Annie Murphy's new show takes aim at familiar sitcom tropes

At first blush, Annie Murphy’s new series “Kevin Can F Himself” is your average multicamera sitcom with a laugh track and corny jokes

NEW YORK -- "Schitt’s Creek" star Annie Murphy's new AMC series “Kevin Can F Himself" presents itself as one of those traditional multicamera comedies with a laugh track and corny jokes. Viewers will quickly learn it’s actually much darker. Murphy stars as Allison, an overwhelmed wife who does all the work at home and puts up with her husband’s immature antics. When she’s alone, the show changes to a single camera formula, the lighting goes dark, and Allison isn’t just exhausted, but furious. She’s deeply unfulfilled in her life and marriage and desperate for a way out. Murphy, who already won the acting gig lottery with “Schitt’s Creek” and earned herself an Emmy Award, says she would have never said yes to “Kevin” if it were a straight sitcom. Those bright, multicam scenes serve a purpose. They illustrate how so many of the sitcoms we’ve all loved over the years about a haggard wife with a lazy husband have not only said something about our culture, but a lack of opportunities in showbiz for women.