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How Schitt’s Creek Became Our Home

By: Esther Shum
April 18, 2021

Figure 1: The Rose Family in front of the Schitt’s Creek motel they lived in and later bought

Rating: 9.5/10
Television shows have a very stylistic way of bringing you into a world beyond your own.
Whether that be a big-name hospital in the heart of Seattle or a fictional hell that is disguised as
heaven, you can easily picture yourself in the character’s shoes after committing to it for even just
2 seasons. The show Schitt’s Creek is no different. This Canadian based film aired back in January
2015, and the 6th and final season of the show recently came to an end in April 2020.
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From laughing till my stomach hurts to crying my eyes out as I watched my favorite character
move away, I found myself in awe of how well-written and executed this show is. According to
Richard Larson, chief critic of film for Vanity Fair, Schitt’s Creek is both a “amiable and
deliriously funny series.” Aside from the predictable outcomes of a high-class millionaire family
moving into a small town, the show’s representation on the LGBTQ community, quirky family
dynamic, and the portrayal of the silver linings in the midst of tragedy inevitably made it a
preeminent sitcom for all television lovers.

Schitt’s Creek has especially made a name for itself in the sitcom industry. Just this past
September, the show broke record as the first comedy series to win 9 Emmy awards in just one
year. On top of that, Schitt’s Creek also took home awards like the Golden Globes for Best
Television Series, the Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series, and the Directors Guild of
Canada for Television Series – Comedy.

Filled with acceptance, love, comedic

charm, and relatable adversities, Schitt’s
Creek stems beyond the typical reputation
of sitcoms. Shows like Young & Hungry
and 2 Broke Girls are comparable to
Schitt’s Creek because of their lack of
material in the plotline. A good sitcom
show brings authenticity and substance to
the viewers while still providing humor. As
presented in Schitt’s Creek, many scenes in
the show were meticulously written to Figure 2: The first scene of the show where the Rose family were told about the bankruptcy of
their company and the eviction notice.
acknowledge real-life vulnerabilities and
issues like sexual identity and being an outcast. The Roses are far from relatable, but the
representation of realistic arcs of hardship were one of the reasons this show is critically acclaimed.

With the curious idea of writing a sitcom show about the aftereffects of a wealthy family losing
all their money, executive producer Daniel Levy turned to his father for help. Eugene Levy then
took on the project with his son, and together they co-produced the show Schitt’s Creek. Playing
roles in the show themselves, Eugene (as Johnny Rose) and Daniel Levy (as David Rose) had the
opportunity of working alongside old time friend Catherine O’Hara (as Moira Rose) and lesser-
known actress Annie Murphy (as Alexis Rose). Together the four actors played an ultrawealthy
family that turned broke and had to move into the small town of Schitt’s Creek they originally
purchased as a gag gift.

Schitt’s Creek follows the concept of comedy through self-guided improvement. Through each
season, the detailing for each character’s storyline were sensibly written to show drastic
evolvement. When the show first started, the Roses were most definitely misfits of the town.
However, as the show progressed into the last season, the Roses became the bizarre star-family of
the town that everyone learned to love. Schitt’s Creek ended their final season with the same
brilliance throughout the show, but now it was coming full circle for the Roses and the town.
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The one most prized quality of Schitt’s Creek is

their normalization of LGBTQ relationships. In
comparison to what most shows/movies typically
project, Schitt’s Creek never emphasizes the
negative stigma around homosexual relationships.
They instead celebrated it. In the middle of season
6, Johnny Rose had a talk with David’s fiancé
Patrick about the upcoming wedding. Just as excited
Figure 3: David Rose and Patrick Brewer talking in their bed after Patrick finds as Johnny was for David to be marrying such a
out David still wets the bed
respectable man, Patrick was just as happy to join
their family. The parent’s portrayal of prioritizing Patrick’s character over his sex spoke volumes
about Schitt’s Creek.

The show aims to make the LGBTQ community feel heard and accepted, but they do so without
any negativity or criticism. As a result, Schitt’s Creek became a safe haven for many people in the
community and beyond. Another example of this is in the final season of the show when we got to
witness David and Patrick’s wedding. Alongside David’s family, no one in the town ever ridiculed
their relationship or sexuality. They all instead accepted and cherished it like it was their own,
celebrating the matrimony with David and Patrick. Everyone in the town, including David and
Patrick’s parents all accepted their relationship and never questioned their love. Season 6 was the
best representation of how much Schitt’s Creek cherishes the LGBTQ community.

Alongside the emphasis on the LGBTQ community, Schitt’s Creek has the added value of the
Roses’ quirky family dynamic. Since the Roses got closest in the last season of the show, we really
got to see how they are as a family. Each of the Roses all have a distinctive personality. Johnny is
a mellow and hardworking dad. Moira is the strange and headstrong mom. David is the witty and
clever son, and Alexis is the spontaneous and spoiled daughter. The four of them make for a
dysfunctional yet hilarious group. Despite them all being so different, they all had one thing in
common – their loyalty and love for the family. They all stood by each other through the transition
and supported one another through all unusual and challenging times.

The last criterium is the portrayal of the silver linings in the midst of tragedy. From not even know
their own kids’ middle names to planning out family days in the small town, the Rose parents got
to grow closer to their kids. They were more or less absent during David and Alexis’ life until they
were forced to live in a small motel together. However, in the final season they all really grew to
love each other as family do. Near the last
few episodes of the show, they all had a
plan to move away to work on their own
goals. The parents were moving to
California, Alexis was moving to New
York, and David was going to stay in
Schitt’s Creek with his husband Patrick.
David had the opportunity of moving back
to his superficial, fancy life before the
bankruptcy, but he chose to stay in Schitt’s Figure 4: The Rose parents getting lunch at Café Tropical with the Schitt's before they find out the
Creek. The plans caused the family to have Schitt's are having a baby
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real heart-to-hearts about how upsetting the separation was. They all came to love the company of
one another and couldn’t see a future where they weren’t together as a family. This development
wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for them moving into Schitt’s Creek. So, despite the Roses
viewing their bankruptcy as the greatest tragedy to have happened, they all got to grow closer as a
family because of it.

Furthermore, the “tragedy” of moving to Schitt’s Creek allowed the Roses to make real lifelong
friends. In the season finale when it was David and Patrick’s wedding day, it was pouring rain
outside. Despite the setback, the whole town worked together to set up a new wedding venue to
the Town Hall. Everybody contributed to helping Patrick and David have the perfect wedding. The
real friendships built between the Roses and the townies were one of the greatest blessings for the
family. Schitt’s Creek reminds us of how much positivity and greatness can come from unexpected
life events.

Schitt’s Creek reached many communities outside of their fanbase. LGBTQ appointee of NY Daily
News Muri Assuncao mentioned in his article that “A group of more than 1,800 mothers of
LGBTQ kids wrote an emotional letter addressed to Levy, the cast, crew and writers … The
mothers wrote the letter to say, “thank you for the LGBTQ characters, relationships and storylines”
on the show.” The use of the show to educate about the realities of the LGBTQ community and
presenting it in such a positive and respectful light really touched many of the viewers. In addition
to the LGBTQ Facebook page, Variety chief TV critic Caroline Framke says, ““Schitt’s Creek”
has been a delightful escape for years now, but in 2020, it seemed to become even more of a refuge
for viewers who would much rather live in the gentle world of “Schitt’s Creek” than their own.”
With the season finale airing around the time our world shut down due to the Coronavirus, Schitt’s
Creek really became a comfort show for a lot of people. In times of such sadness and distress,
Schitt’s Creek brought humor, love, and acceptance into viewer’s lives.

Various reasons direct to why everyone should be watching Schitt’s Creek. The representation on
the LGBTQ community, quirky family dynamic, and the portrayal of the silver linings in the midst
of tragedy are all reasons that make this show one to watch. Schitt’s Creek has all 6 seasons on the
easy streaming platform Netflix which means it’s a show you can easily binge-watch. Sitcoms
aren’t necessarily for everyone, but Schitt’s Creek stems beyond the genre. It brings realness and
matter to the table alongside great comedy. It’s definitely a show on the rise, so don’t become the
lost friend who can’t contribute to the conversation when everyone else is gushing about this show!
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Works Cited

Assuncao, Muri. “‘Schitt’s Creek’ Cast Breaks down in Tears after Seeing ‘Thank You’ Letter
Signed by 1,800 Mothers of LGBTQ Kids.” NY Daily News, 9 Apr. 2020,
www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-coronavirus-schitts-creek-breaks-down-tears-thank-
you-lgbtq-kids-20200409-3wcorhs3a5h3tpow3aafctycse-story.html.

Aurthur, Kate. “Daniel Levy Looks Back on the Evolution of ‘Schitt’s Creek.’” Variety, 4 Apr.
2020, variety.com/2020/tv/news/daniel-levy-interview-schitts-creek-1234571257.

Bahr, Sarah. “‘Schitt’s Creek’ Sets an Emmy Record, Sweeping Comedy Categories.” The New
York Times, 24 Dec. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/20/arts/television/emmys-schitts-
creek.html.

Framke, Caroline. “The 'Schitt's Creek' Emmys Sweep Proves the Power of Comfort TV in
Terrible Times (Column).” Variety, Variety, 21 Sept. 2020,
variety.com/2020/tv/columns/emmys-2020-schitts-creek-sweep-1234776687/.

Lawson, Richard. “Yes, Schitt’s Creek Really Is That Good.” Vanity Fair, 16 Jan. 2019,
www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/01/yes-schitts-creek-really-is-that-good.

“Schitt’s Creek.” IMDb, 2021, www.imdb.com/title/tt3526078/awards.

“Schitt’s Creek (TV Series 2015–2020).” IMDb, 2020,

www.imdb.com/title/tt3526078/mediaindex?page=5&ref_=tt_mv_close.

“2 Broke Girls (TV Series 2011–2017).” IMDb, 19 Sept. 2011, www.imdb.com/title/tt1845307.

“Young & Hungry (TV Series 2014–2018).” IMDb, 25 June 2014,

www.imdb.com/title/tt2084712.