Review: Schitt's Creek

The show Schitt’s Creek has been a bit of a surprise for my partner and I. Purely based on the premise and the Netflix cover images we didn’t really give it a chance until it was recommended to us. Now we’re very happy we did, because it’s turning out to be a great show in so many ways. I felt like writing something about it.

The wealthy Rose family […] lose their fortune after being defrauded by their business manager. They rebuild their lives with their sole remaining asset: a small town named Schitt’s Creek, which was bought as a joke birthday gift in 1991. The Roses 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 come into conflict with the more provincial residents of Schitt’s Creek.

Like you might expect with the basic premise of a family of spoiled and formerly rich people moving into this environment, there is some animosity and cynicism from both sides, which is funny in a mutual “look at these silly people” kind of way, but it’s refreshing to see the characters get settled and warm up to their new environment and the people in it.

The Rose Family
The Rose Family — Moira, Alexis, Johnny, and David

The people have quirks, especially in the Rose family, and although characters sometimes make fun of each other, that is mostly just witty people riffing off each other.

The witty banter is so good in this show.

As the Roses get more integrated into the town of Schitt’s Creek, the show becomes more wholesome: people’s relationships deepen, they find love, and characters get developed further. It’s nice to see that the show treats everyone with respect: the writers somehow found enough to play with without resorting to random relationship drama or “let these people suffer for our enjoyment”. This is reflected in how the show handles LGBTQ+ characters, which is a breath of fresh air.

I think there’s a strong theme of identity in the undercurrents of this show. It’s interesting to see the Roses reckon with their identities and sense of taste and sophistication now they’re in this new place. I find that in a lot of shows these types of characters are the twodimensional fussy and impossible side characters. Jokes are made and eyes rolled — of course — but it seems like it is done from a genuine place of self-awareness and self-criticism. And that is nice.

All of this makes the show feel unique and sincere for a comedy.

When it comes to fashion, this show is also special. I never saw myself as someone who would care about the fashion of a tv show, but here we are. Whether it’s Moira’s absurdly glamorous outfits during everyday activities, Alexis’ dresses or David’s sweaters and kinda non-binary style.

Speaking of, there are a lot of great sweaters in this show, there are a lot of charticles and even websites dedicated to David’s sweaters, it’s crazy.

Behind every great sitcom is a great heart and soul, and this one has one for sure. That said, there will be a time soon where we run out of episodes (we’re now in season 5), and we’ll be a bit sad, but it’s been a lovely ride.