When it was announced last year that the series Kevin Can F**k Himself would be coming to an end after its upcoming second season, there was a general sense that was just about the right amount of time for it to close out the story. While Annie Murphy as Allison McRoberts, husband to the titular Kevin (Eric Petersen) of the title, could have remained as sharp as ever in the role to keep the show going for multiple more seasons, that would have started to feel like a narrative stretch. To have any more would start to wear the formal and thematic conceit a little thin as the sitcom it was most clearly tearing down, Kevin Can Wait, itself only ran for two seasons. While much of television seems to push its story to a breaking point, there is something to be appreciated in a shorter series that doesn’t overstay its welcome and gets to the finish line in one piece. Quality writing can be preferable to the quantity of episodes.

Kevin Can F**k Himself is a prime example of this. Over the eight episodes of its second and now last season, it manages to tie things up in a fitting finale that elevates much of what preceded it. It makes use of the same juxtaposition between the “sitcom world” with its multicam setup, harsh lighting, and laugh track against the “drama world” with its more muted colors and single-cam setup.

While the jumping back and forth between the two continues when one bumps up against the other, the best parts are when the artifice of the former is completely broken into by the latter. The collapsing of these worlds remains something Kevin Can F**k Himself would have benefited from more of as it often feels like it was only just scratching the surface of its potential for transformation. There is certainly value in doing so sparingly in order to make each shift all the more impactful, though the story still felt like it was hungering for something more. We were always waiting for the other shoe to drop on each successively sickening sitcom scene from the very opening moments. This was the note the prior season itself ended on and is also right where we begin this final one.

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Image via AMC

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What happens in the chaos following the moment when Neil (Alex Bonifer) overhears Allison discussing how she tried to kill Kevin? The plan failed, though there remains the looming threat that she'd be found out. Neil recognizes this and lunges at Allison in an attempt to get her phone as proof until his sister Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden) forcibly gets him away from her. This breaks the illusion of the sitcom for the first time in a way that isn’t heralded by a character departing from a room. It puts Patty and Allison in a predicament about what exactly to do with Neil. They initially take drastic action to keep him quiet before coming up with a new plan on how to get Allison away from Kevin. The bond between the two women remains the real heart of the series, as it captures how they are the only hope each other has for salvation as everything else is falling apart. Even the most fleeting scenes the two performers share together become more engaging than anything else. This element is what carries the rest of the story through some rough patches where the writing is more scattered. Most out of place are large sections that feel like they're trying to build out characters for a third season that is never coming. When the show gets lost chasing after these various storylines, it threatens to drag down the season writ large.

Much of this relates to Neil, who becomes a main character of sorts. He's broken and bitter, revealing how Kevin also has taken advantage of him over the years. He is still part of the boys' club and uses this to his advantage, though he remains a sad alcoholic who doesn't have much of an identity to call his own. On top of this is Patty’s complicated romance with Detective Tammy Ridgeway (Candice Coke) who is still looking into the circumstances of the attempt on Kevin’s life. She seems to always know more than she is letting on, making the plan of escape all the more urgent. In fact, both of these storylines serve to establish stakes as Neil and Tammy have the potential to expose Allison. Unfortunately, this isn’t always particularly felt as deeply as it could or should have been.

Many of the middle episodes of Season 2 feel like storylines are just being shuffled around, filling time before it gets to the more intriguing conclusion. There is some backstory given to how Allison ever ended up with Kevin that is made painfully tragic in retrospect, though most of it lacks momentum. Outside the last two episodes, it doesn't feel as though there's any build to the conclusion of a season, let alone the end of an entire series. While a more relaxed pace can suit certain shows, Kevin Can F**k Himself felt like one that would have embraced the opportunity to be bold in its last act. There are flashes of that element here and there, though the show is held back from fully leaning into those by a narrative that regrettably feels like it's just going through the motions. Of course, it is the ending that can really make or break the series. This is where the series excels when it counts.

It is probably as good an ending as one could hope for that still could've been great if it hadn’t been for the lackluster lead-up. The payoff is immensely satisfying, much of this due to how Murphy really gets her moment to shine. The last several scenes in particular are her at her very best, as the script strips away everything to get to the core of what the story really was about. There is as much coming though as there is not, all of it grounded in the journey that Allison has been on. Getting to sit with her in the show's final moments of almost serene and quiet reflection is what brings it all home. It wasn't always a direct path to get there, as the season goes into more than a few narrative detours that occasionally got stuck in circles. The fact that this all was simultaneously straightforward in its plotting is the main detriment to Kevin Can F**k Himself. It's hard not to wish that the story had gotten more experimental in pushing its format a bit further than it did, though it certainly would have been ambitious to try to take flight on the small runway of a final season of only eight episodes. Thankfully, the destination it arrives at helps to smooth over the many bumps in the road — with a final shot that puts it all in an unexpectedly profound and poetic perspective.

Rating: B-

You can watch the first two episodes of Kevin Can F**k Himself Season 2 starting August 22 on AMC+, with the remaining six episodes released weekly.