We love this journey for “Schitt’s Creek”!
The beloved sitcom, which racked up a whopping 15 nominations, took home the first seven awards at the 72nd annual ceremony Sunday night.
“Schitt’s Creek” was previously nominated for four awards at the 2019 Emmys but was snubbed in all categories.
This year, the Canadian show ― which wrapped its sixth and final season in April ― was the second most-nominated comedy of the year, after “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
The four “Schitt’s Creek” actors who play the Rose family were all nominated: Eugene Levy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Catherine O’Hara for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, Dan Levy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, and Annie Murphy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy.
Those nominations made the show the only comedy or drama series to land nominations in all four possible acting categories in 2020. It’s also the comedy show with the most Emmy wins for a single season.
All four actors won in their respective categories.
Dan Levy also picked awards for Best Writing for a Comedy Series, and for Best Directing, along with Andrew Cividino.
O’Hara led the pack with the first win of the night, for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, causing Dan Levy to later tweet that Moira ― O’Hara’s character on the show ― got her Emmy. It marked O’Hara’s first-ever Emmy win for acting.
In her acceptance speech, she thanked the show’s creators for writing a main character who’s both a middle-aged woman and a fascinating weirdo.
“I will forever be grateful to Eugene and Daniel Levy... for bestowing upon me the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age — my age — who gets to be, her ridiculous self,” she said.
“They gathered the most beautiful, fun-loving people in Toronto — cast and crew — and then, by example, led us all to be the best we could be for each other.”
Eugene Levy collected a statue shortly thereafter, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy, with Dan— Eugene Levy’s son — beaming and looking teary-eyed behind him as he accepted the award.
Dan Levy then collected the third and fourth award of both the broadcast and for his show for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.
After the fourth award went to “Schitt’s Creek,” host Jimmy Kimmel quipped that the night was quickly becoming a “Schitt’s-krieg.”
When Levy won for Outstanding Supporting Actor ― the fifth award of the night ― he quipped that the internet was about to turn on him for the volume of wins.
Annie Murphy rounded out the acting wins, accepting the sixth win of the night for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Dan Levy continued to emote in the background.
Dan and Eugene Levy accepted the show’s seventh award for the night ― Outstanding Comedy Series ― on behalf of the whole cast.
They both thanked the CBC by name, something that is definitely not a common occurrence at the Emmys.
The younger Levy also took the opportunity to remind Americans to vote in their upcoming election.
“Our show at its core is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance, and that is something that we need more of now than we’ve ever needed before,” he said. “Go out and vote because that’s the only way we’re going to have some love and acceptance out there.”
“Schitt’s Creek” also won in the non-televised Creative Arts Emmys, which were in the days leading up to Sunday. The show beat out “Euphoria,” “Killing Eve” and “Unorthodox” to win the Best Contemporary Costumes award.
The show’s costumes are definitely impressive, especially the frequently over-the-top numbers worn by Dan Levy and O’Hara’s characters. Working with a small budget, the show’s costume designers have spoken before about how they heavily monitored eBay and online consignment shops to get discounted designer pieces, which they paired with more affordable items.
The show’s finale also featured O’Hara in what’s essentially the pope’s clothes, complete with giant hat, robe, enormous gold necklaces, and a blonde wig so long it went below her knees.
“I showed it to Dan [Levy] and he said, ‘I like it but it’s a little brave,’” designer Debra Hanson told the LA Times. “Well, we always have been brave.”
“Schitt’s Creek” also won for Best Casting in a Comedy Series, which — Catherine O’Hara. Enough said.
Of the Emmys being virtual this year, Dan Levy told Entertainment Weekly in July that “it obviously feels very ‘Schitt’s Creek’ to get a bunch of award recognitions and not be able to actually go to the awards.”
He added that his ideal Emmys night would be “a dinner party” at his parents’ house in Canada to “celebrate with the people who got the show to this incredible place.”
“It’ll be an intimate affair, one that I think will have a lot of heart, and the proper amount of Canadian humility,” he said at the time.
Luckily, Levy’s dream came to fruition. He, alongside the three main cast members, Noah Reid, Karen Robinson, executive producers and director Andrew Cividino, gathered for an “intimate” Emmys event in Toronto. The group got to celebrate in real time as they kept collecting statues.
The official “Schitt’s Creek” summed up our feelings towards the many wins with this astute message after Murphy collected her award:
And Canadians, naturally, were ultra-proud of our homegrown success.
With files from Maija Kappler