'Schitt's Creek' stands out in a crowd of television and web series

I remember reading an article on 'The Guardian', which goes something like "Terrible name, terrific sitcom" and I do not know if I agree with the first part. Still, I definitely agree with the terrific part, and a blog post dedicated to this terrific family which made me laugh and cry my heart out is the least that I can do to make myself happy and to contribute to the big family of fans out there.

To start with, it has to be the portrayal of the love story between David (Daniel Levy) and Patrick (Noah Reid) which is just another love story minus all the struggles and fights against society. We, of course, cannot deny the everyday struggles that many same-sex couples face but then many lead a life just like David and Patrick too, a portrayal of which brings in a breath of fresh air and a ray of sunshine to people's lives and minds. It is not always a good feeling to see just the struggles on the screen, so a mixed platter is more preferable. Schitt's Creek does that thing right to the T. The fact that David is a bit 'different' from the others in the small town is not a matter of hype and hoopla, and neither is it portrayed as something that's bothering David or his family. And, definitely, the way David goes around rubbing Mariah Carey on everyone's face is very entertaining.

 

A character like Alexis is so real beyond comparison because, besides all the socialite image and everything the falling in love, the realisation of love and her love for her brother is full of heart and not for once feels unreal. The portrayal is never over the top and the balance in this character is just what it takes to make a character appealing even after being kind of irritating. The cherry on the icing has to be "A Little Bit Alexis", but the romance between Ted (Dustin Milligan) and Alexis also comes a close second. In one of the interviews when I heard Annie Murphy (Alexis) talking about how she thought of leaving acting after two years of not getting any work and then this happened, I almost thanked god for it. Boop!

Any post on this show cannot be even half complete without mentioning the diva Moira Rose played by Catherine O'Hara and her ever clueless husband Johnny Rose played by the Eugene Levy. They make the very unlikely couple given their sense in fashion, choice of words, and accepting life. However, they are an adorable couple and a reminder that two people need not always be the same to be in love. There are episodes where both go for a sudden hookup session in a cabin on their anniversary or just thinks of going for skinny dipping to relive the old days or the one where Johnny dedicates a rose garden to Moira's name but ends up with all sorts of spelling and printing mistakes. Johnny and Moira together is a motel on fire. 

Moira's accent, vocabulary, wigs and the dresses are each a character which adds up continuously. Alongside Alexis and David, Moira raised the fashion meter really high and its a delight to watch them experiment with something new in every episode. From forgetting her daughter's middle name to carrying a list of questions when she went out on an almost forced lunch with Alexis to worrying about some ancestral handbag more than her lost son; Moira is beyond hilarious.

Comedies are made but its really hard to hold on throughout with such smart, hilarious and fresh writing without any dull points. And, it is no mindless slapstick comedy, it has a heart, a big one and like I mentioned at the very beginning it is a tear-jerker too in parts and they are also equally delightful.  

Finally, the whole cast of Schitt's Creek, Stevie (Emily Hampshire), Roland (Chris Elliott), Jocelyn (Jenn Robertson), Twyla (Sarah Levy), Mutt (Tim Rozon), Ronnie (Karen Robinson), Bob (John Hemphill) and everyone else in the series has a story to tell. Each of the characters played pivotal roles somewhere or the other and few like Stevie, Twyla, Roland and Jocelyn played parallel leads throughout. Each actor fits into their character so well that never along the eighty episodes did I feel anything being forced, and that is the whole magic all about. Although the series has the Rose family in the centre, it is not only about the Rose family and develops each of the characters in a way that by the end of six seasons I can easily talk about each of the main and recurring characters in details and that credit has to go to the creators of the show.

I can go on and on but taking a cue from 'Schitt's Creek', end when it is still doing good, this is the last paragraph of my writeup. I finished the series a few days back, but it has been hard getting over it, and this is for the first time that something like this is happening with me. It might be because of my personal life where in many ways I could connect or maybe just because I got so involved in these characters that now I have a whole new world of my own where I make up my personal stories revolving around these characters (By the way, Dustin Milligan did appear in my dreams once very recently). As much as I hope to see them coming back on screen, I enjoy this world of mine too, where Rose family resides in the motel of my imagination.