King Of Queens (Series, The) (DVD)

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When a sitcom rings true, it's because the characters are believable and the situations seem real, though they're obviously exaggerated for laughs. And "The King of Queens" feels so much like real life that you half expect Doug Heffernan to be standing at your door the next time you see a UPS delivery truck parked out front. Make that a fictional IPS truck.

Comedian Kevin James has great chemistry with Leah Remini as Doug and Carrie, a Queens couple in an opposite's attract marriage. Doug is a large, fun-loving and forgetful man's man who works a blue-collar job, while Leah is a slender beauty who works as a legal secretary but secretly aspires for both of them to be more than they are. Then again, after a brush with the upper class, both Heffernans are perfectly happy to retreat to the comfort of their middle-class habits. They fight, they get in digs at each other, but they're ultimately a couple you know was strangely made for each other.

This season offers solid entertainment, with several episodes exploring areas of the Heffernans' relationship that seem so natural that you wonder why it took the writers six years to get here. Carrie's father, Arthur (Jerry Stiller) feels just as comfortable this season, with much more to do than pad around the house complaining about something or leaving with the dog-walker paid to keep him out of the couple's hair. Doug's friends use him to pick up chicks, and he gets involved in Doug's world of competition, rising to the occasion in ping-pong and shuffleboard. Mostly, though, the plots involve real-life situations: concerns about a gynecologist, sexual fantasies, old girlfriends and boyfriends, arguments over money, trouble at work, and misunderstandings that cause temporary havoc. You know. Real-life nonsense. And the laughs are there.

Here's now the season's 24 episodes (contained on three single-sided discs) play out:

1-2) "Doug Less," Parts 1-2—Doug's poor memory strikes again, when he takes Carrie on a surprise retreat where they once spent a romantic weekend. Only it turns out it wasn't with Carrie, and complicating matters is Doug's new body. He's dropped a ton of weight, and Carrie isn't used to sharing the compliments.

3) "King Pong"—Arthur buys a ping-pong table, and Doug takes it over . . . until Carrie schools him, and Doug convinces her father to teach him so he can beat her.

4) "Dreading Vows"—A funny episode that should convince any couple thinking about renewing their vows to abandon the idea.

5) "Nocturnal Omission"—Deacon (Victor Williams) meets a beautiful flight attendant but doesn't realize his estranged wife wants him back.

6) "Affidavit Justice"—Doug pretends to be a lawyer and Arthur learns that slave owners run in his family.

7) Secret Garden"—While Doug obsesses over a new grill, Carrie is worried her gynecologist might drop her.

8) "Eggsit Strategy"—A toy comes between Doug and Deacon, while Carrie's job is threatened after her boss is fired.

9) "Thanks, Man"—A mysterious stranger intrudes on the family's Thanksgiving.

10) "American Idle"—Carrie is fired, and that means trouble for Doug, who can't tolerate her new couch potato life.

11) "Santa Claustrophobia"—Carrie gets a temp job at IPS and that's too close for Doug's comfort.

12) "Dougie Houser"—Carrie makes all the Heffernan major decisions, and this flashback goes back ten years to explain why.

13) "Frigid Heirs"—When the fridge breaks, Arthur sees an opportunity to help . . . and squeeze a few conditions out of his daughter and son-in-law.