The cast of Schitt’s Creek revealed during an Emmys’ backstage Q&A that they were open to a reunion in the form of a movie. But don’t get your hopes too high: Series creator Daniel Levy, who also plays pansexual main character David Rose, says that the current ending “is the best way we could have ever ended the show.”
However, Levy kept some hope alive by adding: “Fingers crossed we get a nice idea popping into our head soon. I would love to work with these people again.”
At this Sunday’s Emmys, Schitt’s Creek won seven awards, bringing them to a total of nine. This tied the single-year record for a comedy and marked the first time any show has brought home all four acting awards in the main categories: Lead Actress (Catherine O’Hara), Lead Actor (Eugene Levy), Supporting Actress (Annie Murphy), and Supporting Actor (Daniel Levy). The younger Levy, who co-created the show with father Eugene, also took home awards for directing and writing its series finale.
Schitt’s Creek, which ended in April after a five-year run, follows the formerly filthy rich Rose family, who end up moving to the titular town (which they purchased “as a joke”) after losing all their money. The comedy has been lauded for its realistic portrayal of a modern gay relationship in the form of David and Patrick Brewer (Noah Reid).
“Getting to write that storyline was incredibly cathartic for me for a variety of reasons; I don’t often get to see those kinds of relationships depicted on tv,” said Levy, who is gay, in response to a separate question during the post-show Q&A. “We made the decision to not include the conversation of homophobia or bigotry on our show, and by projecting a sweeter, gentler world, I feel like that was, in a way, a political statement.”
Shows like Schitt’s Creek stand as a stark contrast to the most popular sitcoms of years prior, in which queer and trans characters were often used as one-dimensional gags. Take Standford Blatch of Sex and the City, who was Carrie Bradshaw’s token gay best friend and not much more. Friends was homophobic and transphobic, as was Seinfeld. Even when shows weren’t being actively homophobic, they were often characterized by a total lack of LGBTQ+ characters.
Overall representation in media, especially sitcoms, has made leaps and bounds in the past few decades. GLAAD’s 2019 “Where We Are On TV” survey, which analyzes LGBTQ+ inclusion on an annual basis, found that 10.2 percent of regular characters on primetime TV were LGBTQ+, which is the highest percentage counted in 15 years. Viewers now have the choice of shows like Jane the Virgin, The Bold Type, Superstore, and many, many others when it comes to depicting LGBTQ+ people and their relationships on the screen.
The first five seasons of Schitt’s Creek are available to stream on Netflix now. The final season will drop on October 7. If you don’t have a Netflix subscription, though, the show will begin airing on Comedy Central starting on October 2.
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