Kevin Can F**K Himself interview: Candice Coke dives deeper into Tammy and Patty’s relationship

Kevin Can F**K Himself is AMC’s latest hit original series, a dark comedic drama that uses its unique premise to explore the sitcom wife and her life beyond the colorful interior of her husband’s world where she has to tolerate his hijinks and often function as the butt of his jokes.

Of course, beyond the sitcom confines is the type of drama we’re more used to seeing as Allison (Annie Murphy) plots to kill her oafish and manipulative husband Kevin (Eric Petersen). We chatted with Candice Coke, who plays Tammy on the show. Tammy is a detective investigating drug trafficking in town, leading to Allison and her neighbor-turned-friend-and-ally Patty (Mary Hollis Inboden). Patty and Tammy form a surprising connection that slowly develops throughout the first season of the show.

While talking to Candice, she told us what she finds so charming about Tammy and Patty’s relationship, what it was like for her to play in the multicam world, and what she hopes for her character’s future on the show, should it continue.

Chatting with Kevin Can F**K Himself star Candice Coke

Show Snob: It’s funny because your character on here, Tammy, is the polar opposite of Wren on Proven Innocent in that Wren was a prison mate and Tammy is a detective. What goes into choosing a character for you? 

Candice Coke: It’s really important that the characters I play have a voice to say something and want to stand for something. I would love to continue breaking stereotypes and breaking barriers when it comes to race, color, and gender.

Show Snob: One of the most surprising relationships to watch develop on Kevin Can F**K Himself has been between Tammy and Patty. What do you think attracts Tammy to Patty?

Candice Coke: I think Tammy sees a little bit of herself in Patty. Patty’s really strong; she shuts down and protects herself, and Tammy has that quality as well. Patty lives in a world surrounded by men who boss her around, don’t respect her, who don’t give her her own voice.

I think when she meets Tammy, she’s intrigued by the fact that she’s also bossy and tells her what to do, but she’s also there to help Patty break out of her shell and gives her space to be who she wants to be. Does that make sense?

Show Snob: That makes total sense, especially since I imagine Tammy is operating in a boys club, too. In Episode 7, I thought it was cool because Tammy is one of the first recurring characters that we see enter the sitcom world. What was like that for you?

Candice Coke:  That was so fun for me. I’ve never really done multicam like that. It was so cool because up until Episode 7, you see her thinking side more, and then it just flips on you, and you’re like, oh, here’s a whole new side to her—which is really fun and exciting for me.

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It was great because you get those moments of freedom when you’re working in the multicam world. Everyone was laughing at times, and you don’t take yourself so seriously, so it was a great learning experience for me, but it also was so much fun.

Show Snob: Did you grow up watching sitcoms? How did you feel about how the show plays with the tropes that we’ve seen depicted on-screen for so long?

Candice Coke: Yeah, I grew up watching tons of sitcoms. It’s ironic because my mom is a huge fan of All in the Family, so I grew up watching that all the time. It was always on. You take for granted the fact that that character spoke to his wife that way, spoke to most people that way, and we let it slide.

It’s a genius show, but nobody said anything about it until finally, we have a program like [Kevin Can F**K Himself] that you go, “wow, I was on board with that for so long and i didn’t realize it!” So, I think it’s wonderful that we finally see the truth of what it’s like to be in a relationship like that.

Show Snob: Did you have a favorite moment, scene or episode to film during the first season?

Candice Coke: I think Episode 7 is my favorite so far because I got to play in the multicam world and also because you got to see different sides of Tammy in that as well. It was interesting because a lot of times since we shot during COVID, we sometimes had to shoot in blocks, so it wasn’t consistent. We would go back and forth depending upon location and where we were in the script.

So it wasn’t like a fluid journey. Sometimes watching it back, I’m like, “that was seven, that wasn’t eight.” You’re just going where you need to go and sticking to the story as you’re moving and growing. I think seven was my favorite. I love the connection that’s being created between Tammy and Patty.

Show Snob: I don’t know what happens in the finale yet or if the show will go into another season, but if it does, do you have ideas of where you would like your character to go?

Candice Coke: I would definitely love to see more of Tammy’s human side and why she is the way she is. Like you said, I don’t want to give too much away, but I feel like there is a massive story there for Tammy. She finds this comradery in Patty. Is it love? Is it friendship? Is it out of loneliness? I don’t know, and I would love to explore some of the details of her life.

Show Snob: I’d love to see more of their relationship develop as well. As a bi woman myself, it’s really relatable, and I love seeing Patty’s journey and how the show has handled it, especially because it was so surprising. I wasn’t expecting it!

Candice Coke: Cool! It rings true to a lot of scenarios like that. You’ve got this girl living in a town where she probably wasn’t allowed to be who she really was or didn’t know who she really wanted to be or didn’t have the opportunity to meet different people. Whatever that is for her, it’s now coming to life.

The season finale of Kevin Can F**K Himself airs next Sunday on AMC, and you can currently watch the whole season now on AMC+.