Schitt’s Creek came out in January 2015, quickly becoming a popular sitcom and comedy. It ended in April 2020, with 6 seasons filled with stories of a family’s journey, new friendships, new relationships, and life struggles.
The series featured the Rose family as they lost their fortune, their home, and nearly everything they owned, with the exception of a small town called Schitt’s Creek, gifted to the son, David, by his father. The family of four moved to this small town with the few belongings they had and started over.
After the show finished, creator and main star Dan Levy released “Best Wishes, Warm Regards: A Schitt’s Creek Farewell” in 2020. This 45-minute special featured the process of making the show, finding the cast, and its importance to its fans. A large part of Schitt’s Creek audience is the LGBTQ+ community, due to the show’s representation of the community and members without making it an issue.
“It just would never have occurred to me that it’s better to do a show where there is no homophobia than to do a show that speaks to it and talks about how it does, but like, what a paradigm shift,” said Emily Hampshire, actress of Stevie Budd, David’s best friend in the show.
In Schitt’s Creek, David Rose is a pansexual man who in later seasons of the series gets in a relationship with a guy, Patrick Brewer, played by actor Noah Reid. As their relationship becomes more serious, no one in the town questions this, unlike other shows that feature similar couples.
In a scene with David and Stevie, Stevie asks David for his preference in wine, asking about his sexuality in the same question. This is one way that the show addressed the topic of sexuality without making it awkward or difficult to talk about. In the show, the audience sees David with men and women, and in this scene, Stevie is trying to understand David’s preference.
“I like the wine and not the label. Does that make sense?” responded David to Stevie’s question on whether he likes white or red wine, implying that he does not prefer a specific label.
In another episode, David’s father, Johnny Rose, played by Eugene Levy, is talking to Roland Schitt, mayor of Schitt’s Creek, about his son’s sexuality. Johnny says that if David picks on gender that things might be less confusing.
“Well, you know, Johnny, when it comes to the heart, we can’t tell our kids who to love,” responded Roland.
With the following statement, the two men accepted David’s sexuality and moved on without it being an issue or a comedic moment in the show.
While David Rose is the only Rose family member that is openly part of the LGBTQ+ community, the community found representation and passion in another Rose family member, Moira Rose, David’s mom.
Moira is a very fashion-driven person, with an assortment of wigs covering her wall and extravagant clothes filling her closet. The Netflix special features members of the LGBTQ+ community dressing up as Moira, proudly expressing themselves.
Since its release in 2015 and being added to Netflix, over 4 million people have watched Schitt’s Creek as of June 9th, 2021. Even though the show came to an end in 2020, its audience continues to grow.
All 6 seasons of Schitt’s Creek are available on Netflix.