PAGE 26 • TV
THE BULLETIN • JUNE 17 - 23, 2021
What’s Available NOW On
“Movie: Rams”
A decades-long feud between two
sheep farming brothers comes to a
head when disaster strikes their flocks
in this 2020 comedy from Australia.
Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park”), Michael
Caton (“The Interview”), Wayne
Blair (“The Sapphires”) and Miranda
Richardson (“Made in Dagenham”)
head the cast for director Jeremy Sims
(“Last Cab to Darwin,” “Beneath Hill
60”).
“Michael Smerconish: Things I
Wish I Knew Before I Started
Talking”
The talk radio host celebrates his 30
years in the business with this dynamic
one-man performance — recorded
live during the pandemic — in which
he offers a unique explanation of the
origins of the country’s political divide
and gives an intimate account of his
own career. (ORIGINAL)
Checking in with
ANNIE MURPHY
BY GEORGE DICKIE
“Movie: False Positive”
“Backyard Builds”
Homeowners with problem backyards,
take notice! The streaming service
comes forth with all four seasons
(to date) of this HGTV series in
which contractor and designer Brian
McCourt and design expert Sarah
Keenleyside work with homeowners
to maximize their backyard’s potential
by creating tailored, one-of-a-kind
structures.
Playing spoiled socialite Alexis Rose in the 2015-20
comedy “Schitt’s Creek” was a career-making role for
Annie Murphy, resulting in a 2020 Emmy for best
supporting actress in a comedy series. But it wasn’t
something she was looking to repeat – or even come
close to.
So when along came the role of agreeable sitcom wife/
unfulfilled blue collar woman Allison McRoberts in
the innovative comedy/drama hybrid “Kevin Can F...
Himself,” which airs Mondays on AMC and streams
on AMC+, she embraced the departure. And she found
going from multi-camera sitcom to single-camera drama
and back again to be easier than she anticipated.
“On multi-cam days I’m like I don’t really have to
prepare because I only have three lines,” the 34-year-old
Canadian actress explains. “You know, because it’s so
focused on the dudes who do such an incredible job.
Eric (Petersen, who plays Kevin), in particular, is just
so, so strong with the physical comedy. And so, he’s just
run ragged during his days of work. But, yeah, Mary
Hollis (Inboden, who plays neighbor Patty) and I kind
of like, you know, sink into the background in multi-
cam. And then when we’re in single-cam, it’s kind of
our own world.”
Ilana Glazer (“Broad City”) produced,
co-wrote and stars in this horror
tale that casts her as Lucy, who
after months and trying finally gets
pregnant. But something is amiss with
her apparently healthy baby girl and
her fertility doctor may have something
to do with it. Pierce Brosnan, Justin
Theroux and Gretchen Mol also star
for director/co-writer John Lee (“Pee-
wee’s Big Holiday”). (ORIGINAL)
And Allison’s world is a not happy one. When she’s
not living in Kevin’s world as his personal straight
woman in the comedy, she’s wallowing in an unhappy
situation in the drama. For Murphy, that’s a serious
message that both men and woman can take away.
“It just felt like a show that’s going to entertain but it’s
also going to really make people think,” she says.
Full name: Anne Frances Murphy
Birth date: Dec. 19, 1986
Birthplace: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Education: Has a degree in performance
theater from Concordia University in Montreal;
trained at the Canadian Film Centre Actors’
Conservatory
Family ties: The daughter of two teachers,
Murphy has been married to singer/musician
Menno Versteeg since 2011
TV credits include: “The Business,” “The
Beautiful Life: TBL,” “Blue Mountain State,” “Against
the Wall,” “Rookie Blue,” “Beauty and the Beast,”
“Flashpoint,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Russian Doll”
Movie credits: “The Story of Jen” (2008);
“Lick” (2010); “A Windigo Tale” (2010)