrie thinks they should wait until Doug's union decides whether they will strike or not. Doug can't wait, and impulsively buys a new SUV. Carrie is incensed since just after he buys the car the union does indeed strike. Doug is left trying to find ways to save money at home while Carrie puts in overtime at work. Meanwhile, Spence buys the Heffernan's old car and it promptly breaks down on him.
6. Strike Too
Doug takes a job as a substitute teacher at his sister Stephanie's school to pass the time while the IPS strike continues. Doug thinks it's going to be an easy gig until the students terrorize him. Meanwhile, Carrie does some extra work for her boss unaware that it is for a pro bono case and she won't be paid any overtime.
7. Strike Out
It's the third week of the strike and all is not good for Doug and Deacon. They are depressed, dirty and listless. Carrie suggests that they and Arthur spend the day together and hopefully, the camaraderie will pull them out of their depression. But instead, it turns them into a bunch of out-of-control teenage boys - pulling pranks on strangers and performing mild acts of truancy.
8. Dark Meet
After a great Thanksgiving, Doug and Carrie tries to recall their first Thanksgiving together who said, "I Love You" first. They consult Arthur who quickly recalls some other Thanksgivings and finally recalls 1993 when he was having a fight with his new wife Lily. When Doug arrives to the house to meet Carrie's family, Carrie, ashamed of her family, runs off and leaves Doug to have a dinner with each parent one at a time. Even though he physically engraves and rebuffs the bowling balls, Arthur criticizes Doug's job at IPS to be replaced by a robot in the near future. When Carrie comes back, they both express their love for each other as Arthur proclaims that her relationship with Doug will not last.
9. Twisted Sitters
When Deacon and Kelly have to go out of town to attend a funeral, Doug and Carrie offer to baby-sit. Carrie is into playing "Mommy" and Doug is also thrilled at how well they are coping. However, when little Kirby spies them making love in his parent's bed, Doug and Carrie are panicked that he will tell his parents.
10. Work Related
Doug and Deacon are in a match to see who can play the best practical joke. Meanwhile, Arthur decides to spend time with Carrie at work and while he's there, is offered a part-time job - much to Carrie's horror.
11. Better Camera
Doug buys Carrie a camera for Christmas but then is shamed by the better camera that her boss gives her. Doug insists that she use the camera she likes best and so she keeps the trendy one giving to her by her boss and re-gifts Doug's to Kelly - all would be fine, except that Deacon also bought Kelly a camera and it was far cheaper than Doug's. And so, when Kelly gets Carrie's gift the truth comes out about how much Deacon spent and Kelly is now the one insulted.
12. Wedding Presence
Carrie, Doug, Deacon and Kelly are invited to their friends' wedding in Maryland and Carrie and Doug really don't want to go. They dream up a scheme to make it appear as if they were there and all they need is the help of Deacon and Kelly Palmer. But when the Palmers have to cancel at the last minute, their plan takes a turn for the worse - unless they can find someone else to fake their attendance.
13. Hi Def-Jam
Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching and Doug is looking forward to viewing the game on his big 55" TV. That is, until he gets a glimpse of Hi Definition TV and thinks he can't live without it. When he learns that Carrie's boss has a Hi-Def TV he vows to find a way to get himself and his buddies invited over - even if it means selling out his sister, Stephanie.
14. Paint Misbehavin'
Doug throws Deacon a paint ball party for his birthday and things get out of hand when Doug discovers that Carrie finds Deacon attractive, Richie still has a thing for Doug's sister, Stephanie; and, a new guy, Jack Strohmeyer, gets a little too into the military aspect of the game.
15. Deacon Blues
Doug discovers that Deacon has been seeing another woman and the two men learn the true definition of "cheating" when Carrie tells Doug that when you lie to your wife to have an intimate dinner with another woman, you are cheating - even if everyone keeps their clothes on.
16. Horizontal Hold
After Deacon and Kelly's separation, Carrie begins to wonder about her own marriage. She and Doug agree to put their sex lives on hold for a few weeks because Carrie feels that they should resolve arguments verbally, not always physically. Meanwhile, Arthur dates a woman who claims she was once Frank Sinatra's girlfriend.
17. Inner Tube
Doug lies to Carrie about having to work late so he can play mud football and get out of going to her seminar. Now sick from his night of football in the rain, Doug starts watching TV and begins to drift off to sleep...
The Honeymooners
Doug dreams that he is Ralph and Deacon is Ed and they scheme to get Doug out of the house to go bowling.
Wheel of Fortune
Doug dreams that he, Arthur and Carrie are contestants on The Wheel of Fortune, where the puzzle being "Doug Heffernan is a big fat liar."
Brian's Song
Doug dreams he is in Brian's Song as Brian Piccolo and Deacon is Gale Sayers.
The Young and the Restless
Doug dreams that he, Arthur and Carrie are on The Young and the Restless, where Carrie and Jack Abbott kiss.
Doug, finally full of guilt, goes to tell Carrie the truth of what happened and she doesn't react exactly the way she thought she would.
18. Papa Pill
Doug feels sorry for Arthur and agrees to let him go to a cocktail lounge instead of to the weekly dance at a senior center. Big mistake. When Carrie finds out, she goes ballistic and turns her father's care over to Doug. A bigger mistake.
19. Package Deal
Doug, feeling underappreciated at work, hears that drivers at FedEx are making twice what he makes. When he runs into a former co-worker now working for the big overnight service, he takes his friend's casual banter to mean that FedEx wants to hire him. Doug uses this information to play hardball with his supervisor and instead of getting a raise and a better delivery route, he gets fired. Meanwhile, after Lou Ferrigno asks Carrie to smear his body with tanning cream while his wife is on vacation, she gets addicted to the stuff and overuses the it on her face, dramatically darkening her skin.
20. Separation Anxiety
During the Palmer's separation, Doug and Carrie go to the movies with Kelly while Deacon takes the kids. While there, Carrie runs into a co-worker who seems interested in Kelly. The two end up going on a date, and when Deacon finds out he is ready to patch things up with her.
21. Departure Time
Doug, Carrie and Arthur head out to the airport to visit with Doug's parents while they have a short layover at Kennedy Airport on their way to Montreal. While there, his parents ask him to sign their living will, making him the one responsible for pulling the plug. When his sister Stephanie gets wind of this, she is offended that she wasn't the one asked to be responsible.
22. Swim Neighbors
Doug and Carrie meet the neighbors after a hurricane destroys both of their backyards. Carrie breaks their hearts by telling the truth and rejects the idea of a combined backyard. So the neighbors retaliate by disrupting their privacy by making an aboveground pool in a small space. But as Carrie tries to mount a lawsuit, Doug can't deny the temptation and joins the other side. But before the pool goes down, Carrie takes a quick swim and later, Doug tries to enjoy the lawn sprinkler.
23. S'no Job
Doug's Uncle Stu asks him to get his son, Danny, a job at IPS. Doug doesn't want him working there but he doesn't want to look bad to the family so he instructs his boss to interview him but not hire him. Eventually, Doug feels guilty and goes back to O'Boyle to ask him to reconsider Danny for the job. Meanwhile, Arthur fills out audience comment cards on a new movie.
24. Pregnant Pause
Carrie discovers that she is pregnant and she is panicked that the timing is all-wrong. Meanwhile, Deacon and Kelly begin to reconcile and Spence is left out in the cold and Arthur insists that Doug build him his own bathroom in the basement.
25. Pregnant Pause (2)
Doug tells Carrie not to panic about having the baby, that he will take care of all her "burden." So, he takes on a second job so that they can store a little extra money before the due date. The stress of two jobs proves too much for Doug and he and Carrie come to the conclusion that a little bit of burden thrown her way is a good thing. Meanwhile, Arthur is annoyed that Doug still hasn't finished his bathroom and Deacon and Kelly reconcile - leaving Spence all alone.
