Schitt's Creek (#24)

The first pandemic show bucks its head on this list

A town that shockingly has no sense of humor about its name or this sign.

I’d heard of Schitt’s Creek before the pandemic hit, but kind of blown it off as one of those “deep cable” comedies that nobody really watched. And then, the world closed up overnight in March 2020, and all of a sudden folks were trading what shows were worth watching. We all watched Tiger King, The Last Dance and others. And as the lockdown continued, and we wondered when we were going to get to see our families and friends (note for those in Florida, the Ozarks and elsewhere - there was this whole pandemic, and people died by the tens of thousands. In fact, it’s still going on right now! You might want to read up on it.).

In the midst of this, on a Zoom call I asked a coworker what her virtual background was - it seemed to be a very nondescript motel. And indeed, it was - it was the Rosebud Motel from Schitt’s Creek. When I mentioned I’d never seen it, she implored me to - and it was this part of her argument that was so persuasive at the time: “It will make you happy.” Sure, all comedies are supposed to do that, but there are comedies that do this (The Good Place being one) and there are others where it’s funny but people aren’t necessarily nice to each other, etc. (Some of these will be discussed in future posts.)

Schitt’s Creek is about the Rose family - father Johnny (Eugene Levy), mother Moira (Catherine O’Hara), son David (Dan Levy) and daughter Alexis (Annie Murphy). They’re wealthy in a way that doesn’t make sense to mortals but, as we meet them, everything is falling apart. Johnny has been defrauded and lost the entire family fortune. Everything has been repossessed - with one exception. And that is the town of Schitt’s Creek, which Johnny actually purchased, as a joke for his son David.

So the family packs up and moves to Schitt’s Creek, living in two adjacent motel rooms at the aforementioned Rosebud Motel. There, they meet Stevie (Emily Hampshire) who works at the motel, mayor Roland Schitt (Chris Elliott), Roland’s wife Jocelyn (Jennifer Robinson), and Twyla Sands (Sarah Levy), among others.

Most of the comedy in the first season stems from the “fish out of water” concept of a family used to incredible wealth having to learn how to actually fend for themselves. And honestly, that first season is somewhat bumpy. I enjoyed the episodes but I wasn’t really sure if I loved it. Elliott is a bit more of a cartoonish character and he had a bigger role in the first season than in later years, and again it wasn’t that compelling. But, it was the pandemic - where was I going? So we kept watching and honestly fell in love with this show.

Even if you haven’t seen the show, you’ve probably “seen” it in the countless meme-able gif’s it generated.

It’s hard to pinpoint which character made me laugh more - Moira, a former actress who still clearly sees herself as a star, speaks with the most bizarre accent (the way she calls for her daughter ALEXISSSSSS makes me laugh every time), and has a collection of wigs that probably has set some sort of record.

Alexis, formerly living as a socialite/influencer, is positively clueless about most things, but trying to get her life together and gain confidence in herself. David is quite sure he has certain skills but he’s never been asked to use them before, but he starts to find a path. Johnny is trying - desperately - to regain a new fortune (aptly, his first was built as a video store magnate, so that’s not going to work again), while Moira is looking at acting possibilities and/or establishing some sort of leadership role within the town.

But, as it happens, they all find their way and - spoiler alert - begin to fall in love, in their own ways, with the town of Schitt’s Creek.

Along the way, there are some of the most poignant explorations of relationships and love that any comedy has tackled. It’s gotten a fair amount of press, but David - who most viewers (and character Stevie) simply assume is “gay” - explains his sexuality in a way that is simple and revelatory:

I do drink red wine, but I also drink white wine and I've been known to sample the occasional rose and a couple summers back I tried a merlot that used to be a chardonnay which got a bit complicated…I like the wine and not the label. Does that make sense?

(It’s worth noting that the actress he says this to, Emily Hampshire as Stevie, later stated that she realized she was somewhat confused about her own sexuality, as she liked both men and women and didn’t really seem predisposed to either one as a rule. She talked about it with Dan Levy, who said to her, “You’re pansexual. Don’t you watch our show?”)

Later, as both Alexis and David start dating new people, we get seriously invested in those relationships, which manage to feel real AND hilarious. It’s a deftly walked tightrope. You may notice that three of the actors in the show share the same real last name of Levy, and indeed this show has Eugene Levy and his two children Dan and Sarah, which sounds like it could be awful. But Dan, who plays David, is in my mind the true star of the show - we’re heavily invested in his life and relationships, and there are so many funny moments with him it’s hard to focus on any one thing.

Many folks weren’t crazy about the final season of Schitt’s Creek, but ...

I found it to be heartwarming and well done, and I loved the way they ended the series - it felt earned and I was genuinely moved at times.

I realize that with a show this fresh, it’s possible that I’ll look back at this ranking in a few years, shake my head and replace this with something else. But for now, Schitt’s Creek was the right show at the right time. It filled me with a lot of laughs, smiles and not a few tears at a time when the world was fairly scary, and I’ll always think fondly of it for that.

That brings the current list of shows on this top-25 list to this: