Schitt’s Creek: 8 Facts About the Hit TV Comedy
CBC / POP
Hitting TV screens in 2015, Schitt’s Creek has grown to be one of the most-loved comedy series of recent years – clocking up an impressive 9 Emmy Awards, 2 Golden Globes, and 54 other awards!
The series follows the Rose family, who have amassed a fortune from the Rose Video empire (the second largest video store in Canada). Due to their lousy business manager, the family loses everything – except for a small town named Schitt’s Creek, which father Johnny bought for son David as a joke.
The family is forced to move into the motel in Schitt’s Creek, and must quickly adapt to the more simplistic lifestyle.
Here are 8 interesting pieces of trivia about the show…
1) About to quit acting
It’s hard to imagine anybody else in the role of Alexis Rose! Annie Murphy is the perfect mean-girl-with-heart. But before landing the role, the actress was about to give up acting for good. Her house had just burnt down and she was left with just $3 to her name. Luckily, she saw the casting call for Schitt’s Creek, auditioned, and landed the part.
2) Family affair
Most people know that father and son duo Eugene and Dan Levy created the show, and star in it as Johnny and David. But not everyone knows that Eugene’s daughter also appears as a supporting character. Twyla, who runs the cafe, is played by Sarah Levy.
3) Schitt’s Creek scored a top 10 single
In the season 4 episode Open Mic, Patrick (played by Noah Reid) performs an incredible acoustic cover of Tina Turner’s Simply the Best. The single shot into the Top 10 in the Canadian charts.
4) Somebody else played Alexis in the pilot
In the pilot for the series, Alexis was actually played by the daughter of Chris Elliot, who plays Roland. When the series was greenlit, the crew contacted Abby Elliot but she was unavailable to film, so they recast the character with Annie Murphy.
5) A nod to Beetlejuice
Moira is known for her glamorous and eccentric wardrobe. In several episodes, she wears black and white striped Tim Burton esque garbs – very similar to Beetlejuice’s outfit. Catherine O’Hara starred in Beetlejuice as Delia Deetz.
6) The Guinness connection
It’s hard to imagine that larger-than-life eccentric Moira Rose could be based on a real person. However, Catherine O’Hara did in fact draw a lot of inspiration from a real socialite; none other than Daphne Guinness – one of the heirs of the Guinness beer fortune.
7) Argument over pizza
On Jimmy Fallon, Annie Murphy revealed that the biggest fight on set was between her and Daniel Levy, and it was over which takeaway pizza was the dirtiest/greasiest. To settle the argument, Daniel ordered in five pizzas from five different restaurants on their lunch break.
8) Not their first rodeo
Catherine O Hara and Eugene Levy first worked together in the 1970s in the Canadian comedy troupe Second City, alongside the likes of John Candy, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramos and Martin Short. In 1976, the troupe got their own show – SCTV.
There you have it – 8 facts about Schitt’s Creek!