Season two of The King of Queens finds blue-collar couple Doug and Carrie Heffernan (Kevin James, Leah Remini) still sharing their small but comfy Queens, NY, home with Carrie's cantankerous and overbearing father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller). Relatively new to the proceedings is Doug's stumblebum cousin Danny (played by series star Kevin James' real-life brother Gary Valentine), who halfway through the season gets married -- forcing Doug, who can't stand the guy, to serve as Danny's best man. Another character who rapidly ascends to the "recurring" category is Kelly Palmer (Merrin Dungey), the wife of Frank's buddy Deacon Palmer (Victor Williams). Highlights of the second season include another of several crossover episodes with Everybody Loves Raymond as Ray and Debra Barone (Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton) pay a visit to the Heffernan spread. Also, a spiteful Carrie takes up smoking when Doug buys a motorcycle against her wishes; Doug manages to get a staple stuck in his groin; the Heffernans have second thoughts after agreeing to serve as godparents for the Palmers' baby; Doug becomes convinced he's a devil with women when a waitress gives him the once-over; Carrie may have to be bumped from Doug's bowling team, but it's Doug who should have been bumped; a high-school reunion leads to a row over a famous "blocked" kick; Arthur moves from the basement to the room across from Doug and Carrie's, giving him even more opportunity to drive Doug crazy; Doug agrees to participate in a charity foot race, even though the strain may do him in; and Carrie forces Doug to "boycott" his favorite Italian restaurant. The final episode finds Doug and Carrie preparing for a cross-country vacation, even though Carrie had wanted to go to Europe (and she exacts a cruel revenge when she doesn't get her wish!). Though not the top-rated sitcom on the CBS docket, The King of Queens did reasonably well, ranking 35th out of 153 network programs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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