''Schitt's Creek'' (stylized as ''Schitt$ Creek'') is a Canadian television
sitcom
A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
created by
Dan Levy and his father,
Eugene Levy, that aired on
CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
from 2015 to 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread over six seasons.
Produced by Not a Real Company Productions
and the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
, it follows the trials and tribulations of the formerly wealthy Rose family. After their business manager embezzles the family business, Rose Video, the family loses its fortune and relocates to Schitt's Creek, a town they once purchased as a joke.
Now living in a motel,
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John (given name), John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly ...
(Eugene Levy) and
Moira (
Catherine O'Hara)—along with their adult offspring,
David
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
(Dan Levy) and
Alexis (
Annie Murphy)—must adjust to life without wealth.
The series concept came from Dan Levy who wondered how wealthy families, as frequently depicted on American
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
, would react if they lost all their money.
He developed the series with his father Eugene before pitching it to several Canadian and American networks. It was first sold to CBC Television in Canada and secured final funding to start production in its sale to
Pop in the United States.
Although limited in popularity for its first few seasons, its regional appearances on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
after its third season is credited for its rise in stature (the "Netflix bump") and a dynamic social media presence.
''Schitt's Creek'' received critical acclaim and garnered a cult following, particularly for its writing, humour and acting. It has won various prizes, including two
ACTRA Awards and 18
Canadian Screen Awards. It is the first Canadian comedy series to be nominated for a
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Comedy Series. It also received two
Screen Actors Guild Awards, including
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series and a total of 19
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
nominations, including
Outstanding Comedy Series twice.
It received 15 of these nominations for its sixth and final season, setting a record for most Emmy nominations for a comedy series's final season.
For its portrayal of
LGBTQ+ people, it received three nominations for a
GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, winning twice.
At the
72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, the series's final season swept all seven major comedy awards. It was the first time a comedy or drama series received all seven awards; Dan Levy notably received
Outstanding Comedy Series,
Writing
Writing is the act of creating a persistent representation of language. A writing system includes a particular set of symbols called a ''script'', as well as the rules by which they encode a particular spoken language. Every written language ...
and
Directing for a Comedy Series (sharing the last with
Andrew Cividino). It set records for winning all four major acting categories (
Lead Actor/
Actress
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
and
Supporting Actor/
Actress
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
) for O'Hara, Murphy and both Levys—a first for a comedy or drama series; for most Emmy wins by a comedy series in a single season (beating ''
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' 2018 record), and for most Emmy nominations and wins by a comedy series in its final season.
Synopsis
The wealthy Rose family —
video store magnate
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John (given name), John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly ...
(
Eugene Levy), his wife and former soap opera actress
Moira (
Catherine O'Hara), and their pampered adult children
David
David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament.
The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
(
Dan Levy) and
Alexis (
Annie Murphy) — lose their fortune after being defrauded by their business manager. They move towards rebuilding their lives with their sole remaining asset: a remote town named Schitt's Creek somewhere in Canada, which Johnny bought for David's birthday in 1991 as a joke.
The Roses are forced to relocate to Schitt's Creek, moving into two adjacent rooms in a run-down motel. While the family adjusts to their new lives, their well-to-do attitudes conflict with the town's more provincial residents, including mayor Roland Schitt (
Chris Elliott), his wife Jocelyn (
Jenn Robertson), and their son Mutt (
Tim Rozon), the motel's clerk Stevie Budd (
Emily Hampshire), town council members Ronnie Lee (
Karen Robinson) and Bob Currie (
John Hemphill), veterinarian Ted Mullens (
Dustin Milligan
Dustin Wallace Milligan (born July 28, 1985) is a Canadian actor best known as Jack Snowman in ''Hot Frosty'', Ted Mullens on ''Schitt's Creek'', Ethan Ward on ''90210 (TV series), 90210'', Tom Cummings in ''X Company'', and Josh Carter on ''Ruth ...
), and Jazzagal member and Café Tropical waitress Twyla Sands (
Sarah Levy).
Cast and characters
Main
*
Eugene Levy as
Johnny Rose
Jonathan Michael Rose is a fictional character in the Canadian sitcom ''Schitt's Creek,'' which aired on the CBC Television, CBC and Pop (American TV channel), Pop TV from 2015 to 2020. Johnny is introduced as the patriarch of the central Rose fa ...
, a former video store chain magnate who has to find what it means to be a father and husband after the loss of the family’s wealth and income.
*
Catherine O'Hara as
Moira Rose, the eccentric former star of the soap opera ''Sunrise Bay'', with a commitment to glamour, a fierce belief in her own celebrity, and who often uses an extensive vocabulary with an unrecognizable accent.
*
Daniel Levy as
David Rose, the art and fashion-obsessed pansexual son of Johnny and Moira yearning to return to his urban single life in New York City.
*
Annie Murphy as
Alexis Rose, the flighty socialite and former reality television aspirant daughter of Johnny and Moira who has survived several outrageous and, at times, dangerous encounters in multiple foreign countries.
*
Emily Hampshire as Stevie Budd, the sardonic clerk and later owner of the motel where the Roses reside, who becomes David's best friend and briefly friend-with-benefits.
*
Chris Elliott as Roland Schitt, the posturing, nosy, and often irksome mayor of Schitt’s Creek who eventually starts working at the motel with Johnny and Stevie.
*
Jennifer Robertson as Jocelyn Schitt, the mayor's perky, cheerful, optimistic, but surprisingly down-to-earth wife, who is also a local schoolteacher, and leader of the women’s a cappella group The Jazzagals.
*
Noah Reid as Patrick Brewer (seasons 3–6), David's earnest yet warmhearted business partner and later husband who, before meeting David and realizing he was gay, was in an on-again/off-again relationship with his high school sweetheart, Rachel.
*
Tim Rozon as Mutt Schitt (seasons 1–2; guest seasons 3–4), Roland and Jocelyn's unambitious, contented son, and Alexis's love interest.
*
Dustin Milligan
Dustin Wallace Milligan (born July 28, 1985) is a Canadian actor best known as Jack Snowman in ''Hot Frosty'', Ted Mullens on ''Schitt's Creek'', Ethan Ward on ''90210 (TV series), 90210'', Tom Cummings in ''X Company'', and Josh Carter on ''Ruth ...
as Ted Mullens, the town's handsome veterinarian and Alexis's sweet and sensitive love interest who enjoys using puns and wordplay in most conversations.
Recurring
*
Karen Robinson as Veronica "Ronnie" Lee, a member of the town council and a leading member of the Jazzagals who frequently butts heads with Patrick.
*
Sarah Levy as Twyla Sands, the unwaveringly cheerful yet knowing Café Tropical waitress and later owner who often tells rather tragic and upsetting stories about her childhood in a concernedly upbeat manner.
*
John Hemphill as Bob Currie (seasons 1–4, recurring seasons 5–6), proprietor of Bob's Garage and a member of the town council who often talks about his wife (later ex-wife) Gwen.
*
Rizwan Manji as Ray Butani, the town's only real estate agent and a former town council member, who has a variety of other businesses.
*
Robin Duke as Wendy Kurtz (recurring season 2; guest season 5), dress shop owner and David's former employer.
*
Steve Lund as Jake (recurring season 3; guest seasons 2, 4 and 6), a polyamorous furniture maker and love interest for both David and Stevie.
* Marilyn Bellfontaine as Gwen Currie, Bob's wife.
Episodes
Development
Conception
Dan Levy came up with the idea for the show while watching reality television. "I had been watching some reality TV at the time and was concentrating on what would happen if one of these wealthy families would lose everything. Would the Kardashians still be the Kardashians without their money?"
He turned to his father Eugene to help develop the show, who came up with the series title. Dan decided to make the location of Schitt's Creek vague, but has said that it is in Canada.
The premise of being forced to move to a town they once bought as a joke was inspired by actress
Kim Basinger's $20 million purchase of the town of
Braselton, Georgia
Braselton ( ) is a town in Jackson County, Georgia, Jackson, Barrow County, Georgia, Barrow, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett, and Hall County, Georgia, Hall counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, approximately northeast o ...
in 1989. Eugene Levy said, "My wife had an idea for a television show about
boomers not having money or moving in with their kids. Their situation was described as being up sh–'s creek . It just made us laugh. Then my son Daniel came in with an article one day about an actress,
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor and film producer. He is known for his leading and supporting roles in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama. He has received List of awards and nominations received by A ...
's ex-wife (Basinger), who bought a town. She was hoping that film people would come to the town to use it as a location area and she lost a lot of money. The idea of wealthy people buying a town went back to the ''Schitt's Creek'' idea."
The Levys initially pitched the show to several networks in Canada and the United States. Cable networks
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
and
Showtime passed on the series, while a broadcast network in America and the
CBC in Canada expressed interest. The show was first sold to the CBC, but the Levys decided against major U.S. broadcasters after getting nervous about their reputation for creative interference. ''Schitt's Creek'' eventually found a U.S. home on Pop TV after striking a deal with network head Brad Schwartz, who had previously hired Dan on
MTV Canada.
During the early stages of development, various networks suggested the title of the show be changed to avoid the vulgar word. The Levys resisted these suggestions and argued "Schitt" was a legitimate last name. To prove their point, they brought pages copied from a phone book to the CBC showing listings for individuals with the "Schitt" surname. The CBC agreed and allowed the Levys to keep the original title.
Dan Levy initially envisioned the series ending with season five, but agreed to a sixth season after receiving a two-year renewal following the show's fourth season.
Casting
Catherine O'Hara was the series creators' first choice for the role of eccentric family matriarch, Moira Rose. O'Hara had previously worked with Eugene Levy on ''
SCTV'' and several of
Christopher Guest
Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born 5 February 1948), known professionally as Christopher Guest, is a British-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and director. Guest has written, directed, and starred in his series of comedy ...
's films. She initially turned down Levy's offer to star, citing "laziness" and an aversion to long-term projects. Levy reached out to another (unnamed) actress, but continued to court O'Hara for the role. O'Hara eventually agreed to participate in the presentation pilot with no obligation to continue in the role after ''Schitt's Creek'' was ordered to series. After the show was picked up by the CBC, O'Hara agreed to continue in the role.
Annie Murphy was offered the role of spoiled socialite Alexis Rose after actress
Abby Elliott was unable to continue due to scheduling conflicts.
Murphy was on the verge of giving up on acting since she had not worked in over two years when she got an email inviting her to audition for the role. She first auditioned in Los Angeles, where Dan Levy said she stood out due to her "wonderfully natural likability." Eugene Levy was unsure of Murphy's casting because she did not possess the blonde hair he had pictured for the role of Alexis. Murphy was subsequently called back for a second audition for a different role, sarcastic motel clerk Stevie Budd. After this audition, Dan Levy convinced his father that Murphy could dye her hair blonde, and she was officially cast as Alexis Rose.
Emily Hampshire was cast as the deadpan motel clerk, Stevie Budd, after auditioning for the role in Los Angeles. She originally requested to submit a taped audition on account of her nerves and recurring hive breakouts. Hampshire ultimately agreed to audition in person, but states she has no recollection of the experience. According to Daniel Levy, who was present for the process, Hampshire gave a "great" audition, then proceeded to lift her shirt over her head to hide and slowly rocked back and forth. Levy later told Hampshire he found her audition "charming", and she was offered the part of Stevie.
Noah Reid was offered the role of David's business partner and love interest, Patrick Brewer, in season three. Dan Levy was socially familiar with Reid and invited him to audition on the suggestion of
Stacey Farber.
Reid had never watched the show before he auditioned and was unsure how long the character would be a part of the series. Dan Levy was not present during the audition process and did not "chemistry test" with Reid before he was cast.
Other cast regulars
Chris Elliott and
Sarah Levy were given the roles of Roland Schitt and Twyla Sands, respectively, without auditioning. Elliott says when Eugene Levy offered him the role of the town mayor, he thought, "Why would I say no?" Sarah Levy, the daughter of Eugene and sister of Dan, was asked to be a part of the show before it was fully developed. She says she was glad not to be cast as Alexis, as being out of her family's orbit on the show allowed her to "do
erown thing."
Production
''Schitt's Creek'' is produced by Not a Real Company Productions in association with the CBC and Pop TV.
Pop TV joined the production team in season two after the series' first season was produced solely in association with the CBC.
ITV Studios Global Entertainment also partnered with the CBC and Pop to distribute the show worldwide.
Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Fred Levy (Eugene's brother),
Andrew Barnsley, and Ben Feigin have served as
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
s throughout the show's entirety.
Other executive producers have included writers Kevin White (seasons two and three) and
David West Read (seasons five and six).
Eugene Levy served as
showrunner alongside co-creator and son, Dan Levy, during the series' first season; Dan Levy took over as sole showrunner beginning in season two.
''Schitt's Creek'' was part of a "new direction" in programming taken by both the CBC and Pop TV during the 2014–15 television season.
Premiering alongside 12 new primetime shows on the CBC, the series represented one of the network's efforts to produce more "serialized, scripted" content, as well as more "cable-like" shows.
The series was also the first original, scripted program to air on Pop TV after its re-branding in January 2015. Formerly known as
TV Guide Network
The American cable television, cable and satellite television network Pop (American TV channel), Pop was originally launched in 1981 as a barker channel service providing a display of localized electronic program guide, channel and program listin ...
, Pop TV was re-branded as a channel "filled with optimism, passion, fun and excitement".
Filming style and locations
''Schitt's Creek'' was filmed using a
single camera set-up with no live audience or
laugh track. The interior scenes for the first two seasons were filmed at
Pinewood Toronto Studios in the
Port Lands area of Toronto,
while interior scenes for season three were shot at Dufferin Gate Studios in (
Etobicoke
Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River, on the ...
) Toronto. Interior scenes were also filmed at Revival Studios in (
Leslieville) Toronto for an unknown number of seasons.
The remainder of the series is filmed on location in
Goodwood, the
Regional Municipality of Durham in the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...
,
Brantford
Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully indep ...
and
Mono, where the motel scenes are filmed. Goodwood was one of 30 towns scouted for the fictional location of Schitt's Creek before production of the series began in 2014.
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a privately-held company, pr ...
wrote June 27, 2019, that Goodwood had become a "tourist hot spot" as filming for the current season concluded.
The series was filmed in several additional locations during its run. The opening shot of the first season features
Lisa Vanderpump
Lisa Jane Vanderpump (born 15 September 1960) is an English television personality and actress. She initially gained fame as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' from 2010 until 2019. Vanderpump parlayed her ''Housewiv ...
’s former
Beverly Park estate in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
as the facade of the Rose family estate. Interior shots of the Rose family estate were filmed on location in a
Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...
-inspired mansion in Toronto (30 Fifeshire Road near Bayview Avenue and York Mills Road).
Main Street
Stouffville served as a filming location for an unspecified number of scenes (Thicketwood Veterinary Hospital) in the series' first two seasons. Applewood Farm and Winery in Stouffville was also used. Scenes involving the fictional retailer, Blouse Barn, in seasons two and three were filmed on location on
Main Street Unionville in
Markham. In the season four episode "
The Jazzaguy," scenes involving a spa retreat were filmed on location at Monte Carlo Inn in
Vaughan, Ontario
Vaughan ( ) (2022 population 344,412) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increa ...
. Exterior filming also took place at
Rattlesnake Point in
Milton for season five's "
The Hike". In season six's "
Smoke Signals", the series shot on location at Graydon Hall Manor, a wedding venue in Toronto. The series also filmed in
Bay-Adelaide Centre and
Toronto-Dominion Centre for the season six episode "
The Pitch".
Additional filming for several season six episodes took place at a local motel in Brantford.
The former Hockley Motel in Mono, where the exterior shots of the Rosebud Motel were filmed, was marketed for sale by its owners in November 2020.
Music
The ''Schitt's Creek'' soundtrack is composed by Canadian film and television composer/songwriter
Maribeth Solomon.
The show features several musical performances from its main and supporting characters. The majority of these performances feature the town singing group, the Jazzagals. The Jazzagals' main members are Moira Rose, Jocelyn Schitt, Twyla Sands, Ronnie Lee, and Gwen Currie. Throughout the series, they covered "
It's Raining Men"; "
Baby, I'm Yours"; "Takin' It Home"; "
Silent Night
"Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO
The United Nations Educati ...
"; and "
Islands in the Stream".
In season one's "
Carl's Funeral", Moira sings an unaccompanied version of "
Danny Boy" as a distraction when Johnny's eulogy goes awry. She performs the same song a second time later in the episode.
In season two's "
The Motel Guest", Schitt's Creek's mayor Roland Schitt stays for the night next door to the Roses and plays the song "
Don't Cry Out Loud" sung by
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester (born February 15, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been played by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage.
Early li ...
loud continually, annoying Johnny and Moira.
In season four's "
Asbestos Fest", David and Moira perform a duet known as "The Number". This medley of holiday songs was regularly performed at the annual Rose Christmas party and included "
Oh Come, All Ye Faithful", "
Deck the Halls", and "
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". The song was arranged by Moira's portrayer, Catherine O’Hara.
In season four's "
Open Mic", Patrick sings an acoustic cover of
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...
's "
The Best" as a declaration of love to David. The song was arranged and performed by Patrick's portrayer, Noah Reid. After airing on ''Schitt's Creek'', Reid's version of the song was released on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
and
iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
, where it reached No. 1 on the Canadian charts. All proceeds from the single were donated to the Ontario charity, LGBT Youth Line.
In season five's "
The Hospies", Alexis auditions for a community theatre production by singing "
A Little Bit Alexis", the theme song from her "critically reviewed, limited reality series" of the same name. Alexis's portrayer, Annie Murphy, who wrote and performed the song for the show, says she drew inspiration from the pop songs of
Paris Hilton and
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...
. Menno Versteeg and Nixon Boyd of the Canadian band
Hollerado also helped produce the song. "A Little Bit Alexis" was released as a single on Spotify and iTunes, where it reached No. 28 on the Canadian charts. Partial proceeds from the single were donated to
MusiCounts, a Canadian organization providing music resources to schools in need.
In season five's "
Life Is a Cabaret", several main characters perform "
Willkommen" from the musical ''
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...
''. Stevie also sings a second number, "
Maybe This Time", as her ''Cabaret'' character,
Sally Bowles, in the same episode. Both songs were performed in front of a live audience during filming.
In season six's "
Happy Ending", the series finale, the Jazzagals sing a cappella versions of
James Morrison's "Precious Love" and
Tina Turner's "
The Best" at David and Patrick's wedding. Noah Reid's Patrick also sings a portion of
Mariah Carey's "
Always Be My Baby" as part of his wedding vows to David in the same episode.
Broadcast
Original broadcast
''Schitt's Creek'' has been co-broadcast in Canada and the United States since 2015. It premiered on the CBC in Canada on Tuesday, January 13, 2015, at 9:00 pm/9:30 pm NT with back-to-back episodes.
It made its United States debut on Pop TV on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, at 10:00 pm ET/PT. Pop moved the series to an 8:00 pm ET/PT time slot with an encore broadcast at 11:00 pm ET/PT for seasons two through four; then returned it to its original 10:00 pm ET/PT time slot for season five.
The series maintained staggered premieres throughout its first five seasons, with new episodes debuting in Canada before being broadcast in the US. This changed in the final season, with new episodes broadcast simultaneously in Canada and the US.
The series finale aired on April 7, 2020, at 8:00 pm ET; followed by a one-hour behind-the-scenes retrospective documentary, ''Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt's Creek Farewell''. In the US, the series finale was ''Schitt's Creek''s highest-rated episode ever and was simulcast on
Logo TV and
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
, which had recently become sibling networks to Pop TV through the
ViacomCBS merger.
Other broadcasts
As of 2019, the series was also airing on
4Music in the UK;
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
in India;
FX Asia; and
ABC Comedy in Australia.
It was previously broadcast in New Zealand by
TV2 and
TVNZ on Demand, in Australia by
ABC and its
iView streaming service, and on
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...
in India. The five seasons appeared, though not always together, on different streaming television services worldwide. Netflix carried the first five seasons and later six for viewers in the U.S., UK, Ireland, France, Japan, Australia and South Africa. IMDb TV, a streaming service available through
IMDb
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
, and CW Seed, a streaming service for the American
CW network, also carries the first five seasons for viewers in the U.S. The series first season is available from July 14, 2021, in Italy, through the streaming platform
Mediaset Infinity+.
In December 2019, fans on social media accused UK television station 4Music of censoring some scenes featuring "intimate dialogue" and kissing between the show's LGBTQ characters. Co-creator and star, Dan Levy, also addressed the alleged
censorship
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...
on social media calling it "highly disturbing" and "dangerous". 4Music responded to the allegations of censored kissing with an apology, stating that the removal of a kiss between two male characters was "human error" and would be restored for future broadcasts. The station did not specifically respond to the allegations of censored dialogue between LGBTQ characters.
Additional accusations of censorship were made in October 2020 when co-creator and star, Dan Levy, called out Comedy Central India for editing a same-sex kiss between two male characters in a promotional clip posted to Comedy Central India's Twitter account. Levy noted via social media that ''Schitt's Creek'' is "a show about the power of inclusivity" and censoring gay intimacy was a "harmful statement against that message".
In April 2022,
Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
acquired the U.S. streaming rights to ''Schitt's Creek''. All six seasons of the series began streaming exclusively on the service starting on October 3.
In April 2024,
3Cat acquired the streaming rights to ''Schitt's Creek''. First and second seasons of the series began streaming for the catalan audience.
Syndication
In 2018,
Debmar-Mercury, a division of
Lionsgate, acquired the U.S. syndication rights to ''Schitt's Creek'', and sister company
Lionsgate Home Entertainment picked up the U.S. home media rights. The series is scheduled to debut in syndication with the
Fox Television Stations serving as the flagship group throughout the U.S. during the fall 2020 television season. The series also began airing reruns of series on Comedy Central on October 2, 2020. In December 2021, Fox Television Stations announced an end of syndication of the show at the close of the 2021–2022 television season.
Reception and accolades
Critical response
The first season of ''Schitt's Creek'' received mixed to positive reviews. It holds an approval rating of 68% on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
based on 28 ratings averaging 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The title is one of the best jokes of ''Schitt's Creek'', but performances from Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara give the writing a comedic boost." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the first season has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Vinay Menon of the ''
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division.
...
'' wrote that the show "is one of the best CBC comedies in years". After being picked up by
Pop, the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' described the show as "very funny, beautifully played,
ndsometimes touching," although Mike Hale of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called ''Schitt's Creek'' "drab and underwritten".
Subsequent seasons of ''Schitt's Creek'' were more positively received, with the show growing in popularity after debuting on Netflix in January 2017. On Rotten Tomatoes, seasons 2, 4, 5 and 6 have approval ratings of 100%, with season 4's consensus reading, "The comedic real estate value rises for ''Schitt's Creek'' in its fourth year, the series gradually maturing into appointment viewing with a big, beating heart beneath its absurdity." The final season's consensus reads: "Witty, warm, and with just the right blend of wisdom and wisecracks, ''Schitt's Creek''s final season is the perfect farewell to the Roses and the town that changed their lives." On Metacritic, the final season has a score of 95 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Bridget Read of ''
Vogue'' wrote that while the series "started off with typical fish out of water scenarios," it has "fully come into its own, with a whole cast of ''
Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...
''-meets-
Christopher-Guest-universe characters that are as equally endearing". In ''
New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City.
Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...
'', Maggie Fremont wrote that "the show takes a few episodes to get into its groove, but once it does, you'll never want to leave". The series has placed on annual best-of lists published by ''
The A.V. Club'', ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'', ''
Glamour'', ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', and ''
Variety''. In 2019, the series was named "The Best Show on TV Right Now" by ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media
In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...
''.
The series has also been praised for its portrayal of a
pansexual character, played by Dan Levy, as well as for how David's sexuality and subsequent relationship with Patrick are simply accepted by the other characters with no expressions of
homophobia
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
in the storyline.
Awards and nominations
In 2015, ''Schitt's Creek''s first season received two
Directors Guild of Canada awards from three nominations. At the
2016 ceremony, season 1 received nine
Canadian Screen Awards from 16 nominations. ''Schitt's Creek''
's second season received 13 nominations at the 5th
Canadian Screen Awards. In 2018, the series received nominations from the US-based
MTV Movie & TV Awards and the
Critics' Choice Television Award. In 2019, the series was nominated for 15
Canadian Screen Awards and four
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
s, winning the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role (
Catherine O'Hara) and Best Comedy Program or Series at the Canadian Screen Awards. The same year, the series won
Dorian Awards for TV Comedy of the Year and Unsung TV Show of the Year from the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.
In 2020, the sixth and final season was nominated for 15
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
s. This broke the record for the most Emmy nominations given to a comedy series in its final season. During the
72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, the show became the first ever comedy or drama series to sweep the four acting categories (
Outstanding Lead Actor,
Outstanding Lead Actress,
Outstanding Supporting Actor,
Outstanding Supporting Actress) and one of only four live action shows, along with ''
All in the Family
''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
'', ''
The Golden Girls
''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. The show's ensemble cast stars Beatrice Arthur, Betty ...
'', and ''
Will & Grace'' where all the principal actors have won at least one Emmy Award. In 2021, it won the
Screen Actors Guild Award for
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Other media
Home media
''Schitt's Creek'' has been distributed on DVD in the United States via
Lionsgate Home Entertainment, and in Canada by
Entertainment One (under license from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). In the United Kingdom, the series was released in it entirety through
ITV Studios
ITV Studios Limited is a British multinational television media company owned by British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadcasters, and is ba ...
. It has also been made available in Australia and New Zealand from
Acorn DVD.
Promotional
During the show's later seasons, the main cast participated in a series of interactive fan events. A live audience promotional tour known as ''Schitt's Creek'': Up Close & Personal featuring cast members Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, and Noah Reid premiered in September 2018 in Los Angeles. The event included behind-the-scenes stories; a live question and answer session with the cast; and an audience participation trivia game. Following the initial event's success, the tour was expanded to include stops in several additional US and Canadian cities in 2019. Daniel Levy stated that the tour was meant to both promote the show and thank fans for their support.
In November and December 2019, ''Schitt's Creek''
's US broadcaster, Pop TV, staged two immersive fan events in Los Angeles and New York City. These events allowed participants to visit the titular town via a series of "reimagined" sets featured on the show.
To promote the series' sixth and final season in January 2020, the CBC and Pop TV commissioned "groundbreaking" billboards featuring a same-sex kiss between the show's engaged couple, David and Patrick. Series creator Dan Levy said it felt "irresponsible" not to put the characters kissing on a billboard, as it isn't "something we see every day" and is "banned in multiple countries."
In June 2020, the cast of the show was featured in the
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
"
Dear Class of 2020" event performing the
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
song "
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
", with Carey herself making a surprise appearance.
Toronto mayor
John Tory announced that on Monday, September 21, 2020, the
CN Tower
The CN Tower () is a communications and observation tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 1976, it is located in downtown Toronto, built on the former Railway Lands. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway co ...
would be lit up in gold to celebrate the ''Schitt's Creek'' record-breaking sweep of every top comedy award at the
72nd Primetime Emmy Awards.
In conjunction with the series finale, the one-hour documentary special ''Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt's Creek Farewell'' was also broadcast by both the CBC and Pop.
Possible film
Following the series finale,
Daniel Levy was asked about the possibility of a feature film. While not committed to an idea at the time, he has expressed interest should such an idea materialize. "To be honest, this is the best way we could have ever ended the show. If there is an idea that pops into my head, it has to be really freaking good because this is a nice way to say goodbye. Fingers crossed we get a nice idea popping into our head soon. I would love to work with these people again."
References
External links
* at
CBC
*
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{{Authority control
2015 Canadian television series debuts
2020 Canadian television series endings
2010s Canadian LGBTQ-related comedy television series
2010s Canadian sitcoms
2010s Canadian satirical television series
2020s Canadian LGBTQ-related comedy television series
2020s Canadian sitcoms
2020s Canadian satirical television series
Best Musical or Comedy Series Golden Globe winners
Canadian LGBTQ-related sitcoms
CBC Television original programming
British English-language television shows
Fictional populated places in Ontario
Gay-related television shows
Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series winners
GLAAD Media Award–winning shows
Jewish comedy and humor
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series winners
Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series
Single-camera television sitcoms
Television series about actors
Television series about families
Television series by ITV Studios
Television series by Lionsgate Television
Television shows filmed in Ontario
Television shows set in Ontario
Works about social class
Works set in motels
2015 LGBTQ-related television