Oh Schitt

I’ve always been drawn to a certain type of comedy. I like quirky characters, slow burn plot development and wit. One of my favourite sayings ever comes from one of the writers of “Seinfeld”. He said their credo on the show was “no hugging, no learning.” I liked that. Stuff happened (not much of it, admittedly) and no-one ever had a neat, end of show epiphany as a result.

The premise of the dysfunctional family has been at the heart of some of the most successful comedies ever. From Steptoe and Son to Fawlty Towers (I’m counting Polly and Manuel as part of the family), from The Simpsons to Arrested Development, from Spaced to Black Books, the idea of a group of people living together and their subsequent adventures has provided a rich seam of comedy for writers.

Laughter has been in fairly short supply in 2020. Fear, anxiety and apprehension have been bedfellows for most of us in the last few months. I came across this Jewish proverb recently: “As soap is to the body, so laughter is to the soul.” I like that. Watching the news has been a sobering experience, worse than usual if you watched “Newsnight” last night, but I’d have gone crazy if I hadn’t countered it all with a good dose of humour.

Which leads me rather neatly on to one of the best discoveries I’ve made all year. “Schitt’s Creek” is a Canadian sitcom about the Rose family. Paterfamilias Johnny made his fortune with a string of video stores, his wife Moira is a fading soap star and their grown-up children, David and Alexis are a pair of spoilt, entitled snobs. The story starts with a ring at the door of their gilded mansion and the discovery that their business manager has been defrauding them. They’ve got an hour to pack up and get out. Their sole remaining asset is a back of beyond town which they bought for their son as a joke years ago…..

As the Roses arrive in town on the bus, the full horror of their situation bursts upon them. They own the Schitt’s Creek Motel, so they can stay there free, but to a family used to palatial luxury and lots of servants, two shabby adjoining rooms in a provincial motel is a shocking come-down. Naturally, things don’t go too well in the first series, giving the writers the opportunity to introduce a small but impressive cast of characters and set the family up for absolutely no hugging, but a whole lot of learning.

“Schitt’s Creek” makes me laugh my head off while applauding the quality of the writing. As far as I’m concerned, it deserves every award going. By Series 6, Johnny is still the baffled straight man to ludicrous mayor Roland Schitt, but has got to know his family much better and discovered his kind and compassionate side. Moira is still an over-emoting drama queen with a wall of wigs, each with a name, but she shows the odd chink of humanity. David is still a posturing neat freak, but he’s learned that he might just be worthy of love. Alexis is still moderately self-obsessed, but she’s learned that in order to find real love, you need to be selfless.

“Schitt’s Creek” is a family affair. It’s written by father and son team Eugene and Dan Levy, who play Johnny and David. Twyla, the waitress at the café is Sarah Levy, Dan’s sister. Deb Devine, Dan and Sarah’s mother and Eugene’s wife, is the creative consultant on the show. Fans of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind etc) will recognise Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as a well-established humorous double act.

When thinking about the show, Dan Levy asked himself the question, “Would the Kardashians still be the Kardashians without their money?” and “Schitt’s Creek” was the result. It’s lifted my spirits no end this year and I am rationing myself through Series 6, although the temptation to binge is huge.

Different things make us all laugh, but what we can probably all agree on at the moment is that humour, warm-heartedness and community spirit are more important than ever. You’ll find all of those things in, “Schitt’s Creek” if you decide to give it a go.

Let me know what you think.