‘Kevin Can Wait’ Season 2 Spoilers: Donna’s Death Done Out Of ‘Respect’

“Kevin Can Wait” Season 2 will no longer see Erinn Hayes’ character, Donna Gable, returning since she would have already died before the premiere.

The shocking revelation about Donna’s death came earlier this month at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. But executive producer Rob Long just explained why they felt the need to kill off the character instead of just not writing her into the upcoming episodes of the CBS series.

“The goal was to give Kevin’s character a real drive and a real predicament involving how a family comes back together after tragedy. 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,” he told TV Line.

Additionally, Long said that they wanted Season 2 to undergo a creative shift and focus solely on Kevin (Kevin James) as a single father. “Kevin being a single father… We were really attracted to it,” he added.

Hayes’ exit from “Kevin Can Wait” after only one season happened one day after it was announced that Leah Remini will reprise her role as Vanessa in Season 2 as a series regular. At the time, Hayes expressed her sadness over being axed from the series via her Twitter account.

Meanwhile, the production for “Kevin Can Wait” Season 2 started earlier this month. Remini shared a photo of herself with her co-star James on Instagram. The actress captioned the snap by saying that she had a wonderful first week on the set of the hit show. She also thanked the crew, her co-stars, the staff and everyone who made it possible.

Remini’s Vanessa was first seen in the final episode of “Kevin Can Wait” Season 1 when she worked closely with Kevin on a case. The two successfully completed their task, and Kevin came home to his wife and learned that she has already resigned from her job as a school nurse.

“Kevin Can Wait” Season 2 will premiere on CBS on Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. EDT.