The Quarantine Stream: 'Schitt's Creek' Will Make You A Better Person
(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they've been watching while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.)The Show: Schitt's CreekWhere You Can Stream It: Netflix (with the exception of the recent season 6, which hasn't been added there yet)The Pitch: The obscenely wealthy Rose family loses all their money, and are forced to move into a run-down motel in the small backwater town of Schitt's Creek. The formerly wealthy Rose fam obviously doesn't fit in with the small town and its quirky inhabitants at first, but as the show progresses, the characters grow to call it home.Why It's Essential Quarantine Viewing: Believe everything you've heard: Schitt's Creek is a little miracle of a show. It's funny as hell, but it's also often heart-warmingly sweet, and laughter and warmth are two things we could all use a little more of right about now.
I've been seeing people sing the praises of Schitt's Creek for years, and yet I just never got around to checking it out. Not because I didn't care – the stars just never aligned, and the moment never arose. But recently, my wife and I were on the hunt for a new show to watch. Something funny – because, ya know, everything is a fucking nightmare right now. And that's when I remembered Schitt's Creek.
Like The Good Place, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Schitt's Creek isn't just a show that can have you doubled over with laughter. It can also make you shed a tear or two. Or three. Oh who am I kidding, it made me sob uncontrollably on several occasions. Because ultimately, Schitt's Creek is about good people surrounded by other good people. There's a warmth, and kindness, that radiates off this show. Watching it can actually make you a better person.
Similar to Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and even Parks and Recreation, Schitt's Creek doesn't exactly find that sweet spot right from the jump. Oh, it's plenty funny during its first season. But the comedy is a little cruder, even meaner. And while you may watch the first season laughing, you might also be wondering: "Why does everyone rave about this show? Sure, it's funny – but what's the big deal?"
Season 2 will answer that question. Because season 2 is when Schitt's Creek blossoms into something truly special. It's when the show finally finds its heart. The first season was all about showing us how clueless the Rose family was. In that first season, the hopelessly unhip patriarch Johnny (Eugene Levy), his fashionable and altogether weird wife Moira (Catherine O'Hara), and their adult children, the self-absorbed David (Dan Levy) and part girl Alexis (Annie Murphy) are all portrayed as fish-out-of-water who spend every waking moment hating Schitt's Creek and trying to find ways to get out.
By season 2, though, a shift begins to happen. The Roses begin to grow as characters. They begin to come into their own. They become better people – and they keep becoming better people in the subsequent seasons. It's a joy to watch and experience, because it feels like we're growing right along with them. We're learning to become better people.