‘Kevin Can Wait’ Season 2 Briefly Addresses Donna’s Death In Episode 1

“Kevin Can Wait” Season 2 premiered on Monday night and briefly addressed Donna Gable’s (Erinn Hayes) demise.

It’s been a year since she passed away, but no details about the cause of her death or even her memorial service were mentioned in Season 2, episode 1, titled “Civil Ceremony.” But in one of the scenes, Kevin (Kevin James) received a letter from his late wife’s gym. Inside the envelope is a postcard from the gym’s staff asking why Donna has not stopped by over the past few months. They also said that they miss her.

Kevin’s daughter, Kendra (Taylor Spreitler), takes the postcard from her dad’s hand and promises him that she will call the gym on his behalf. Kendra said that it’s already been a year since her mom died, so it’s time for others to know about it. Their brief conversation with Donna ended with Kevin asking his daughter not to throw the postcard away because it also contained some coupons.

Last month, “Kevin Can Wait” executive producer Rob Long confirmed that they will not go into detail about Donna’s death. “We haven’t addressed it in the story. For right now, it’s really a story about a family reeling without a mother and Kevin dusting himself off and rejoining the work force,” he said told TV Line.

In June, the people behind the hit CBS series announced that Hayes will no longer reprise her role in Season 2. The actress confirmed the report via a tweet. Immediately after, there were speculations over how Donna will be written out of the series. In August, it was announced that she will be killed off “out of respect” for the character.

“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,” Long told TV Line.

Meanwhile, “Kevin Can Wait” Season 2, episode 1 also saw Kendra and Chale (Ryan Cartwright) getting married at the hospital chapel where the latter was getting treatment for his appendicitis. The new couple manage to share their first dance as husband and wife toward the end of the episode.

“Kevin Can Wait” Season 2 airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT on CBS.