Use of “es” in “Ich kann es kaum erwarten”

Question

I told a friend about a TV show we both watch and because I'm learning German and he's German himself, he replied:

Ich kann es kaum erwarten.

Looking this up on a dictionary, I worked out that kaum erwarten können is roughly the English equivalent to "to can hardly wait"

But, the use of es slightly confused me.

I translated his sentence as

I can hardly wait.

but the es was what stuck me.

Do we use es in the following sense:

I can hardly wait (for it)

i.e. an object that können needs?

Answer 1

No, it's a mandatory accusative object the verb erwarten needs. The thing you await.

Ich erwarte einen Anruf.

I await a call.

Ich kann deinen Anruf kaum erwarten.

Ich kann ihn kaum erwarten.

Ich kann es kaum erwarten, dass du anrufst.