As the 2020 Emmy awards wrapped up, I noticed a little Canadian show somehow swept the comedy category. CBC’s Schitt’s Creek won the best comedy award, while Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy won all of the acting awards. Why this show?
This show somehow stole America’s heart and is praised as the panicle of Canadian T.V. Why? I was in the dark, so I took the week to binge every goddamn episode to find out why this show is so beloved.
I had never watched this show until now. The only reason I’ve even heard of the show was because their ads played whenever I watched the CBC. While I enjoy some of the CBC’s shows, their programs are also niche and many have a low-quality vibe. To me, Schitt’s Creek was just another niche CBC show.
The show features the rich Rose family, who lost everything after being defrauded by their business manager and were forced to move to a motel. They were all stuck-up, pretentious and I thought “really? This is the holy grail of Canadian T.V?”
But as the show progressed, something clicked. Their situations became more and more ridiculous like when Johnny and Alexis got pulled over for smuggling milk. Still, the Roses always tried making a terrible situation better and ended up thriving.
Johnny, played by career movie dad Eugene Levy, went from getting screwed out of his wealth to running the motel he lives in. His soap-opera star wife, Moira, with her endless supply of wigs, brought her diva spirit to the local singing group. Their daughter Alexis went from a Paris Hilton wannabe to becoming educated and having a real job. David was someone who knew virtually no life skills and ended up a business owner.
What made this show work for me was the relationship between David and Alexis. When the Roses had money, Alexis, Moira and the rest of the family were going their separate ways.
They reminded me of when my sister and I didn’t spend much time together for a few years.
She was in high school while I was still in middle school. We lived together, ate together, and shared a bathroom, but we were in different worlds. I didn’t bother her and she didn’t bother me. Eventually, we grew up. As we got older, we started going to blockbuster movies like Star Wars and the Avengers. These little moments brought us closer together.
Sure, David and Alexis still bicker as all siblings do. Hell, my sister and I spent an entire summer bickering while working together. But we both know we would always be there for each other, just like David and Alexis.
The theme of perseverance and how a family can do anything when united is what made Schitt’s Creek grow on me. Even if some characters can be annoying at times, this show’s over the top characters and heartfelt moments kept me wanting more. The Roses may start as pretentious assholes, but down the line, all I wanted was for them to succeed.
The final season has just been added to Netflix, so back to procrastinating.
