Annie Murphy Breaks Out of ‘Schitt’s Creek’s Box in This New-to-Netflix Dark Comedy

No actor deserves to be pigeonholed into one kind of character archetype, and that’s certainly true for the exceptional Annie Murphy. Fans who only know her from her starring role on Schitt’s Creek may think they already know everything the performer has to offer; created by Dan and Eugene Levy, the Canadian comedy series saw Murphy portray the ditzy millionaire daughter of the titular family, Alexis Rose. The emotional levels she brought out of the character are often overlooked, using each season of Schitt’s Creek to further Alexis’ development and create some of the show’s most compelling storylines. Despite this, people don’t seem to recognize just what a well-rounded actor Murphy is, which is why everyone absolutely needs to watch her in Kevin Can F**k Himself.

Created by Valerie Armstrong, Kevin Can F**k Himself‘s uncanny subversion of the sitcom genre is intriguing in itself, with the concept questioning the quirky, often deeply misogynistic worlds created by male-centric series that have persisted through decades. It’s an interesting premise that only comes through as successfully as it does because of Murphy’s portrayal of the central character, Allison, the embittered wife of this show’s “main man” who thinks of a simple way out of her predicament: kill her husband. She is a complex, extremely endearing, and heartwrenching character, a role that not only makes the show so great but showcases what makes Murphy one of the best actors working today.

‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’ Is More Familiar Than You May Think

Any person who has seen a CBS or Fox sitcom can easily recognize the many TV shows that Kevin Can F**k Himself draws from. While it borrows the negative, unquestioned elements from many different programs, the one that epitomizes them all (and practically gave the show its namesake) is Kevin Can Wait. While the series’ first season followed the rather typical setup of a quirky, terminally tiresome family man putting up with the wacky cast of characters who fill his life, this show shocked fans with its second outing when Kevin’s (Kevin James) wife, Donna (Erinn Hayes), was revealed to have died off-screen. The showrunners claimed this was to try and create some new storylines for the series, but in so flippantly killing off one of its central characters (and robbing the actress of a consistent job) Kevin Can Wait spotlighted how terribly women — especially the cliché “naggy wife” in shows like these — are treated in sitcoms. They’re used as plot elements rather than substantial characters, acting as just another hurdle for the main character to overcome while experiencing random acts of emotional and even physical abuse (always colored as hilarious mishaps) to further their husband’s laughs for that episode. The series revealed the harrowing plight of the sitcom housewife, a terrifying ordeal that is satirized perfectly through Murphy’s performance in Kevin Can F**k Himself.

In the AMC series, Murphy plays Allison, the wife of the show’s namesake, Kevin (Eric Petersen), who spends his days drinking and concocting harebrained schemes with his father and neighbor, both of whom seem to worship the ground this shockingly confident man walks on. The show uses a unique filming style to startle audiences, utilizing the classic single-camera format when capturing Kevin’s hijinks (complete with accompanying laugh track) before switching to a grittier, multi-camera setup as soon as Allison has a minute to herself. It’s in these moments, when Allison leaves Kevin’s technicolor world behind, that viewers see her real pain;the show reveals what a terrible experience it would be to live every single day with a narcissistic person surrounded by people who agree with him, a man flaunting his unearned confidence through disastrous schemes that Allison is always left to clean up. Although Kevin Can F**k Himself has interesting ideas already ingrained in its premise, none of them would carry through without Annie Murphy’s disturbingly resonant acting.

Annie Murphy Is More Than Just Alexis Rose in ‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’

Murphy did an exceptional job as Alexis in Schitt’s Creek, but that comedy rarely allowed for truly heartwrenching moments like the ones that fill almost every single episode of Kevin Can F**k Himself. The intimate view into Allison’s daily life spotlights the subtleties of depression and anxiety, with every hollow stare after Kevin makes a joke at her expense speaking to the anguish she survives every single day. It’s a visceral portrayal of feeling stuck with someone who will not only derail your life constantly just to improve their own but has a group of lackeys who’ll applaud their constant abuse. Murphy’s physicality throughout the show is jaw-dropping to watch, a far cry from the easy air of Alexis Rose, as her constant flinching from the world and nervously picking at her own body gives viewers gut-wrenching insight into what an uncomfortable experience it is for her to exist.

Allison is asked many times why a woman wouldn’t just divorce her crappy husband rather than kill him, responding — with some tact to conceal her actual plans — how unfair that would be. The woman would be left destitute (she discovers early on that Kevin drained their savings), while the man’s stream of devotees will comfort him and assure him that it was all her fault. Allison expresses to her eventual confidant Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden) why she needs to kill her husband, why she deserves the catharsis of taking his life just like how he took hers through a decade of manipulative marriage. And the wildest thing? Murphy’s acting is so exceptional that you start to agree with her. In that moment, so does Patty, and this pair’s burgeoning friendship gives Allison some well-deserved moments of joy as Murphy shows what a relief it is to finally be believed after everyone else discredits her pain.

Above all else, it’s the conviction with which Murphy portrays Allison’s sadness, her neverending torment, and her unabashed rage over this situation that genuinely makes the show so astounding and fights back against the harmful sitcom trends it was created in opposition to. Allison is one of this generation’s most compelling characters; her seemingly endless battle not only with Kevin, but with the unaddressed depression this marriage distracted her from, showcases the small, daily miseries that many people watching may shockingly relate to. Murphy makes these feelings resonant with the viewer, bringing them into Allison’s headspace and showing what it means to really feel these things — and finally decide you won’t put up with it any longer.

You’ll Agree That ‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’ After Watching Annie Murphy

While Kevin Can F**k Himself showcases Murphy’s many talents, it’s unfair to put this series as somehow better than the others she’s acted in. It can’t be reiterated enough just how great she was in Schitt’s Creek, and other roles like Ruth in Russian Doll or the titular “Joan Is Awful” in Black Mirror Season 6 also gave the actress a chance to try out darker tones rather than the lighthearted comedy most fans associate her with. Kevin Can F**k Himself not only gives Murphy a chance to show her endless talents with more grounded themes but also countless other acting styles, as its wild premise puts Allison through every jaw-dropping situation imaginable. Murphy carries each arc perfectly, showing through both minuscule twitches and grand outbursts that she can truly master any tone. Annie Murphy is an all-around exceptional actress who can take on any kind of plot thrown at her, and hopefully, after watching Kevin Can F**k Himself, more people will begin to recognize that and give her the flowers she deserves.

Kevin Can F**k Himself is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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