Talking About: Schitt’s Creek
Why We Chose This Series
Talk about going out with a bang. The final series of Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek aired this year and scored 15 Emmy Award nominations, which may surprise those who think the premise – a family that got rich buying video-rental stores goes bankrupt and is forced to live in a hick town that they once bought as a joke – sounds predictable.
Schitt’s Creek, however, is anything but. The creators, father-and-son team Eugene and Daniel Levy, imbued the show with clever dialogue, razor-sharp wit and a whole bunch of warmth and love. The show built a devoted following after its debut in January 2015. Since Netflix picked it up in 2017, the adventures of Johnny and Moira Rose and their adult children, David and Alexis, have won legions of fans.
Spoiler alert: Just getting into the show? Tread carefully. This discussion contains lots of details from the later series.
The Participants
Marina, Carlotta and Megan
Marina (MG): Why do you think this show has resonated so deeply?
Carlotta (CM) This was the perfect show with the perfect cast at the perfect time.
Megan (MM) The gift of the show is there is so much to see on the surface, but also so much sewn in under the lines and the sets. You can watch the same scene three times over and detect a different nuance every time.
MG That’s why I want to watch it all again. I watched the first series twice and definitely saw different things the second time.
CM This show has been a total escape into a beautiful, funny, warm world. I started watching when I was in a relationship … it saw me through the break-up and out the other side
MG I have to admit that when I started watching it, I didn’t like the main characters because when they first arrive in that little town, they are cold and judgmental towards the townsfolk. The beauty is in how they transform as people.
CM I think the town was a character too, and had to win them over. It took until season two for them to get into the groove and develop who they are.
MG Yes, season two is when I fell in love with this show and now I am so sad that it has ended. I can’t bear the thought of not having that wonderful family when I need a little joy in my life.
CM I got into it in 2015 and I’ve watched it five times at least. If I’m feeling flat, l sneak in an episode between work stuff.
MG I love how the characters transform on the inside and through their relationships, but the Rose family never change their individual style. That is genius. The creators didn’t feel the need to start dressing them like the Schitt’s Creek people because their fashion says so much about who they are.
MG: Who is your favourite character and why?
MM I have so much love for all the female characters but I love Jocelyn, Roland’s wife. She is committed to being the very best version of herself she can be, at all times.
CM I love Moira. Her turn of phrase gets me every time. It’s fabulous. Catherine O’Hara (Moira) came up with the idea of the wigs and she based Moira on [British socialite and fashion designer] Daphne Guinness.
MG David is my favourite, but so many times I sobbed for Alexis and that difficult mother-daughter relationship with her once-absent mother. Interestingly, Annie Murphy (Alexis) was about to give up on acting when she landed the role on Schitts Creek. Now she is nominated for an Emmy. I love that the show has changed her life and given her the confidence to chase her dream.
CM The clothes are hugely important in expressing who the characters are. They all wear the real deal: McQueen, Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten.
MG I couldn’t wait to see what Moira would wear in each episode. Really clever styling. The show caught the attention of US Vogue, through Moira’s authentic fashions.
MM Let’s not forget Twyla. Her styling is impeccable. We all know a Twyla.
MG I recently discovered that the actress who plays Twyla is Daniel Levy’s sister Sarah. Truly a family show. The show was created by Daniel Levy (David) and he asked his dad [filmmaker Eugene Levy] to help him give it the kind of warmth that Eugene (Johnny) gave his films, like Best In Show.
MM Imagine what a good hugger David is. But then some nights I would think fondly about Mr Rose …
CM You can’t ignore how hot Mutt and Ted were. I’m not a fan of Roland’s character. Loved Ronnie. So dry. And Jocelyn warmed in me later.
MM RONNIE! ❤️❤️
MG: Do you have a favourite episode or scene?
CM How about the wine discussion between Stevie and David after they had sex. Stevie: “Just to be clear I’m a red wine drinker. I only drink red wine … and up until last night I was under the impression you too only drank red wine … but I guess I was wrong.” David: “I do drink red wine but I also drink white wine and I’ve been known to sample the occasional rose and a couple of summers back I tried a merlot that used to be a chardonnay. I like the wine not the label.”
MG The dialogue is genius.
MM One of my favourite scenes is when Moira sells the town the network marketing make-up and then literally packed it up when she realised the town had been sold to prior. The way she just packed up, didn’t once do the self-pity slump, just got on with it all – a truly modern woman. Unrelated, but when she delivers the line, “I would be pleased to RSVP as Pending”, it was genius.
MG That line is so Moira.
CM All her lines are gold. That’s why you can watch it over and over.
MM “One must champion oneself and say ‘I am ready for this!’”. There are so many great Moira lines but this is just a delicious Moira all-rounder.
MG I loved when Patrick sang to David, and Moira placed a loving mother’s hand on his shoulder because she was moved by it too, uncharacteristically so. That was during open mic night at the store.
CM Loved open mic night. I cried, I laughed, I cried! I also love the “you fold in the cheese” scene between Moira and David.
MG That last scene with Alexis and Ted had me sobbing into my pillow. Alexis transformed from a woman who had a lot of superficial relationships to a woman who fell in love with the local veterinarian in a small town.
CM I love the love stories, too: Alexis and Ted, David and Patrick. Big LBGTQI fan base.
MG That storyline with David and Patrick is one of the best things about the show. I love that absolutely no one in that little town was homophobic. No one questioned the relationship. And the tenderness – the songs! – that Patrick gave to David was so beautiful and transformational. For a comedy, I cried a lot!
CM How about the scene in the last episode when Alexis walks David down the aisle. David: “I am continuously impressed by you … now can you please walk me down the aisle before people lose interest.” Then the Jazzagals sing Simply The Best. I mean, come on! It’s the perfect wrap-up of how much closer this situation bought them.
MM: Who would you two come as if I had a Schitt’s Creek dress-up party?
MG Moira! I love the wigs and the outrageous clothes.
CM I wish I could do Moira but I’d probably give Jocelyn a crack, from the trip to the casino.
MM I wish Stevie had a skincare line. I’d buy the whole range. She is so beautiful.
CM Stevie really blossomed through the show. She’s beautiful as is Twyla. How about her being a millionaire – it shows money counts for nothing over friends and family.
MG The clothes are a statement about who they are. Which is why I was so pleased that the writers didn’t change the style of any of the characters from start to finish. They only transformed on the inside. That is so, so clever.
MM I love how they share the really important concept that clothes are armour. All the ladies use it as their daily armour, independent of their style. The men do too, of course.
MG I would have hated to see David and Alexis in a flannelette shirt, but on another series, that probably would have happened. David’s jumpers are so fabulous, and again I couldn’t wait to see what he would be wearing.
CM All David’s clothes are Rick Owens, McQueen, Givenchy.
MM At the end of the day, it shows that a good jumper, love, friends and family, and a community cafe to drop into are enough.
CM They bought the clothes on eBay consignment stores because the budget was so tight.
MM Oh, this eBay sourcing idea is so David! So clever. A real sign of the times.
CM David’s engagement rings were brilliant: same as his regular rings but in gold. Patrick knew who he was marrying!
MG: How important were the interiors and which was your favourite?
CM I love the interior of Cafe Tropical. I mean, it’s nowhere near a palm tree! And the menu that went on for days.
MM I’m fascinated by the interior styling. I sometimes pause and just really drink it all in. There are so many scathing interior non-verbals lying around just dripping with innuendo.
MG Didn’t you love the Rose Apothecary store? It is so David and I love that he didn’t compromise on his aesthetic because they were in a small town. That was a big message of the show
MM The interiors are as important as the clothes because they are also seen as trophy decor and status. We have so much interior porn here to guts ourselves on, from the opening when the Roses are being evicted from their mansion to Alexis’s boyfriend in that charming log cabin, to Jocelyn and Roland’s lair, to Cafe Tropical’s excellence. I want to write a thesis on the interiors as non-verbals.
CM Yes, Megan, yes!
MG I loved Mutt’s cabin.
MM “Mutt’s Cabins” should be a franchise tree-changer brand.
MG The Levy family are actually Canadian and they never expected that the show would become the hit that it is. Such a charming family. I used to watch an episode of Schitts Creek before bed so that I would go to bed happy.
CM Snap! I do too Marina. If this was a US production, it would have been totally different and nowhere near as good. You can tell it was made by close friends. Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara go way back and it shows.
MM If it has taught me one thing, it’s around judgment. I was reluctant to share it with my kids, as it was a guilty treat after packing it all down for the night, but then I realised this preconception lesson is so vital. So my 10-year-old and I gorged it together.
MG: Last comment before we sign off on the Roses …
CM We are definitely the lucky ones for experiencing this show.
MG You need to watch the documentary of the making of the final season. It’s called Schitt’s Creek Best Wishes, Warmest Regards. It will make you cry but it will also give you an extra little bit of the show to hold on to. It’s so moving and powerful. My heart just broke for them when filming ended. They are part of our lives and we will miss them, but they will also miss each other. It is so hard to let them go.
MM Signing off in the words of our Moira Rose, “I’d kill for a good coma right now.”