“Schitt’s Creek” is officially over after six seasons of LOL hilarity, sweet connections, and true characters. Fans of the Canadian comedy were treated to a tear-jerker of a series finale full of love — followed by a bonus behind-the-scenes episode meant to thank the show’s supporters.
Show creator Dan Levy punctuated that gratitude with a Twitter note.
And, as they have done for years, fans sent their thanks back to their beloved show, for six seasons that meant a lot to so many of us ...
For raising $200,000 for food banks in Canada and the U.S.
Giving back ’til the very end, the cast of “Schitt’s Creek” set up a series of Instagram Lives this week as a way to raise money for food banks in Canada and the U.S. during the coronavirus crisis.
For its sweetly straight-forward portrayal of LGBTQ+ relationships
Neurotic, highly-strung David’s relationship with supportive, even-keeled Patrick started in the third season, and quickly became one its strongest storylines.
It was a deliberate choice on Dan Levy’s part to present the show without any homophobia: anti-gay rhetoric just isn’t a part of the “Schitt’s Creek” universe, which he’s called “the only political stand” he’s taken as a showrunner.
“If you take the hate out, if you take the rules that are dictating who you can love, how you can love them, what kind of people are good people, what kind of people are bad people, you’re only left with joy,” he said at a cast roundtable, “which can only have an enlightening effect on whoever’s watching it.”
Plus Levy wanted to present an “incredibly nonchalant” romantic storyline between two men without tragedy or handwringing, something rarely seen on TV.
“That’s been very deliberate so to not make the queer story lines stand out in any way, because we don’t want them to,” Levy told Entertainment Weekly last year. “We want them to be presented with the same kind of casual ease that we present straight story lines.”
For gloriously celebrating live music
Patrick serenading David with a stripped-down version of Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” is often (correctly) cited as one of the show’s best moments. It’s “disarmingly sweet,” as Vanity Fair said: romantic without being cloying, a big gesture but also quiet, in the way romance really lives.
But there are other (figuratively) unsung musical moments from the show that deserve to be celebrated, too. One of the most moving revolves around Stevie, the motel’s seemingly tough-as-nails receptionist. After a tough breakup that leaves her with a debilitating sense of self-doubt, she gets cast in the town’s production of “Cabaret.”
Her rendition of one of the show’s standout tunes, “Maybe This Time,” starts off timid but rises quickly, until she’s belting it out, surprising even herself by loudly letting herself hope that things will get better.
An honourable mention goes to the Jazzagals, Moira’s characteristically quirky women’s choir.
And of course, “A Little Bit Alexis,” a perfect encapsulation of one of the show’s funniest characters. (Sample lyrics: “I’m a Lamborghini / I’m a Hollywood star / I’m a little bit tipsy / When I drive my car.”)
For blessing us with six years of Catherine O’Hara as a loving but madcap matriarch
What’s the best thing about Moira Rose? It’s hard to decide whether to honour the vocabulary, the pronunciation, the wigs, the ad for fruit wine ... the list goes on.
There are far fewer opportunities for actresses over 45 than there should be. But no one could watch Catherine O’Hara as Moira and tell us that complex, eccentric women in their 60s aren’t incredibly compelling to watch. They just couldn’t.
For reassuring parents that their LGBTQ+ kids are growing up in a more accepting world than they did
A tweet from Dan Levy’s real-lifemom, screenwriter Deborah Devine, beautifully sums up the progress that’s been made in just her son’s generation.
There’s obviously so much more to be done. But it’s worth acknowledging the triumphs, too.
For celebrating family
The Rose family is idiosyncratic, to say the least. They weren’t always close, and they still don’t always understand each other. But above all, the show is about a family that loves and accepts each other, and fans are on the journey with them, figuring out how to do that with their own families, too.
That level of affirmation is especially important for a lot of queer families.
“Too often, LGBTQ2 representations in pop culture either end in tragedy or farce,” Brianna Sharpe wrote for HuffPost Canada earlier this year.
But “Schitt’s Creek” is “an invitation to do better,” a bisexual mom of two living in Calgary told her. Positive portrayals of queer families living honestly and lovingly “can bring so much hope,” she said.
For changing the conversation about pansexuality
Explaining the term “pansexual” with a clear, accessible analogy that’s still regularly cited is definitely going to be one of the show’s legacies.
For revelling in high fashion
Moira Rose will not soon be forgotten for her black-and-white fashion, bold accessory choices, and astonishing wig collection. The outfit she wears to officiate the series-ending wedding is ... well, unparalleled Moira.
David, too, will be remembered for his lewks. How many primetime characters have their own digital paper dolls that you can dress in a wide variety of daring patterns and oversized sweaters?
For reassuring us that everything will be OK
Since the first episode aired on CBC in 2015, “Schitt’s Creek” has always provided welcome escapism: it’s a sweet, funny, self-contained universe we can enter whenever we need to zone out of the real-world challenges. Now that we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, the real world is feeling pretty scary.
But Moira, blessed Moira, had some prescient words for those at the finale’s wedding — and perhaps, for the rest of us: “It is all but impossible to explain why things happen the way they do. Our lives are like little bébé crows, carried upon a curious wind, and all we can wish for our families, for those we love, is that that wind will eventually place us on solid ground.”
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