This article was published on February 3rd, 2020

“Ew David!” What’s not so “ew” is: quite possibly the best comedy on television is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Schitt’s Creek, the little Canadian comedy about an eccentric, wealthy family’s fall from grace, is also one of the best representations of queer characters that has ever been depicted on television. Finally being honored by big Hollywood award nominations after the first 5 seasons were released on Netflix last year, Schitt’s Creek, the funniest, gayest series has announced this newest 6th season released on POP TV will be its last, finale season.

If you have yet to discover this incredible program starring comedian legends Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, co-created by Levi and his son, and co-starring his son Dan Levi, with Annie Murphy, Chris Elliot, and Sarah Levy, it’s about time you got introduced to the outrageous Rose Family and the dilapidated small town they are forced to live in: Schitt’s Creek.

Half Absolutely Fabulous, half Green Acres meets riches to rags story, Schitt’s Creek is about the Rose family: husband and wife Johnny and Moira Rose, Levy and O’Hara, and their two fully grown children David and Alexis, played by Dan Levy and Annie Murphy. Due to some shady business dealings and fraudulent affairs, the absurdly wealthy Rose family are forced from their Bel Air home and evicted onto the streets, with their only remaining asset left to turn to for help: a small town called Schitt’s Creek the Roses had long ago purchased as a joke. Now, residing in Schitt’s Creek only roadside crappy hotel, these former multi-millionaires are forced to live in 2 rooms of the motel and make do with their new lives.

Conceived and created by out pansexual Dan Levy and his father Eugene, the series has multiple characters that are LGBT and Schitt’s Creek might be the best depiction of queer people, ever. The Levys deliberately went out of their way to show that Schitt’s Creek is the way middle America should be: warm, welcoming, friendly, and a community that thrives helping one another.

While the Roses are eccentric and push back against it, everyone in Schitts Creek welcomes the Roses into their society, despite how weird and awful they treat them. Several of the characters are gay, pansexual, or bisexual, yet the series rarely if ever mentions their sexuality. They just are. Dan’s character David Rose dates women and men, sleeps with both, and ends up with a man. He and his partners are never talked about or judged by the rest of the Rose clan or the community. 

Schitts Creek doesn’t see LGBT people as different; they just exist. The show is a refreshing take on depicting gay people, as queer characters’ stories are often used to weaponize or galvanize behind some message of queer unity or respect. Not in Schitt’s Creek. All the gay or non-binary characters just are. While the town is mostly white, the few minority characters that are POC don’t have joked made about their skin color, their ethnicity, or nationality. They just are. These characters could be played by someone of any skin tone or country, because there is never a big deal made about them being different. Because, in Schitt’s Creek, everyone’s the same: a neighbor. And a member of the community.

The writing on Schitts Creek is hilarious and it should be nominated for Best Comedy for its last season. It’s very hard to choose which of the Rose family members is your favorite. Is it Moira, aka Catherine O’Hara in what could be argued as her best roll, with her crazy wig addiction, outrageous outfits that should garner anyone the Golden Globe and Emmy for best costume, or her overall self-assuredness that makes her a fan favorite?

Cute, clumsy, crafty Johnny Rose, Eugene Levy, holding the Rose clan together through thick and thin? Jet-setting, globe-trotting heiress turned model turned former hostage turned actress turned media mogul temptress Alexis aka Annie Murphy? Or is it gender-bending, bi-sexual, pan sexual, brains behind the family and queer icon /series co-creator Dan Levy aka David Rose?

No matter who your favorite Shitter is, the 6th and final season of Schitts Creek premiered last week on POP TV and will most likely be available on Netflix and other streaming services very soon. Schitt’s Creek, the best queer comedy on television, will most definitely be missed.