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Schitt's Creek: A Memoir


There are several comical sitcom series on-air right now, but Schitt's Creek takes a different, smarter, and more refreshing approach to comedy. Schitt's Creek adds its own twists to the genre and that's what sets it apart from other network sitcoms.


There is currently no better sitcom on Netflix, in my opinion. It includes both, scenarios that will make you laugh out loud and situations that will make you cry as well. The conscious choice to make the story ultimately about love in a world without racism or homophobia has made all the difference in these tremendously tough times, politically and globally. All the characters are beautifully written, and it has been a joy to watch them develop and change over the course of the show's six seasons.


As the seasons have progressed, that one-dimensional conceit of the first few episodes – a wealthy family losing everything and forced to live in a town purchased as a joke because of its name – has been fully fleshed out. The ragtag community forces Moira (Catherine O' Hara) and her ever-patient husband Johnny (Eugene Levy), as well as their children – snobbish, pansexual aesthete David (Dan Levy) and typical, rich-girl, cry baby Alexis (Annie Murphy) – to embark on a journey of self-discovery, but it is a perfectly paced, ultimately believable one.


Dan Levy believes that the show's early low lying status contributed to the show's fervent word of mouth. He describes it as "almost like the Justin Bieber effect." “In the same way that people discovered Justin Bieber on YouTube and immediately felt a protective aura about him as if it were a secret they were lucky enough to share. People felt as if they'd stumbled upon this show, they intended to enlist the help of their friends and family to monitor it.”


Without the constraints of ratings-driven studios, the sitcom has progressed at its own speed, with no need to include distracting high-profile cameos or compromise its easy going, quirky charm. It also means that the fundamental premise's narrative expectations are open to being inverted at any time. “We realized right away that this wasn't going to be a show where the joke was on the town," Levy explains. “It was considerably more intriguing for us to portray the story of a town that was entirely open-minded and kind, with the family being the punchline.”


As the seasons progressed, the Roses began to blend into the community. Moira joins the Jazzagals, a local acapella group; Johnny buys the motel where the family is stuck; Alexis completes her degree and works as a publicist; and David starts the Rose Apothecary, a look-but-don't-touch lifestyle boutique featuring costly lip balms.


It is there, in season three, that he meets Patrick, a more practical man (Noah Reid). From David's coming out as pansexual (“I like the wine, not the label,” he says of his approach to dating in one of the early episodes) to the way his relationship with Patrick blossoms (there's a pivotal scene involving an acoustic rendition of Tina Turner's The Best that could even make a mannequin cry salty tears), Levy has been praised for the way the show has dealt with sexuality.


While some shows address homophobia by depicting it being overcome, Levy chose to deprive it of any oxygen. "The more homophobia is exposed, the more people's opinions are validated," he asserts. “By eliminating homophobia, you are denying homophobes a place to view themselves.”


Therefore, Homosexuality isn't a punchline in any of the jokes that make their way into the show. ”Schitt's Creek” is wonderfully unique in portraying David's pansexuality as the least unusual aspect of the wild Rose family.


Schitt's Creek has a cult following thanks to its ability to make viewers fall in love with characters who are originally unlikable. In the halls of pop culture, phrases like "Ew, David" and "Very uninterested in that opinion" are already resounding.


The show's creator and star, Dan Levy, was responsible for transforming the show from a quirky Canadian sitcom to a social sensation. In all of its simplicity, Schitt's Creek feels like the haven we all need right now.


Nitisha Chopra

Editor, Redstockings Chronicle


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