Once upon a time, sitcoms were the main genre in American television, shaping how stories were told and how characters were portrayed. They are so relevant to television history that two shows in 2021 are paying homage to them, albeit in very different ways. In WandaVision, each episode recreated a sitcom from a different decade, and the audience understands the importance they had in Wanda’s life on episode eight, when we learn about her childhood.
In Kevin Can F**k Himself, however, the sitcom format is used for a completely different purpose. Every time Kevin (Eric Petersen) is in the scene, we’re transported into an old-fashioned sitcom, with laugh tracks, upbeat music, multi-camera angles, very bright colors, and, most importantly, characters always making fun of each other, dismissing their feelings. The butt of every joke Kevin makes tends to be his wife Allison (Annie Murphy), who seems to take them relatively well.
Once Kevin leaves the room, however, the tone changes completely and the audience is transported to a traditional drama, with somber music and darker lighting. There is even a noise that marks the switch, like microphone feedback about to explode. That’s when the audience meets the real Allison: a burnt-out wife who despises her husband and wishes to kill him.
While the idea of alternating between genres is very original and intriguing, the plot itself could be a bit better. The sitcom portion of the show is not that interesting, since Kevin is, indeed, a very annoying and selfish character, and the jokes are not that funny. Besides, the fact that each episode is over 40 minutes long can feel a bit tiring, with the constant changing of pace.
The cast is good, especially Annie Murphy, who’s playing the opposite of her character in Schitt’s Creek. We truly believe she’s a wife on the verge of a breakdown and we do want her to find a way to leave Kevin.
Even though the last episode ended in a cliffhanger, with one of the characters who was always in the sitcom portion of the show being pulled into the drama part of it, there hasn’t been any confirmation about a season 2 yet.
Kevin Can F**k Himself is available on AMC.
