I resisted seeing the Canadian show SCHITT’S CREEK (6 seasons) believing that the title evoked BEVERLY HILLBILLIES redux, unaware that Eugene Levy who with Christopher Guest co-authored the screenplay of BEST IN SHOW twenty years ago was involved and that this Netflix series was a “family affair.” I needed a break from my usual murder/serial killer viewing; the election and de-election of Trump had enough horrific drama to satisfy my inner “blood-thirsty” nature, so I finally listened to a friend and tuned in. And I began to laugh out loud!
Campy, funny, a fashion delight wrapped up with idiosyncratic characters whose veneer is penetrated bursting open a genuine pathos, heartache, and delightful eccentricities. The characters also become more self-aware without losing the very qualities of arrogance and whimsy that make them so unique.
The series revolves around the Rose family - once extraordinarily wealthy living the jet-set lives of monied millionaires. The family in their former lives valued prosperity above all else and when they are brought down - hints at tax problems, fraud, etc. into poverty with former friends snubbing them, their last resort is to move into a motel in a little town - Schitt’s Creek that they had bought as a “joke” years before, where they now can go and regroup.
The husband Johnny is played by a staid Eugene Levy (a former video magnate) who is the cheerleader of his wildly fanciful ex- soap opera star wife Moira (the great Catherine O’Hara) who dispenses volumes of words - her own distinctive language - recklessly poetic, delivered with an unrestrained directness and with an equally strange accent. Her wardrobe and jewelry have been meticulously invented from literally crowning head to extravagant footwear. Her precious wigs (“girls”) which are changed myriad times per 30-minute episode - as are her gorgeous over the top outfits, all contribute to the deliriously visual bravura of SCHITT’S CREEK.
Daniel Levy who is the real-life son of Eugene Levy, and the person who originally conceived the idea for the show, wrote all the episodes with his father, Eugene. He portrays David Rose - the gay son whose brilliantly splashy persona is evident in the amazing outfits he wears; his biting critiques of the lifestyles of those around him, and whose handsome face is an open book of a person who has learned to overdramatize himself to camouflage desolation. I adore this character and the voyeur in me could watch him for hours as he switches moods and becomes both dismissive and attentive to those around him. He too never apologizes for who he is. The show openly speaks to class differences, and sexual preferences but never preaches. There is a natural acceptance of every character - even the most self-conscious and obnoxious ones.
There are many other actors that round out this ensemble, but I wanted to single out David’s love interest Patrick (Noah Reid) the pictorial opposite of David - their attraction is intensely delicate and their interactions as partners in business as well as in life are enchanting. I also responded to a woman who is the most seemingly “traditional” of the entourage - Stevie (Emily Hampshire) - the owner of the Motel - who is full of surprises but reveals them without affectation.
This is a Canadian production. Enough said. Laugh and enjoy.
