How the creators ofKevin Can F**k Himselfmade two shows at the same time.
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This article was originally published on June 17, 2021, shortly afterKevin Can F**k Himselfpremiered.
Both seasons of the AMC series are now streaming on Netflix.
But when she walks through the swinging door into the kitchen, we dont stay with the funny husband.
The laugh track cuts, and were straight on her face and shes miserable.
I just saw her looking straight into the camera and saying, I fucking hate my husband.
Their story lines run on separate but parallel tracks, informing and commenting on each other.
But satire is not Armstrongs goal.
The show, to me, is not about a toxic marriage, says Armstrong.
It is not about Kevin.
It is about how women can get each other out of toxic situations.
You pull one thing and it all comes apart.
To avoid that, Armstrong says, she and theKevinteam needed to set some hard-and-fast rules.
(In the single-cam half: Definitely curse words.)
Some of the most sexist jokes could easily have appeared in a 90s sitcom.
Its clear that she has snapped, and her hand starts to bleed.
Youve used that excuse once this month.
While there is a meta aspect to these sequences, the characters never break the fourth wall.
Originally, the multi-cam parts of the show were slated to film in front of a full studio audience.
Armstrong found they immediately became protective of Allison.
That approach allows the writers to show how the events on one side influence the other.
Kevin and his sidekicks only appear in the single-cam scenes in Allisons occasional fantasies.
It was hard to sit on the couch in that environment and not go,This is gross.
We have shattered the way you see the multi-cam experience now, says Dokoza.
You cant watch those scenes like you dont know whats happening in the single cam.
Audio really helps you get out of multi-cam and right into Allisons point of view, says Rodriguez.
In the pilot, a ringing in Allisons head often signals the switch.
The slamming of a door in the multi-cam works as an effective way to cut to the single cam.
Astonishingly, none of the other details, down to the table lamps, change at all.
Sunlight streaks in sparingly, making everything look dimmer and drearier.
Fanning had to carefully calibrate the color palette so it would work in both versions.
Costumes similarly did double duty.
I think if this show can make even one woman see herself and say,Oh, right.
I want to change,then I think the show will have been a massive success, says Murphy.
Because,ooh that gets out a whole lot of pent-up aggression.
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