The influence of the pandemic was very much apparent at 2020’s Emmy awards, and not just because they were done virtually. Lockdown favourite Schitt’s Creek cleaned up, taking home – or, having home delivered after thorough sanitisation – an impressive nine awards.
At one time another, we’ve all felt a bit like we’re up Schitt’s Creek without an oar, but show creators Dan and Eugene Levy now not only have an oar, but a full blown speedboat, full of awards. The series first premiered in 2015, and for some reason went largely ignored. That is, until Netflix pulled it out of the dark early this year, and into the sun of millions of miserable, quarantining viewers. A 2020 success story if there ever was one. The premise is simple: rich family finds themselves suddenly skint, forced to live in their one remaining asset, a town called Schitt’s Creek that they bought as a joke a few decades ago. Cue jokes about wealth turned to want and bizarre small-town locals, in a show full of jovial joy and warmth.
Despite the series not hitting our radar until recently, it turns out the press have been banging this drum for a while. In 2018 it was featured by The Telegraph as one of the best shows of 2018, and in January of 2019 Vanity Fair had an article titled, “Yes, Schitt’s Creek Really Is That Good.” More recently, Stuart Heritage of The Guardian called it “the funniest sitcom you’re (probably) not watching,” and Margaret Lyon’s in The New York Times said it is, “funny and light and loopy.” Praise all round for the show, and free hand sanitiser all round for the cast.
If you’re looking for somewhere to escape to, why not try Schitt’s Creek?
First shown March 2015. You can watch the trailer by pressing play on the show image, or by clicking here.
