| Kevin Can F**k Himself | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Black comedy |
| Created by | Valerie Armstrong |
| Starring |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Camera setup | |
| Running time | 42–46 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Release | |
| Original network | AMC |
| Original release | June 20, 2021 – present |
Kevin Can F**k Himself[a] is an American dark comedy television series created by Valerie Armstrong, who also serves as an executive producer. Set in Worcester, Massachusetts, the show explores the life of Allison McRoberts (played by Annie Murphy), a woman struggling to redefine her life amid an unhappy marriage to her husband Kevin, an insensitive, unambitious man-child. The show presents contrasting perspectives of her experience: as a stereotypical sitcom wife when Allison is with her husband Kevin, shown with a multiple-camera setup and canned laughter, and as a woman navigating a difficult personal path, filmed in the single-camera setup more common to television dramas.[1]
The first two episodes were made available on AMC+ on June 13, 2021, and the series premiered on AMC on June 20, 2021.[2] In August 2021, the series was renewed for a second season. In November 2021, AMC confirmed the series would end after two seasons.
Each episode is released on AMC+ one week prior to the AMC broadcast date.[4]
| No. | Title [2] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Living the Dream" | Oz Rodriguez | Valerie Armstrong | June 20, 2021 | 0.370[5] | |
| Kevin Can F**k Himself follows the life of Allison McRoberts, who is unhappily married to her self-absorbed, irresponsible man-child husband, Kevin. As their tenth-year anniversary approaches, Kevin wants to throw his annual "Anniversa-rager" party, to Allison's dismay. Allison reunites with her old high school friend, Sam, who has moved back to their hometown. Allison wishes to leave her small-town community and move to a nicer house with Kevin; however, she learns from her neighbor, Patty, that Kevin had secretly drained their bank account. Enraged by the news, Allison goes on a bender with Marcus, a local cocaine dealer. Returning home, Allison accidentally breaks Kevin's glass mug; she fantasizes stabbing Kevin in the neck with the glass shard. | ||||||
| 2 | "New Tricks" | Oz Rodriguez | Dana Ledoux Miller & Kevin Etten | June 20, 2021 | 0.370[5] | |
| Allison obsesses over the idea of murdering Kevin. At the library, Allison stumbles upon a dead man who has died of an OxyContin overdose. Inspired, Allison tries to buy Oxys from Marcus, hoping she can use the drugs to poison Kevin; Marcus refers Allison to a friend. Allison later meets with Marcus's friend, who tries to have sex with her; Allison learns that Marcus had told his friend that she was a prostitute. Meanwhile, Kevin believes that their new neighbors have stolen his Belichick hoodie, and he retaliates by setting their lawn on fire. Allison visits a local beauty salon, having been told that the business is a drug front. Allison is shocked to discover that Patty operates the salon. | ||||||
| 3 | "We're Selling Washing Machines" | Anna Dokoza | Craig DiGregorio & Noelle Valdivia | June 27, 2021 | 0.324[6] | |
| In flashbacks, Patty gets approached by her former classmate, Terrance, about selling generic drugs. Patty accepts Terrance's offer and begins selling the pills to her salon clients. In the present, Patty reluctantly agrees to give Allison the Oxys the following Monday. Allison continues to get harassed by Marcus; in response, Allison reports Marcus's drug dealings to the police. Marcus gets arrested and implicates Terrance. The police raid Terrance's pharmacy, putting Patty's business in jeopardy. Patty's boyfriend, Kurt, proposes to her. Kevin competes in a chili cook-off with Patty's brother, Neil. Sam receives his eight-year chip in AA, and he invites Allison. Allison attends the AA meeting and reunites with Sam's wife, Jenn. | ||||||
| 4 | "Live Free or Die" | Anna Dokoza | Mel Shimkovitz | July 4, 2021 | 0.216[7] | |
| Patty gets questioned by Detective Tammy. Kevin, Neil and Pete open a themed escape room in Kevin’s basement. The plan goes wrong, with the escape room participants accidentally getting locked in the basement. Allison and Patty embark on a road trip to Vermont to buy the Oxys from a dealer named Red Rooster. In Vermont, Patty meets with the Red Rooster, who instead gives her a gun. Allison ends up trying to buy the drugs from a truck driver. While driving home, Allison and Patty get pulled over by the police; Kevin had called the cops on Allison for failing to answer his phone calls. Following the incident, Allison confides to Patty about Kevin’s controlling behavior, and admits that she wanted the drugs to poison Kevin. | ||||||
| 5 | "New Patty" | Anna Dokoza | Tom Scharpling | July 11, 2021 | 0.222[8] | |
| Patty reveals that she does not feel Allison would be capable of poisoning Kevin. Returning to Worcester, Patty reveals her mixed feelings over Kurt’s proposal. Realizing their relationship isn’t working, Kurt breaks up with Patty. Kevin, Neil and Pete attempt to replace Patty in the friend group. It is revealed that Allison had successfully obtained the Oxy pills from the truck driver. Allison quits her job at the liquor store and accepts a job offer at Sam’s diner; she also begins a sexual affair with Sam. Patty gets blackmailed by Nick, the nephew of one of her clients. In light of Detective Tammy’s investigation, Patty suggests to Allison that they frame Kevin as the local drug dealer; they also consider hiring Nick as a hitman. | ||||||
| 6 | "The Grand Victorian" | Anna Dokoza | Sean Clements | July 18, 2021 | 0.307[9] | |
| Nick agrees to kill Kevin in exchange for $700, and the girls give him the Oxy pills as down payment. On his birthday, Kevin juggles two parties: a dinner at a fancy restaurant with Allison, and playing at the arcade next-door with Neil and Pete. Numerous events occur at the restaurant: Nick unexpectedly arrives, which worries Allison, though it is ultimately revealed that he works there as a busboy; Allison has an awkward reunion with Sam and Jenn; Sean Avery visits the restaurant and challenges Kevin to an eating contest. Patty agrees to accompany Detective Tammy to a work party; Detective Tammy reveals romantic interest in Patty. Allison confronts Nick, demanding to know the exact details of his plan to kill Kevin. | ||||||
| 7 | "Broken" | Anna Dokoza | Valerie Armstrong, Craig DiGregorio & Kate Loveless | July 25, 2021 | 0.261[10] | |
| Allison and Nick plan out the murder: Nick will break into the house, stage a robbery and kill Kevin while Allison is out of town. In order to evade any suspicions from the police, Allison ends her affair with Sam and visits a fertility clinic, under the pretense that she and Kevin are trying for a baby; Neil later questions Kevin after discovering Allison’s fertility clinic pamphlet in the trash. Meanwhile, Patty pursues a romantic relationship with Detective Tammy. Sam and Jenn argue. After being forced to flee town, Nick ultimately decides to kill Kevin a week earlier than planned, though he does not inform Allison. That night, Allison and Kevin hear Nick breaking into the house. Kevin leaves the room to investigate the noise; a loud gunshot is heard. | ||||||
| 8 | "Fixed" | Anna Dokoza | Valerie Armstrong | August 1, 2021 | 0.337[7] | |
| It is revealed that Kevin had shot Nick during the break-in, and that Nick has been placed in a coma. After being praised by the townspeople for his actions, Kevin decides to run for local office. Allison and Patty attempt to frame Nick as the local dealer, planting the drugs and cash in his bedroom. After being interrogated by Detective Tammy, Allison manipulates Patty into checking Tammy’s notebook; Patty feels guilty for doing so. Sam leaves Jenn and reveals he wants to begin a relationship with Allison. Allison refuses, stating that moving on with Sam would be “giving up.” At home, Patty argues with Allison for ruining her relationship with Tammy. Neil, who is in the kitchen, hears the argument and learns of Allison’s plans to kill Kevin. Neil threatens to call Kevin; when Allison tries to grab his phone, he chokes her. Patty suddenly arrives and violently smashes a bottle at Neil’s head. The first season concludes with both women watching Neil bleeding on the ground. | ||||||
In November 2018, it was announced AMC had opened a writers' room on the series as part of its scripts-to-series development model, with Valerie Armstrong serving as creator and executive producer, with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack serving as executive producers under their Le Train Train banner.[11] In October 2019, AMC ordered the series.[12]
The show's title is an allusion to Kevin Can Wait, a 2016 CBS sitcom starring Kevin James, which was heavily criticized for the manner in which the lead character's wife (played by Erinn Hayes) was written out of the show in the second season.[1] Although Kevin Can F**k Himself is not meant as a direct parody of Kevin Can Wait, that incident served as a jumping-off point for the creators of Kevin Can F**k Himself to make a show exploring the implications of gender roles in American family sitcoms.[1] On August 27, 2021, AMC renewed the series for a second season.[13] On November 30, 2021, AMC confirmed the series would conclude after two seasons.[14]
In February 2020, Annie Murphy joined the series' cast in the leading role.[15] In March 2020, Eric Petersen, Mary Hollis Inboden and Alex Bonifer joined the cast in starring roles.[16] In May 2020, Raymond Lee and Brian Howe also joined the cast in starring roles.[17] In January 2021, Meghan Leathers and Candice Coke joined the cast in recurring roles.[18]
Kevin Can F**k Himself holds an 81% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 59 reviews with a average rating of 6.80/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Kevin Can F**k Himself's ambitious blend of genres don't always gel, but searing social commentary and a stellar performance from Annie Murphy make for an engaging watch."[19] On Metacritic, the series holds a rating of 65 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]