Erinn Hayes has entered the television multiverse.
The Childrens Hospital actress has joined the cast of the second season of AMC's Kevin Can F**k Himself, the network confirms to E! News. On the surface, Hayes jumping onboard the Annie Murphy-starring comedy doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
Oh, but this is no ordinary casting news!
Kevin Can F**k Himself is largely speculated to have been inspired by the CBS comedy Kevin Can Wait, which starred Kevin James and ran for two seasons from 2016 to 2018. AMC and the show's producers have never explicitly connected the dots, but the writing is basically on the wall.
Kevin Can Wait was a traditional sitcom featuring James as a recently-retired police officer on Long Island, whereas Kevin Can F**k Himself is a meta commentary on the traditional sitcom itself, featuring Allison (Murphy) as a woman in an unhappy marriage to her husband named Kevin, all while being reduced to a secondary character in her own story.
Hayes starred on season one of the sitcom before her character Donna was killed off in the season two premiere. Hayes, who played James' wife on the show, was effectively replaced by James' King of Queens on-screen wife Leah Remini and the rest was history.
A short history, in fact. Kevin Can Wait was canceled after its second season.
It's unclear who Erinn will be playing on Kevin Can F**k Himself, but if it's anything like her dismissal from Kevin Can Wait, we're in for some juicy drama. Hayes' firing was met with backlash from fans, who accused the show of improperly handling her departure.
"True, I've been let go from the show," Hayes tweeted at the time. "Very sad, I had a great experience season 1. Thank you for all the support from our wonderful fans."
Despite the hate, the show's executive producer Rob Long defended the decision.
"The goal was to give Kevin's character a real drive and a real predicament [involving] how a family comes back together [after tragedy]," he told TVLine. "Also, out of respect for the character of Donna—and certainly the way that Erinn Hayes portrayed her—it seemed like the only right and fair way to treat her character."
But hey, sometimes there are happy endings—even in sitcom land.
"It's true!" Hayes tweeted about the casting news May 17. "So fun doing the show. Can't wait for you all to see."