TCA 18: Schitt’s Creek Is More Than Just a ‘Riches to Rags’ Series

Credit: Pop TV

The cast and co-creators of Schitt’s Creek partook in a panel for the Winter 2018 tour for the TCA’s, and we learned quite a bit about the show. From the origin of the series to how the characters have changed throughout – hearing what the cast/creators had to say, honestly can make any ultimate Schitt’s Creek fan love the show even more!

How the show came to be is interesting. Six years ago or so, Dan Levy (co-creator and David Rose) noticed the upswing of reality shows like Real Housewives and the whole slew that was the Kardashians’ franchise. He presented to his father, Eugene Levy (co-creator and Johnny Rose) the idea of a rich and well-off family losing everything. “If that was stripped away, would there be love there, and what would those sort of bare-bones relationships look like?” Dan Levy explained.

But in this “riches to rags” and “fish out of water” type series, it was very important to both Eugene and Dan, that the town of Schitt’s Creek not be treated as the joke/short end of the stick. Dan mentioned, “I think it was really important from the beginning that this town be sort of wiser than the family, and that the joke fall on the family, and not the town.” Given how the Roses acquired the town in the first place, (Johnny, as a joke for his son), that’s evident from the get-go.

With the series now on its fourth season, you would think the Roses would begin to become accustomed to the town of Schitt’s Creek and all who inhabit it. But that’s definitely not the case for all of them. “Well it’s never going to happen for my character. Never,” Catherine O’Hara (Moira Rose) commented. But with the family living in an adjoining motel room together, “…the worst part turned out to be the best part of it, because we are stuck together,” O’Hara continued. Ultimately, this show is based around “a family learning to become a family, without the assistance of a lot of money,” Eugene Levy adds. The Roses have to learn how to experience things without money as a cushion or an easy fix. Without giving anything away for those that want to see the show from the very beginning, the Roses go through a lot of growth and development that I don’t think too many similar comedy series have touched upon.

Take Annie Murphy’s character, Alexis Rose, for example. In this season we find her attending Elmdale Community College to try and pursue a career in public relations. When the show first started, Alexis hadn’t worked a day in her life. Both Murphy and Dan Levy went into great depth on where her character will go in season 4. “I think the independence factor definitely comes into play,” begins Murphy. “But I also think that being kind of a high-powered PR person is something that Alexis was surrounded by in her old life.”

Dan Levy also states:

“I think the great thing about Alexis this season is that she’s trying her best to just make something of a bad situation, and knowing first of all having to admit that she never finished high school, and now, having finished high school, feeling the need to pursue a higher level of education. I just think she feels in the end that she sort of owes it to herself a little bit, and being in this town almost provided clarity that she could make more of her life than she actually thought she could in the past.”

Another aspect of this show that really allows it to stem away from other comedies is that it doesn’t let the motel become the certain of attention and allow for the guests that come and go to be well…guest stars. Eugene Levy explains, “I think if the show was really about the motel, then guests probably would come into play a bit more. But the focus really is on the family and what’s going on in the motel over and above aside from what’s going on with the family is kind of incidental, except for the storylines where we are focusing on particular guests that are staying at the motel.” Dan Levy added to this point by mentioning, “So, yeah, we haven’t done sort of celebrity guest stars or anything like that, mainly because the focus is really about the story, and what’s going to serve the story and keep people in the world.”

Fans of Schitt’s Creek, what are your thoughts and theories on what will happen in season 4?

Schitt’s Creek airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on PopTV. The season 4 trailer can be viewed below.