Kevin Can Fuck Himself

[Better Midlands]

Kevin Can F**k Himself is an American dark comedy television series created by Valerie Armstrong, who also serves as an executive producer. It follows Allison McRoberts, a sitcom wife played by Annie Murphy, who escapes her confines and becomes the lead of her own life, using a format which blends both the multiple-camera setup typical of many mainstream American sitcoms when Allison is with her husband Kevin, and the single-camera setup more common to contemporary television when she is away from him.

Anyone else watching this? I'm three episodes in and think the concept works really well - interested to see how it develops.

[olliebean]

Just watched the 4th episode (featuring that hoary old sitcom trope, the

Spoiler alert

escape room episode

[close]

). Wasn't sure after the first, but it's picking up nicely. Seems to be worth sticking with.

[easytarget]

Just started this.

Fucking great concept (bit like Wanda Vision except you don't need the 40 hour PhD in Marvel and it's probably not going to end in a sky fight), oddly both the 'comedy' bit and the 'drama' bit seem kinda badly written (comedy by design, obviously) but together it's fucking good.

Raises loads of questions. Loved how the consequences live in the dark bit ('alcoholic sno cones' written on the mirror), so far this is really good and we should be talking about it.

[Better Midlands]

oddly both the 'comedy' bit and the 'drama' bit seem kinda badly written (comedy by design, obviously) but together it's fucking good.

That's so true, both would be pretty lame on their own but together it's compelling.

[mjwilson]

Is this on any UK service or are you finding it through alternative means?

[olliebean]

Just Watch shows nothing, so I guess I must be finding it through alternative means.

[Replies From View]

If we are talking about Kevin from The Wonder Years then yes he can

[pancreas]

Couldn't finish 4th episode. Both comedy and drama bits suddenly got on my nerves too much, and they weren't interacting at all. The actors are all extremely irritating. The juxtaposition wasn't enough to hold it together. So it's binned.

[BeardFaceMan]

It's a weird one, this. Obviously the comedy bits are meant to be shit but that doesn't make it any less shit to watch and there's not quite enough going on in the drama bits to make it all worthwhile. It's an excellent idea but would probably have been better suited to a film, the idea doesn't really have legs. Or at least make the episodes half an hour long and not an hour so they're the same length as the kind of shows they're mimicking.

[Jackson K Pollock]

Is this on any UK service or are you finding it through alternative means?

In case you're still looking, this appears to have just turned up on Amazon Prime. Looking forward to checking it out myself later.

[Better Midlands]

It's worth a watch as an interesting concept, but it

would probably have been better suited to a film

is about right. It starts to drag a bit and disappointingly they don't wrap it up at the end of the season.

I like the sitcom/drama idea and it could be interesting if they had totally different characters & situation with a conclusion for each season, maybe in the same universe like Fargo.

[BeardFaceMan]

Just saw that this was greenlit for season 2, I think I'll give the first episode a go but it'll have to pretty strong to get me to keep watching.

[neveragain]

I was expecting the main character to realise she was in a sitcom and try to escape (or change things or whatever) but it seems the sitcomy scenes are just there to emphasise her awful home-life, and she's not actually in a sitcom at all... Is that right? I've only seen half of the first episode.

Tell ya one thing, at least the relevant scenes could be mistaken for an actual sitcom, which Wandavision didn't manage.

[Better Midlands]

she's not actually in a sitcom at all... Is that right?

That's correct, as the series progresses there's more interaction between the two worlds but the characters don't know any different.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I assume they choose the title with the expectation that Kevin Can Wait was going to be a long running hit. It sounds a bit edgelordy as it is.

[dead-ced-dead]

This is now on Prime and I'm enjoying it so far (episode 2).

It's fucking depressing, though. By design, I know. But I've seen Nordic Crime dramas less depressing than this.

[wrec]

Was curious enough about the premise to give it a go and enjoyed it a lot. The two female leads are really good. Liked how the sitcom parts inspire horror and dread, which is pretty much the effect I always got from The King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond. Similarly I like the dissonance of Allison wearily referring to, for example, Kevin's wacky escape room plan.

Spoiler alert

Impressive bit of impact when the "real" violence spilled over into the sitcom world at the end of the finale.

[close]

Could do with a bit of tightening up in the second series maybe.

[Better Midlands]

Spoiler alert

Impressive bit of impact when the "real" violence spilled over into the sitcom world at the end of the finale.

[close]

I was hoping that the two worlds would collide like this a bit earlier as it was pretty thrilling when they did.

[Shaky]

I was hoping that the two worlds would collide like this a bit earlier as it was pretty thrilling when they did.

That would've potentially left them with nowhere to go, though. I think it came at a good point, and I assume they'll gradually bring more characters into the "real" world next season.

Thought this was brilliant overall, and the subtle, darker little changes to Allison and Patty's performances in the sitcom world as things spiraled outside were spot on.

[steveh]

Not much to add other than I liked this, thought it was clever and well-executed and a good example of how showing rather than explaining is usually much more effective.

[Better Midlands]

That would've potentially left them with nowhere to go, though. I think it came at a good point, and I assume they'll gradually bring more characters into the "real" world next season.

You're right it would have left them nowhere to go in season two, I think I just got less interested in the sitcom plots as the real world drama progressed (the restaurant/ticket games plot seemed to drag and the escape room plot was dull), having said that they captured the style of mainstream early 2000s sitcoms very well. I'm excited for season two though now things have come to a head.

[paruses]

Have just finished this having watched it piecemeal over the last week. I found it compelling but a slog at the same time. Every plot idea seemed dragged out while even the shitty sitcoms they parody could wrap them up in less than half an hour. Wish they had done that but with the arc.

I got invested in Alison and Patty and it was interesting to see that Alison is actually pretty awful in her own way. I also found myself examining what Alison's home life was really like outside the bright sitcom rendering. And as it moved on I found myself wanting it to flip out of sitcom world into the grey-green real world more and more.

[...] having said that they captured the style of mainstream early 2000s sitcoms very well. I'm excited for season two though now things have come to a head.

Totally agree. Think they nailed that - maybe not that hard a task given it's made essentially by a group of people who made the original stuff - but I found it quite addictive and a bit of a hate watch. Loved the little bits like the way Neil would come excitedly into the house - sort of swinging through the door using his momentum to close it - as well as the extras in the background all mugging and being invested in the foreground action.  It also highlighted that there aren't really that many jokes in these things - it's all actions and reactions on the parts of the actors.

[neveragain]

Does anyone else think it would have been better to see

Spoiler alert

the shooting

[close]

in sitcom style?

[dissolute ocelot]

Just finished watching this. It was a bit of a curate's egg: some was really dull but some episodes managed to combine entertaining sitcom parodies with dramatic but fun real world storylines

Spoiler alert

For instance when they go to Vermont and Kevin opens an escape room, or when they replace Patty

[close]

I nearly gave up after the first couple of episodes because the dramatic sections seemed just as cliched as the sitcom - shit like the sensitive ex-boyfriend Sam coming back to town to open a new restaurant, and the lead character being humiliated by assistants in the posh makeup shop felt utterly lame and unoriginal. As did quite a few other storylines.

Spoiler alert

Is she utterly irresistible to men? Why does Sam who's married immediately throw himself at her?

[close]

Another problem is that Alison the central character is such a nonentity. She only exists to be humiliated by Kevin and doesn't really develop a personality through the series. What does she want? What is she interested in? Maybe the point is that she doesn't have a personality initially, but she had time to develop one. She's also really fucking annoying a lot of the time, with her refusal to do what she's told or behave in a slightly sensible way. Patty was a more interesting character, and seemed to have more of an arc going from embracing stasis to growing a bit.

I've no idea what might happen in series 2. It could go full on Donald Trump, or scale things back and return to the early first series. I think it would have been much better if they had kids or something, to give more plots and interest, but it's not too late to add a magically appearing 10 year old.

[Petey Pate]

Assuming that no one watched season 2 of this.

Another problem is that Alison the central character is such a nonentity. She only exists to be humiliated by Kevin and doesn't really develop a personality through the series. What does she want? What is she interested in? Maybe the point is that she doesn't have a personality initially, but she had time to develop one. She's also really fucking annoying a lot of the time, with her refusal to do what she's told or behave in a slightly sensible way. Patty was a more interesting character, and seemed to have more of an arc going from embracing stasis to growing a bit.

This is addressed at the end of season 2 somewhat, where

Spoiler alert

we finally see Kevin in the 'real', non-sitcom world and how he truly is an abusive monster, which gives credence to why Alison would go to such dramatic action to get rid of him.

[close]

Season 2 did also flesh out Neil, to the point where it also becomes a character study of the reality of being a sitcom lead's dumb sidekick, in addition to the sitcom lead's wife.

Erinn Hayes also appears, ironic since the whole premise of the show is more or less based on how she was fired from Kevin Can Wait and her character as the wife cheaply written out.

All in all, I think the show didn't quite live up to the premise but it was a decent enough watch.

Spoiler alert, in the final

Spoiler alert

Kevin does indeed fuck himself.

[close]

[ishantbekeepingit]

I genuinely wasn't even aware it had been released.  I'll have to give it a go.

I saw an article - a while ago now - comparing Alison to Skyler White.  Seems a little off to me, given that she's the one going off on Gritty Prestige Drama Adventures that lead to other people getting hurt.  That's more of a Walt-type thing, although Kevin's probably too much of a genuine shit to be a Skyler.

[wrec]

Watched the second season too. Overall I was tickled pink by the main stylistic conceit and thought the central characters and performances were good and "real" Neil was a novelty this season. The plot in the second season felt a bit rambly and unfocused at times, as if it was stretched over more episodes than intended. Ultimately enjoyable and satisfying if slightly flawed.

[Des Wigwam]

Where are you watching this? I thought it was Prime thing but can't see it. Or is it one of those rebadged Originals (you fool)?

[ishantbekeepingit]

Looks like there's no official UK release, or even a date yet.

[Mr Vegetables]

I thought this was a thread about the poster Kevin, then remembered he was called "Kelvin." "But what's Kevin done?" I thought