It’s only been a month since Schitt’s Creek swept the 2020 Emmys, setting a new record as the first comedy series to ever win in all four acting categories and taking home a whopping total of nine trophies by night’s end — including three for creator and star Dan Levy, who seemingly couldn’t be any more surprised that his little show had somehow commanded this much admiration from The Television Academy. While anyone else would probably use this time to relax and simply bask in the post-Emmys glow, Levy is doing the complete opposite. In fact, according to The Hollywood Reporter, who honored him as part of their “Hollywood’s 50 Most Powerful TV Showrunners of 2020” package, he is currently “prepping an expansive slate of originals — including one he plans to write himself.”
If you’ll recall, last year, ahead of Schitt’s Creek’s final season, Levy famously signed a three-year overall deal with Disney’s ABC Studios after a heated bidding war between several networks. At the time, the multi-talented writer, actor, and director referred to the deal as an “exciting next chapter,” claiming that he “looked forward to the opportunity and privilege to continue to tell inclusive and meaningful stories that shine a positive light out there.”
This is the first we’ve heard about Levy’s work under that eight-figure deal, but it’s already hard not to get excited about what the 37-year-old might have up his sleeve. After proving himself capable of creating a town completely devoid of homophobia, all eyes are on Levy to continue showing Hollywood what a truly inclusive TV show looks like. And already, he’s proved more adaptable than most. When asked about his “biggest pandemic-inspired script tweak,” Levy admitted that one of his protagonists was originally written as a cop. “So that changed,” he told the magazine, likely referencing the recent conversations about the appropriateness of cop shows in a post-George Floyd society.
Elsewhere, Levy also mentioned that the one thing he wants to see change in the industry from 2021 onward is how much time shows are given to find an audience. “I think Schitt’s Creek is the perfect example of a show that proved TV needs time and space to grow,” he told THR. “Some shows require more real estate to tell their stories properly, to earn the character arcs, to slow burn their audience. I would love to see more patience given to TV shows in their early days.”
Let’s hope his new programming for ABC is given that same grace.
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