Ep 1. Pilot

The King of Queens is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1998 to 2007. The show revolves around Doug Heffernan (Kevin James), a delivery driver for the International Parcel Service (IPS), and his wife Carrie Heffernan (Leah Remini), a legal secretary. The series premiered with its Pilot episode on September 21, 1998.

The Pilot episode of The King of Queens introduces the audience to the Heffernan family and sets the tone for the rest of the series. The episode opens with Doug driving his IPS delivery truck down the streets of Queens, New York. He talks to himself and sings along to the radio until he arrives at a customer's doorstep. After delivering a package, he heads back to his truck only to find that it has been towed.

Doug goes to the tow lot to retrieve his truck, but he finds out that it will cost him $150 to do so. This infuriates him as he only makes $400 a week. Meanwhile, Carrie is at work when she receives a phone call from Doug about the towed truck. She tells her co-worker that her husband is "the king of Queens" because he thinks he knows everything about the neighborhood.

Later that night, Doug and Carrie have dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant where they run into Doug's childhood friend, Richie Iannucci (Larry Romano). Richie is surprised to see Doug married and makes crude remarks about Carrie's weight, which offends Doug. After dinner, Doug and Carrie go home, and Doug complains about his job and the tow truck incident. Carrie suggests that he go back to school to become a supervisor at IPS, so he can make more money and move up in the company.

The next day, Doug meets with the IPS supervisor, O'Boyle (Rob Bartlett), to discuss the possibility of becoming a supervisor himself. O'Boyle tells Doug that he needs a college degree to move up in the company, which discourages him. Doug decides to go back to school anyway, and he enrolls in a night course at Queensborough Community College.

That night, Doug attends his first class, and he is relieved to find that he is not the only adult learner in the room. He meets an attractive young woman, Kelly (Merrin Dungey), who is also taking the course. They strike up a conversation, and she offers to tutor him. Carrie is suspicious of Kelly but agrees to let her help Doug.

Throughout the episode, we see the dynamic between Doug and Carrie and their love for each other. They bicker and tease each other, but they ultimately support each other's goals and dreams. As the episode concludes, Doug and Carrie are lying in bed discussing their day. Doug tells Carrie that he wants to be a supervisor at IPS so he can provide for their future family. Carrie tells him that she is pregnant.

The Pilot episode of The King of Queens is an entertaining and heartwarming introduction to the series. We get a sense of who Doug and Carrie are as individuals and as a couple. We see their flaws and strengths, and we root for their success. The episode sets up the plot for the rest of the series and leaves the audience wanting more.