Schitt's Creek

Daniel Levy came up with the idea for the show while watching reality television. He told Out.com, "I had been watching some reality TV at the time and was concentrating on what would happen if one of these wealthy families would lose everything. Would the Kardashians still be the Kardashians without their money?"[6] He turned to his father, Eugene Levy, to help develop the show; Eugene Levy came up with the series title. Daniel Levy decided to make the location of Schitt's Creek vague, but in August 2018 said that it is in Canada.[14][15]

The Levys initially pitched the show to several networks in Canada and the United States. Cable networks HBO and Showtime passed on the series, while broadcast networks ABC (United States) and the CBC (Canada) expressed interest. The show was first sold to the CBC, but the Levys decided against ABC as its U.S. broadcaster due to the network's alleged history of creative interference. Schitt's Creek eventually found a U.S. home on Pop TV after striking a deal with network head Brad Schwartz, who had previously hired Daniel on MTV Canada.[7]

During the early stages of development, various networks suggested the title of the show be changed to make it sound less vulgar. The Levys resisted these suggestions and argued "Schitt" was a legitimate last name. To prove their point, they brought pages copied from a phone book to the CBC showing listings for individuals with the "Schitt" surname. The CBC agreed and allowed the Levys to keep the original title.[16] The name has still faced censorship issues during promotional tours in the United States, with many networks shortening the title or providing extra disclaimers before using it on-air.[17]

Daniel Levy initially envisioned the series ending with season five, but agreed to a sixth season after receiving a two-year renewal following the show's fourth season.[18]

Catherine O'Hara was the series creators' first choice for the role of eccentric family matriarch, Moira Rose. O'Hara had previously worked with Eugene Levy on SCTV, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, and For Your Consideration. She initially turned down Levy's offer to star in Schitt's Creek, citing "laziness" and an aversion to long-term projects. Levy reached out to another unnamed actress, but continued to court O'Hara for the role. O'Hara eventually agreed to participate in the presentation pilot with no obligation to continue in the role after Schitt's Creek was ordered to series. After the show was picked up by the CBC, O'Hara agreed to continue in the role.[19]

Annie Murphy was offered the role of spoiled socialite Alexis Rose after actress Abby Elliott, who had portrayed the character in the presentation pilot, was unable to continue when the show was picked up to series, due to scheduling conflicts.[20] Murphy first auditioned for the role in Los Angeles, where Daniel Levy said she stood out due to her "wonderfully natural likability."[21] Eugene Levy was unsure of Murphy's casting because she did not possess the blonde hair he had pictured for the role of Alexis. Murphy was subsequently called back for a second audition for a different role, sarcastic motel clerk Stevie Budd. After this audition, Daniel Levy convinced his father that Murphy could dye her hair blonde, and she was officially cast as Alexis Rose.[20]

Emily Hampshire was cast as the deadpan motel clerk, Stevie Budd, after auditioning for the role in Los Angeles. She originally requested to submit a taped audition on account of her nerves and recurring hives breakouts. Hampshire ultimately agreed to audition in person, but states she has no recollection of the experience. According to Daniel Levy, who was present for the process, Hampshire gave a "great" audition, then proceeded to lift her shirt over her head to hide and slowly rocked back and forth. Levy later told Hampshire he found her audition "charming," and she was offered the part of Stevie.[22]

Noah Reid was offered the role of David's business partner and love interest, Patrick Brewer, in season three. Daniel Levy was socially familiar with Reid and invited him to audition on the suggestion of Stacey Farber.[23] Reid had never watched the show before he auditioned and was unsure how long the character would be a part of the series.[24][25] Daniel Levy was not present during the audition process and could not chemistry test with Reid before he was cast.[18]

Other cast regulars Chris Elliott and Sarah Levy were given the roles of Roland Schitt and Twyla Sands, respectively, without auditioning. Elliott says when Eugene Levy offered him the role of the titular town mayor, he thought, "Why would I say no?"[26] Sarah Levy, the real-life daughter of Eugene Levy and real-life sister of Daniel Levy, was asked to be a part of the show before it was fully developed.[27] She says she was glad not to be cast as Alexis, as being out of her real-life family's orbit on the show allowed her to "do [her] own thing."[28]

Schitt's Creek is produced by Not a Real Company Productions in association with CBC and Pop TV.[4] Pop TV joined the production team in season two after the series' first season was produced solely in association with CBC.[29] ITV Studios Global Entertainment also partnered with the CBC and Pop to distribute the show worldwide.[7] Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Fred Levy, Andrew Barnsley, and Ben Feigin have served as executive producers throughout the show's entirety.[30][31][32] Other executive producers have included writers Kevin White (seasons two and three) and David West Read (seasons five and six).[30][31][33][34] Eugene Levy served as showrunner alongside co-creator and son, Dan Levy, during the series' first season; Dan Levy took over as sole showrunner beginning in season two.[35]

Schitt's Creek was part of a "new direction" in programming taken by both CBC and Pop TV during the 2014-15 television season.[36] Premiering alongside 12 new primetime shows on CBC, the series represented one of the network's efforts to produce more "serialized, scripted" content, as well as more "cable-like" shows.[37][36][38] The series was also the first original, scripted program to air on Pop TV after its re-branding in January 2015. Formerly known as TV Guide Network, Pop TV was re-branded as a channel "filled with optimism, passion, funny and excitement."[39]

Schitt's Creek is filmed using a single camera set-up with no live audience or laugh track.[40] The interior scenes for the first two seasons were filmed at Pinewood Toronto Studios in Toronto,[16] while interior scenes for season 3 were shot at Dufferin Gate Studios in Toronto.[41] Interior scenes were also filmed at Revival Studios in Toronto for an unknown number of seasons.[42] The remainder of the series is filmed on location in Goodwood, Ontario, the Regional Municipality of Durham of the Greater Toronto Area, and Mono, Ontario, where the motel scenes are filmed.[43] Goodwood was one of 30 towns scouted for the fictional location of Schitt's Creek before production of the series began in 2014.[44]

The series has filmed in several additional locations during its run. The opening shot of the first season features Lisa Vanderpump’s former Beverly Park estate as the facade of the Rose family estate. Interior shots of the Rose family estate were filmed on location in a Sistine Chapel-inspired mansion in Toronto.[44] Main Street Stouffville, Ontario served as a filming location for an unspecified number of scenes in the series' first two seasons. Scenes involving the fictional retailer, Blouse Barn, in seasons two and three were filmed on location on Main Street in Unionville, Ontario.[45][46] In the season four episode "The Jazzaguy," scenes involving a spa retreat were filmed on location at Monte Carlo Inn in Vaughan, Ontario.[47] Exterior filming also took place at Rattlesnake Point in Milton, Ontario for season five's "The Hike."[48] In season six's "Smoke Signals," the series shot on location at Graydon Hall Manor, a wedding venue in Toronto.[49] The series also filmed in Bay-Adelaide Centre and Toronto-Dominion Centre for the season six episode "The Pitch."[42] Additional filming for several season six episodes took place at a local motel in Brantford, Ontario.[50]

Schitt's Creek features several musical performances from its main and supporting characters. The majority of these performances feature the town singing group, the Jazzagals. The Jazzagals' main members are Moira Rose, Jocelyn Schitt, Twyla Sands, Ronnie Lee, and Gwen Currie. Throughout the series, they have covered “It's Raining Men;” “Baby, I'm Yours;” "Takin’ It Home;" "Silent Night;" and "Islands in the Stream."[51]

In season one's "Carl's Funeral," Moira sings an a cappella version of "Danny Boy" as a distraction when Johnny's eulogy goes awry. She performs the same song a second time later in the episode.[51]

In season four's “Asbestos Fest,” David and Moira perform a duet known as “The Number.” This medley of holiday songs was regularly performed at the annual Rose Christmas party and included “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” “Deck the Halls,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” The song was arranged by Moira's portrayer, Catherine O’Hara.[52]

In season four's “Open Mic,” Patrick sings an acoustic cover of Tina Turner's “The Best” as a declaration of love to David. The song was arranged and performed by Patrick's portrayer, Noah Reid.[53] After airing on Schitt's Creek, Reid's version of the song was released on Spotify and iTunes, where it reached #1 on the Canadian charts. All proceeds from the single were donated to the Ontario charity, LGBT Youth Line.[54]

In season five's “The Hospies,” Alexis auditions for a community theatre production by singing “A Little Bit Alexis,” the theme song from her "critically reviewed, limited reality series" of the same name. Alexis’ portrayer, Annie Murphy, who wrote and performed the song for the show, says she drew inspiration from the pop songs of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. Menno Versteeg and Nixon Boyd of the Canadian band, Hollerado, also helped produce the song.[55] “A Little Bit Alexis” was released as a single on Spotify and iTunes, where it reached #28 on the Canadian charts.[56] Partial proceeds from the single were donated to MusiCounts, a Canadian organization providing music resources to schools in need.[57]

In season five's “Life Is a Cabaret”, several main characters perform “Willkommen” from the musical Cabaret. Stevie also sings a second number, “Maybe This Time,” as her Cabaret character, Sally Bowles, in the same episode.[58] Both songs were performed in front of a live audience during filming.[59]

In season six's "Happy Ending," the series finale, the Jazzagals sing a cappella versions of James Morrison's "Precious Love" and Tina Turner's "The Best" at David and Patrick's wedding. Noah Reid's Patrick also sings a portion of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" as part of his wedding vows to David in the same episode.[60]

Schitt's Creek has been co-broadcast in Canada and the United States since 2015. The show initially premiered on the CBC in Canada on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 9:00 pm/9:30 pm NT with back-to-back episodes.[1] It made its debut in the United States on Pop TV on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 10:00 pm ET/PT.[61][62] Pop moved the series to an 8:00 pm ET/PT time slot with an encore broadcast at 11:00 pm ET/PT for seasons two through four; it returned to its original 10:00 pm ET/PT time slot for season five.[30][31][32][63] The series maintained staggered premieres throughout its first five seasons, with new episodes debuting in Canada before being broadcast in the United States. This changed in the final season, with new episodes being broadcast simultaneously in Canada and the United States.[3] The series finale aired on April 7, 2020 at 8:00 pm ET; it was followed by a one-hour behind-the-scenes retrospective documentary titled Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt's Creek Farewell.[64] In the United States, the series finale was Schitt's Creek's highest-rated episode ever and simulcast on Logo TV and Comedy Central, which had recently become sibling networks to Pop TV through the ViacomCBS merger.[65]

As of 2019, the series also airs on 4Music in the UK; Viacom 18 in India; Fox Asia; and ABC Comedy in Australia.[66][67] It was previously broadcast in New Zealand by TV2 and TVNZ on Demand, in Australia by ABC and its iView streaming service, and on Comedy Central in India.[68][69] The five seasons appear, though not always together, on different streaming television services worldwide. Netflix carries the full series for viewers in the U.S., UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia and South Africa. IMDb TV, a streaming service available through IMDb, and CW Seed, a streaming service for the American CW network, also carry the first five seasons for viewers in the U.S.[70][71]

In December 2019, fans on social media accused UK television station 4Music of censoring some scenes featuring "intimate dialogue" and kissing between the show's LGBTQ characters.[72] Co-creator and star, Dan Levy, also addressed the alleged censorship on social media calling it "highly disturbing" and "dangerous." 4Music responded to the allegations of censored kissing with an apology, stating that the removal of a kiss between two male characters was "human error" and would be restored for future broadcasts. The station did not specifically respond to the allegations of censored dialogue between LGBTQ characters.[73]

In 2018, Debmar-Mercury, a division of Lionsgate, acquired the U.S. syndication rights to Schitt's Creek. The series is scheduled to debut in syndication on Fox Television Stations throughout the U.S. during the Fall 2020 television season.[74]

The first season of Schitt's Creek received generally positive reviews. It holds an approval rating of 61% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.38/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The title is one of the best jokes of Schitt's Creek, but performances from Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara give the writing a comedic boost."[75] On Metacritic, the first season has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews."[76] Vinay Menon of the Toronto Star wrote that the show "is one of the best CBC comedies in years."[77] After being picked up by Pop, the Los Angeles Times described the show as "very funny, beautifully played, [and] sometimes touching,"[78] although Mike Hale of The New York Times called Schitt's Creek "drab and underwritten."[79]

Subsequent seasons of Schitt's Creek have been more positively received, with the show growing in popularity after debuting on Netflix in January 2017.[80] On Rotten Tomatoes, seasons 2, 4, and 5 have approval ratings of 100%, with season 4's consensus reading, "The comedic real estate value rises for Schitt's Creek in its fourth year, the series gradually maturing into appointment viewing with a big, beating heart beneath its absurdity."[81][82][83] Bridget Read of Vogue wrote that while the series "started off with typical fish out of water scenarios," it has "fully come into its own, with a whole cast of Twin Peaks-meets-Christopher-Guest-universe characters that are as equally endearing."[84] In New York Magazine, Maggie Fremont wrote that "the show takes a few episodes to get into its groove, but once it does, you'll never want to leave."[85] The series has placed on annual best-of lists published by Esquire,[86] Glamour,[87] The New Yorker,[88] and Variety.[89] In 2019, the series was named "The Best Show on TV Right Now" by TV Guide.[90]

The series has also been praised for its portrayal of a pansexual character, played by Dan Levy,[91][92] as well as for how David's sexuality is simply accepted by the other characters with no expressions of homophobia in the storyline.[93]

In 2015, Schitt's Creek's first season received two Directors Guild of Canada awards from three nominations. At the 2016 ceremony, season 1 received nine Canadian Screen Awards from 16 nominations. Schitt's Creek's second season received 13 nominations at the 5th Canadian Screen Awards.[94] In 2018, the series received nominations from the US-based MTV Movie & TV Awards and the Critics' Choice Television Award. In 2019, the series was nominated for 15 Canadian Screen Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role (Catherine O'Hara) and Best Comedy Program or Series at the Canadian Screen Awards. The same year, the series won Dorian Awards for TV Comedy of the Year and Unsung TV Show of the Year from the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.[95][96][11]

During the show's later seasons, the main cast participated in a series of interactive fan events. A live audience promotional tour known as Schitt's Creek: Up Close & Personal featuring cast members Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, and Noah Reid premiered in September 2018 in Los Angeles. The event included behind-the-scenes stories; a live question and answer session with the cast; and an audience participation trivia game. Following the initial event's success, the tour was expanded to include stops in several additional U.S. and Canadian cities in 2019. Daniel Levy stated that the tour was meant to both promote the show and thank fans for their support.[106]

In November and December 2019, Schitt's Creek's U.S. broadcaster, Pop TV, staged two immersive fan events in Los Angeles and New York City. These events allowed participants to visit the titular town via a series of "reimagined" sets featured on the show.[107]

To promote the series' sixth and final season in January 2020, CBC and Pop TV commissioned "groundbreaking" billboards featuring a same-sex kiss between the show's engaged couple, David and Patrick.[108] Series creator Daniel Levy said it felt "irresponsible" not to put the characters kissing on a billboard, as it isn't "something we see every day" and is "banned in multiple countries."[109]