Everything about Schitt’s Creek, eh?

Schitt's Creek

Link: Schitt’s Creek: 10 Reasons we love David and Stevie

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Schitt’s Creek: 10 Reasons we love David and Stevie
As the first season comes to a close, we here at The TV Junkies can’t help but celebrate the fact that Schitt’s Creek has given us our favourite “non couple” couple on TV. Now we don’t want Moira reaching for the antidepressants, but we’re not talking about the legendary comedy team of Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, who play Johnny and Moira Rose. Rather, we’re referring to the Roses’ son David (Dan Levy), and hotel clerk Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire). Continue reading.

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Schitt's Creek

Link: Schitt’s Creek: A Welcome New CBC Hit

From James Bawden:

Schitt’s Creek: A Welcome New CBC Hit
A very demure friend of mine in Ottawa told me she’d just have to phone me back.

“Right now I’m watching my favorite series Schitt’s Creek,” she said before hanging up. And then there was the check out girl at Sobeys who said she adjusted her hours “So I can get home, make dinner and watch Schitt’s Creek.”

In a season where CBC-TV has been pounded by falling revenues from the federal government as well as the future loss of NHL hockey there’s been one bright shining ray of hope.

Yes, It’s Schitt’s Creek. Continue reading.

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Schitt's Creek

Link: Dan Levy on why the most provocative thing about Schitt’s Creek isn’t the name

From Cassandra Szklarski of Canadian Press:

Dan Levy on why the most provocative thing about Schitt’s Creek isn’t the name
About halfway through the first season of Schitt’s Creek, it became clear that the most provocative element of the CBC sitcom had nothing to do with its name.

Instead, it was the unusual relationship quietly brewing between fashion-obsessed David, played by Dan Levy, and his snarky clad-in-plaid buddy Stevie, played by Emily Hampshire. Their quippy odd-couple banter somehow leads to an envelope-pushing friends-with-benefits fling. Continue reading.

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Schitt's Creek

Link: How Schitt’s Creek’s first season didn’t run dry

From David Berry of the National Post:

How Schitt’s Creek’s first season didn’t run dry
Schitt’s Creek settled into grooves of both character and plot — you could see where the season was going from its second episode — which dimmed some of the consistently clever writing.

Still, it had plenty of fun with it, especially when it found ways to get its main foursome into slightly new situations: O’Hara’s boisterous overacting as matriarch Moira attempts to sustain the surprise at her birthday party was a great wrinkle, and the sad, sarcastic and sweet way that whole party came together was proof that the ensemble has the ability to push and pull each other. So, too, was the enjoyable if obvious way David and Stevie’s friendship-with-benefits played out. Continue reading.

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Schitt’s Creek passes down the comedy crown

I came for the Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy; I stayed for the Dan Levy and Emily Hampshire.

When Schitt’s Creek debuted on CBC in January, the show sold itself. Literally. CBC picked it up for a second season before the first started airing. The first two episodes, which aired back to back, earned 1.4 million viewers.  It was picked up by POP TV (formerly TV Guide Network) in the US.

The reunion of Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara brought out of the woodwork SCTV and Christopher Guest mockumentary aficionados, not to mention fans of their individual careers. Their ease with each other and mastery of these types of comic characters — Levy’s befuddled patriarch, O’Hara’s self-centred socialite – paved the way for a welcome reception, and they continue to be their reliably funny selves in a story of the formerly wealthy Rose family who have lost their money and live in a seedy hotel in the seedy town they own as a joke. Some of the jokes are crude, some are obvious, but they own them like the Roses used to own hideous and hideously expensive artwork.

The bad news? Overnight ratings have halved since the premiere. They’re still on par with other middling CBC shows, but they’ve definitely lost their luster. The good? Those of us who stuck around were rewarded with an undercurrent of a more subtle kind of comedy and moments of genuine emotion, as well as the heretofore hidden talents of another generation of comedic actors, some of whom share the Levy surname. Eugene’s daughter Sarah plays the smaller role of Twyla, but Schitt’s Creek is really Dan Levy’s show.

He co-created, executive produces and co-stars as Rose son David, and nothing about his previous resume — MTV host? — had me expecting his unique comedic timing. Something about that delivery cracks me up every time, and I remain amused at that ubiquitous affectation of a generation: the trailing “so ….”.

For every joke about Schitt, there’s a joke about wine that’s not really about wine at all, and more about character revelation than laughs (though it got laughs too). David’s prickly relationship with sarcastic hotel clerk Stevie (Emily Hampshire) has become the heart of the show. Spoiled daughter Alexis (Annie Murphy) has similarly become humanized over the course of the season through her real affection for some of the handsomer townfolk (I mean, Mutt’s no Roland, but he’ll do).

The season finale — “Town for Sale” – airing on CBC Tuesday is as absurd, puerile, multi-layered hilarious, and heartwarming as the previous episodes unexpectedly led me to expect. Johnny and Moira’s antics still make me laugh out loud, but it’s the kids who stole my heart.

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