Schitt’s Creek: The Best Show You’re (Maybe) Not Watching

I will admit I came pretty late to the Schitt’s Creek party, but I cannot tell you how glad I am that I arrived before the show ends its six season run next year. As a recent convert to the genius of Daniel Levy and this thoroughly delightful and wonderful world of misfits he has shepherded into being, I wanted to take a moment to try to entice others who might not have given the show a chance (it airs in the US on the Pop! network, with the previous four seasons currently streaming on Netflix – if you’re looking to catch up but don’t have a clue what Pop! is).

So. What’s Schitt’s Creek all about? Well, imagine if the Kardashians (or the Hilton family or any other family who is famous for no good reason other than being rich) suddenly lost everything and was forced to move to a small, seemingly simple town. That’s the central premise to the series, with the Rose family losing it all thanks to an unscrupulous business manager and being forced to move to the town of Schitt’s Creek – the place dad Johnny (played by the wonderful Eugene Levy) bought as a joke for son David (Levy’s real-life son, and the show’s head writer, Daniel Levy) due to its rather vulgar name. Once the family (which also includes scene stealers Catherine O’Hara as Moira, the self-centered matriarch, and Annie Murphy as spoiled daughter Alexis) gets settled in the town’s motel (run by the dour, by big-hearted, Stevie – played effortlessly by Emily Hampshire), exactly what you think happens, happens: The Rose family begins to learn to stop thinking about themselves as much and start helping those around them, while also helping the townspeople to better understand their own strengths. But, even five seasons in, each character is still a major work in progress.

I know what you might be thinking: Why do I want to watch a show about a self-centered family? Don’t we see enough of that in our every day lives these days? I get it. But, I promise you, the journey the Rose family takes over the course of these past five seasons is so heartwarming, so encouraging, and so freaking funny that’s it worth your time. The closest comparison I can find to Schitt’s Creek is NBC’s brilliant comedy The Good Place. Both shows feature selfish characters learning and growing while they grapple with being in a place where they don’t think they belong. Sure, Schitt’s Creek doesn’t come with a side helping of moral philosophy, but it does come with the chance to get to hear Alexis shout “Ewww, David!” in a myriad of different ways, each just as delightful as the last. That’s pretty much the same thing, right?

What I’m trying to get at is that despite the premise (spoiled people must deal with small town hi-jinks), the show is really about learning to love – learning to love your family, learning to be a good friend, learning to be a good partner, and learning to love yourself. Because despite their airs, the Rose family are just four people in search of love, and watching them slowly realize this (and slowly learn to accept that they are good enough as they are, even without the means to buy friendships and power) is the true joy of the series. Yes, it’s really funny. Yes, it’s really gifable (seriously, there are so many great gifs from it out there). But it’s really all about a search for love in this often unforgiving world. Even after five seasons, the Roses are still struggling with their identities (although some have made greater strides than others) and learning to compromise, but watching their growth makes the show must see TV in my book. It’s rare to have a television comedy that spends time on true character development (the series is loosely serialized, with arcs running through several episodes, but it’s not as heavily serialized as many dramas are), letting us watch all the show’s patchwork of characters grow and become better individuals each season.

Life can be a trying place these days, and watching Schitt’s Creek put a bit more joy into my day-to-day life. Getting to laugh and cry (there are some really wonderful tear-jerker moments that are fully earned in the later seasons of the series), and just spend time with David, Alexis, Moira, Johnny, Stevie, Roland, Twyla, and all the rest of the town’s hodge podge gang is worth the time. And, as I’ve heard from some people that they’ve watched a few episodes and don’t like the characters enough to continue, my advice is the same I give for those who want to quit on The Good Place after a couple episodes: Give it a season. It’s thirteen 22-minute episodes. If you can watch an entire season of Stranger Things in a day, you can give this a fair shake. I promise you won’t be disappointed.