I did not intend to write about this show today. I was actually going to write about a more recent show called "Interior Chinatown". As I sat down to write, I realized I needed to refer to something that "Interior Chinatown" and "Kevin Can F Himself" have in common. I think that it is such an important point that I need to explain it before I can truly express my opinion about the newer show.
"Kevin Can F Himself" debuted back in June of 2021 on AMC. It is currently available on Netflix. Although it was not the best show I have ever seen, "Kevin Can F Himself" had such a unique gimmick that I found myself compelled to watch each and every episode. This gimmick took what could have been a pretty standard Lifetime Movie about a wife who must get away from her horrible and controlling husband and turned it into an incredibly compelling dark comedy.
The gimmick I speak of is a "show within a show". Part of the show seems like your typical multi camera family comedy like "Everybody Loves Raymond". When the show is told from the husband Kevin's point of view, it is this comedy. He thinks he, his father and his best friend are simply hilarious. When it is told from his wife Annie's point of view, it is a very dark single camera drama. Her father-in-law, husband and his best friend are immature assholes who constantly mistreat her. The show even switches from light to dark when the point of view shifts. It was incredibly well done.
Without giving too much away, the show is about Allison McRoberts, played perfectly by Annie Murphy. (If you aren't sure who Annie Murphy is, she played Alexis in Schitt's Creek. My love of her portrayal of that amazing character is the reason I was drawn to 'Kevin Can F Himself"). Allison is a Boston housewife who also has a full time job at a liquor store. I did not accidentally list these two jobs. Allison definitely has two-full time jobs with taking care of this man-child seeming like the main one. Allison lives in the town she and Kevin went to high school in. She never got out, and is trapped in a terrible marriage. She's not happy and starts to realize she could have so much more.
Her husband Kevin McRoberts is played incredibly well by Eric Petersen. When the show is told from his point of view, there are tons of ridiculous schemes and situations where Allison is the butt of every joke. He still pals around with his childhood friend and the two think they are just as funny now as they were in high school. When the show is told from Allison's point of view, you see what a selfish asshole this guy really is. He isn't funny. He is mean and immature.
What makes this show so good is that it gives a glimpse of what life would really be like if a sitcom were real. Imagine if shows like "The Cosby Show", "Seinfeld", "Friends" and even classics like "The Honeymooners" took place in reality. Was Ralph Kramden just a funny lovable working class guy or was he an abusive husband who terrorized his wife by threatening to punch her every day? Could he make up for all his mistreatment with a simple "Baby, you're the greatest"?
What makes this show so good is that it gives a glimpse of what life would really be like if a sitcom were real. Imagine if shows like "The Cosby Show", "Seinfeld", "Friends" and even classics like "The Honeymooners" took place in reality. Was Ralph Kramden just a funny lovable working class guy or was he an abusive husband who terrorized his wife by threatening to punch her every day? Could he make up for all his mistreatment with a simple "Baby, you're the greatest"?
Obviously in the world of those shows, everyone was in on the joke and you didn't need to get too deep into the relationship. "Kevin Can F Himself" does not let the audience stop at the moment Ralph says "Pow! Right in the kisser! To the moon Alice!". If the Honeymooners took place in the "Kevin Can F Himself" universe, the scene would end with Alice crying in the bedroom wondering if her husband were really going to hurt her. That may not be pleasant, but for far too many women it is a reality. "Kevin Can F Himself" uses a clever gimmick to show this reality.
Is it the most pleasant show in the world? No.
Is it funny? Once you realize what is happening, you can laugh at the absurdity while keeping one eye on the reality.
The show is just a well acted and well written story told in a unique way. It is definitely not for everyone. But it was definitely for this geek.
Has anyone seen this show?