The American sitcom has been built on the shoulders of childish husbands and accommodating wives. Some series use those husbands to make points about gender dynamics, changing social mores, and heteronormativity (the classic “All in the Family,” the risqué “Married … with Children”), while others insist upon the idea and expect us to do so, too that straight white men can be immature, forgetful, and chauvinistic. How supportive, thoughtful, or considerate were Ray on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Doug on “The King of Queens,” or Tim on “Home Improvement”? And if they weren’t, why did Debra, Carrie, and Jill stay?
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Annie Murphy is the latest celebrity to get in on the curtain-bangs trend, and we love that journey for her. See the Schitt's Creek star's haircut here.
In a New AMC Satire, a Sitcom Wife Gets the Last Laugh
Annie Murphy stars in a black comedy that spoofs corny family sitcoms while revealing the darkness behind the bright lights and bad jokes.
In “Kevin Can Himself,” Annie Murphy plays the latest in a long line of knockout sitcom wives married to schlubby guys. But this time, she’s had enough.Credit.Luis Mora for The New York Times
June 9, 2021Updated 1:06 p.m. ET
Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, Valerie Armstrong experienced what she described as “a feminist fit of rage.” So she put that rage into a comedy pilot, a pussy hat in script form.
One of our most anticipated shows of the summer is AMC’s
Kevin Can F K Himself, a whip-smart black comedy which upends the “sitcom wife” trope we all know and hate. You know her when you see her the easygoing, patient, incongruously gorgeous housewife whose sole personality trait is absolute devotion to the sitcom’s schlubby male hero.
Kevin Can F K Himself blends a multi-cam sitcom in which Annie Murphy’s Allison is a textbook sitcom wife with a gritty drama in which she’s on the brink of a mental breakdown after years of emotional neglect from her clueless husband. You can watch a brand new promo exclusively here on ELLE.com, which neatly sums up the two sides of the show.