All the reasons you need to binge-watch Schitt's Creek.
Posted by James, 23 July 2021 (5 minute read)
In the UK’s second lockdown, I decided that I needed something new to watch. Something funny perhaps. In the end, I chose to binge-watch Schitt’s Creek.
I was drawn to Schitt’s Creek for two reasons. The first was that its final season had swept every major Emmy award for comedy in 2020 – lead actor and actress, supporting actor and actress, direction, writing and overall series. The second was that it had Eugene Levy in it. Jim’s Dad from American Pie no less…
So as all six seasons were available on Netflix, I took the plunge. Pretty quickly I was hooked and raced through its 80 episodes in about a month. So here are all the reasons you need to binge-watch Schitt’s Creek.
1. A fresh take on the 'riches-to-rags' story
Created by Eugene and Daniel Levy, the premise for Schitt’s Creek is a cracker. The Rose family is made up of video-store magnate Johnny (Eugene Levy), former soap star Moira (Catherine O’Hara) and their two spoilt, adult children David (Daniel Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy). After their business manager screws them over, they instantly lose their extraordinary wealth and the IRS acquires almost all their assets. Just one remains (apart from a few clothes and possessions): the town of Schitt’s Creek, purchased years earlier by Johnny as a joke for his son.
As a result, the Rose family are forced to move to Schitt’s Creek, taking up a long-term residency at the local motel. And as they begin to integrate into the town, their attitudes towards money, love, people and possessions start to change.
The ‘riches-to-rags’ premise is hardly innovative television – examples include 2 Broke Girls and Firefly. But with Schitt’s Creek, it’s captured through a much more sophisticated lens, similar to that of the brilliant Arrested Development. Every lead character is given a mirror in the town – someone to show them who they truly are and how they need to change. Johnny has the town’s mayor, Roland Schitt (Chris Elliot); Moira has Roland’s wife Jocelyn (Jennifer Robinson); David has the sarcastic motel employee Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire); and Alexis is paired with veterinarian and love-interest Ted Mullens (Dustin Milligan).
2. Catherine O'Hara and Annie Murphy
I feel a little embarrassed that I knew next to nothing about Catherine O’Hara before starting to binge-watch Schitt’s Creek! But even the most cursory of Google searches makes you realise what an unbelievable talent she is. O’Hara looks as though she had the time of her life playing the almost cartoonish Moira Rose – the character who perhaps has the hardest time fitting into her new life.
When she deservedly won the Emmy for ‘Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series’ in 2020, O’Hara thanked the Levys for giving her the opportunity to play a ‘woman of a certain age – my age’. I was struck by this: a reminder that roles for women ‘of a certain age’ are still all too rare.
Then there’s Annie Murphy, who I think had the toughest job of all playing bratty socialite Alexis Rose. Alexis basically starts out as something of a Paris Hilton impression – the handbags, the ‘eews’ and the hand gestures. But as the series progresses, Alexis changes dramatically and Murphy plays her growing vulnerability to perfection. As you binge-watch Schitt’s Creek, you really do see the full spectrum of Alexis’s character development, as well as the varied nuances in Murphy’s performance.
3. A town without prejudice
One thing I absolutely love about Schitt’s Creek is how little it has to say about LGBTQ issues. Yet by saying so little, it actually says so much. David Rose is pansexual and it’s barely mentioned – he is simply accepted for who he is. And in a later story arc as David develops a same-sex relationship with another character in the town, there are no expressions of homophobia. The fact that Schitt’s Creek is a rural town somewhere in America only adds to this superb portrayal of LGBTQ relationships as a complete non-issue.
4. The secondary characters
As you binge-watch Schitt’s Creek, you quickly see that those populating the town have all been superbly drawn. Every piece of casting is bang on and every character has a plausible backstory and clear motivations. Some of my personal favourites are Mayor Roland Schitt, town councillor Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Lee (Karen Robinson) and real estate agent Ray Butani (Rizwan Manji).
Eugene Levy said he wouldn’t let son Daniel start writing any scripts for the first season without knowing every character inside out. It feels like this was time very well spent!
5. An incredible soundtrack
From the catchy opening theme onwards, Schitt’s Creek has a fabulous soundtrack. Particular standouts are ‘This Will Be Our Year’ (The Zombies), ‘Maybe This Time’ (Cabaret) and ‘Precious Love’ (James Morrison) – which ends the show’s second season to perfection.
In fact, Morrison’s ‘Precious Love’ inspired me so much that I actually used some of the song’s lyrics in my own wedding vows. So I really should say a big thank you to Daniel Levy for introducing me to it!
All six seasons of Schitt’s Creek are currently available on Netflix and here’s a trailer for the first season.
Have you had the urge to binge-watch Schitt’s Creek? If so, what did you think? Comment below, tell me on Twitter (@JWCopywriting) or visit my Facebook page.
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JW