The King of Queens is a sitcom about the daily interactions of married New York couple, Doug (Kevin James) and Carrie (Leah Remini) Heffernan, and Carrie's father Arthur Spooner (Jerry Stiller). The basic format of the series is either Doug, Carrie, or Arthur turning some normal everyday thing into some kind of sticky situation that is a bundle of laughs. In the first season the series set it self up (introduced the cast, the format) and the second season felt like a large extension. This third season felt a lot like the first two seasons, but at the same time slightly funnier. There was less focus on the supporting cast and more on the three main characters. In this fourth season, we get plenty of riotous situations. For more details about this series refer to my reviews of season one, season two, and season three.

The fourth season does a pretty good job with individual episodes and story arcs. This season also introduces a change of supporting characters. Richie (Larry Romano), who did not appear very much in season three (as compared to season one or two), is replaced by Doug's cousin Danny (Gary Valentine). In itself the inclusion of Danny seems slightly out of place. In previous seasons Danny never really fit into Doug's circle. Despite Danny idolizing Doug, he annoyed Doug more than anything. Almost magically, he is now best friends with Doug, Deacon, and Spence. When Doug thought he was the most annoying person in the world, it made for some great laughs. Now Danny's role in the series is not the same. On a positive note, there is a fun episode with Spence and Danny. In "Oxy Moron" Spence and Danny move in together and the outcome is hilarious.

Another new character introduced in the season's first episode "Walk Man". This new character is Holly (Nicole Sullivan). She is a dog walker and Doug hires her to walk Arthur so he had can some alone time with Carrie. This episode is a great way to start of the season. Unfortunately, the character Holly is such a small part and does not add a whole lot to this season. However she does become the center of Spence's attention, which makes for a few good laughs. The episode "Depo Man" features Spence and Danny trying to court Holly. Of course, they both fail miserably.

The fun individual episodes cover a variety of issues for the Heffernan's. In "Friender Bender" a somewhat common issue is tackled, friends and money. Doug rear ends Deacon's car and has to pay a rather large bill. The indifference puts the two couples at odd ends. "Tricker Treat" is the season's Halloween episode. Doug scares Arthur and it puts him in the hospital. The real fun in this episode comes from Deacon's son Kirby, who is a little too excited about dressing up as a power puff girl. "Lyin' Hearted" picks up where "Tricker Treat" left off. In this episode there are some revelations for Carrie. She finds out some of the horrible things Arthur hid from her when she was younger. Chris Elliot guest stars as a pretty neurotic guy and it is a riot to see how he and Doug interact.

Another fun episode and perhaps the funniest of the season came from the season finale. In this episode Doug, Carrie, and Arthur visit a psychiatrist to try to figure out exactly what is wrong with them. The story includes a few looks into their pasts. There is even a cameo from Ben Stiller, who plays Arthur's father. Another solid episode is "Eddie Money". Deacon and Doug bet on a fight and end up winning five grand. Unfortunately, Doug placed the bet without Carrie's permission and Deacon is in the middle of a divorce. They decide to try to blow the cash in one glorious fun filled day. Of course, they soon realize spending money on non-materialistic goods is not as easy as it seems. Some other fun episodes include "Screwed Driver", Arthur creates a new screw driver that uses an 'A-Hole', "Food Fight", Carrie is jealous of Doug's food affair with Spence's girlfriend, and "Ovary Action", Carrie and Doug find out they can only conceive every few months and Doug has a hard time performing while his parents are visiting.

This season also continues with the Deacon and Kelly breakup story arc, except they really split up in this season. The good news is there are plenty of great episodes about it. In "Dougie Nights", Doug tries to cheer Deacon up by taking him out to a night club. The outing turns out to be more fun for Doug than Deacon and soon Doug relives his youth as a clubber. "Missing Links" is another fun episode. Every year Carrie's firm pays for a day of golfing at a well-to-do country club. Usually they take Deacon and Kelly, but since it is now just Deacon, they don't know who to take. Fortunately, Deacon meets a girl who he and Doug love. It's just too bad Carrie hates her. It's a fun afternoon that isn't quite so fun.

Overall this season had some pretty strong episodes and I really enjoyed it. There were several moments when watching season four where I found my self rolling over with laughter. I think it is also important to note I have seen all of these episodes on TV and I feel they are just as funny as the first time.

Episode Guide
1. Walk Man
2. Sight Gag
3. Mean Streak
4. Friender Bender
5. No Retreat
6. Ticker Treat
7. Lyin' Hearted
8. Life Sentence
9. Veiled Threat
10. Oxy Moron
11. Depo Man
12. Ovary Action
13. Food Fight
14. Double Downer
15. Dougie Nights
16. No Orleans
17. Missing Links
18. Hero Worship
19. Screwed Driver
20. Lush Life
21. Bun Dummy
22. Patrons Ain't
23. Eddie Money
24. Shrink Wrap
25. Two Thirty

The DVD

Video:
This presentation is given in 1.33:1 ratio full frame color. Like previous season DVD release the video quality could have been better. The problem is that the episodes are distributed over three dual layered DVDs. The result, the picture has a distinct grain and noticeable compression artifacts. However despite its imperfections, it is still more than viewable.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is given in English Dolby digital stereo sound. The audio sounds pretty clean and is very flat. It is as basic as TV on DVD releases get. This release also supports closed captioning.

Extras:
There is not much in this department. If you consider trailers extras, then you are in luck! There are trailers for The King Of Queens, News Radio, Hitch, Seinfeld, and Columbia Tristar TV on DVD releases.

Final Thoughts:
The King of Queens is one sitcoms (of many) I really enjoy. The characters all work well together, with James and Stiller offering some great slapstick comedy and Remini's blunt personality keeping them in check. Together they make a terrific cast and the supporting characters can also be pretty funny. This fourth season covers some hilarious moments in the series and I highly recommend it.