The Canadian Screen awards took place on March 2, with the increasingly popular show Schitt’s Creek getting another big achievement—winning the Best Comedy Series award. The star actress, Catherine O’Hara, also won Best Lead Actress in a comedy.
The show started in 2015 and its most recent season has been its best, it deserved the award. Each season builds upon the last, and the comedy series has developed into a beautiful story with so much depth, while never losing any of its hilariousness.
Schitt’s Creek is about the Rose family— wealthy people who suddenly lose everything after the IRS takes all of their assets because of a business fraud scandal. They move to a small town, the titular Schitt’s Creek, which father Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy) bought for his son, David (Daniel Levy), as a joke. The show follows the life of Johnny, his wife, Moira (Catherine O’Hara), his daughter, Alexis (Annie Murphy), and David as they try to live in the town’s run-down motel and navigate the small-town lifestyle.
The show is produced by the Canadian father-son-duo Eugene and Daniel Levy, stars them, and they often write episodes. Daniel’s sister, Sarah Levy also plays Twyla in the series. Together, they create a distinctly Canadian show, one that I find often reminds me of my small hometown and welcomes me back into a family. It is relatable, funny, heartwarming, and emotional—it displays the best of life and shows you how to laugh throughout the bad.
The show was added to Netflix last year, and this helped it become recognized around the world. The New York Times, The Guardian, and other major news organizations started writing articles about it, with headlines like The Guardian’s “Schitt’s Creek: the funniest sitcom you’re (probably) not watching.”
This happened at the perfect time—right as the show started to dig deeper to create a more complete story. The Roses finally start integrating into the town and form meaningful relationships with people much different from themselves.
David and his business partner Patrick (Noah Reid) start to date, and the show explores themes of homosexuality and acceptance. It is one of the few times I’ve seen a gay relationship expressed on screen so real and intimately. It’s refreshing to say the least.
Their relationship has sparked fans around the world to connect with the characters and has done something quintessentially Canadian—it has helped people overcome their differences through understanding.
In interviews with the media, Daniel Levy says people who did not understand queer culture, right-wing and religious people have contacted him to say they have opened their eyes. They fall in love with the characters and look past their prejudices.
Part of the reason this is possible is because of the convincing roles played by everyone involved in the production. Each character is distinct and has such a strong personality it feels as if you truly know them.
O’Hara won the Best Lead Actress award for the fourth year in a row, joining Emily Hampshire, who plays hotel-owner Stevie Budd in Schitt’s Creek, as the first Canadian comedic actresses to win four awards—Hampshire has won twice for Best Supporting Actress in Schitt’s Creek. Beyond the acting, Schitt’s Creek shows a world without hate—a world full of tolerance and love. Eugene and Daniel Levy recently announced that the sixth season airing in 2020 will be its last. If you haven’t started watching it yet, it’s not too late to catch up and find out what you’ve been missing.
