Schitt’s Creek – A rainbow gift to the world
by Ishika Paruthi
Schitt’s Creek – a Canadian television comedy recently scooped a record nine Emmy’s but it is not the awards that made it special, rather it stands out for the depiction of a homophobia free world! It is just so rare to find a healthy LGBTQ representation but this show, which follows the ‘Rose family who is forced to move out in a motel in the town of Schitt’s Creek after losing all their fortune’ shows a romantic relationship between two main characters. David (who identifies as pansexual) and Patrick (who identifies as gay) and that just stood out to the fans of the show. The portrayal of this queer relationship is portrayed just so naturally and is full of warmth and love. They were the couple everyone was rooting for!
We often see a queer relationship ending in tragedy or having parents who fail to accept their kids as who they are but Schitt’s Creek shows that same-sex relationships can blossom like every other relationship. David’s parents Johnny and Moira accept their son and his sexuality in such a wholesome way without any biases or prejudices and this just made Schitt’s Creek a social phenomenon.
The show has now earned a cult following and terms like “Ew, David” and “Very uninterested in that opinion” are major phrases in the pop culture now and it was Dan Levy (David Rose), the creator of the show who transformed the show from just a television comedy to a social phenomenon.
The town of Schitt’s Creek is a small town, but one with zero prejudice, and the Rose family of 4 ends up being completely accepted and respected by the town community and vice versa. This show made its way to Netflix in 2020, swept a record number of Emmy Awards and even after ending, it left behind a legacy of a queer-positive community! The David – Patrick was one of the main storylines of the show and this level of acceptance led to a lot of LGBTQ+ communities across the world terming the show as a ‘rare template’ that needs to be adopted by other TV shows across the globe. Not only David and Patrick, but Moira Rose went on to become a huge gay sensation due to her flamboyance!
A complete lack of homophobia and just pure love and acceptance was just quite revolutionary. The show carried on for 6 seasons without any struggle or hardship and this has happened for the first time on a television show. During their 6th and last season, huge (3 stories) hoardings of David and Patrick kissing were put up across America and Canada, which is the first time that such a huge hoarding of a same-sex couple was put up making it another milestone; another feather in the hat of the creators of Schitt’s Creek. “We made a decision to not include the conversation of homophobia or bigotry on our show. By projecting a sweeter, gentler world, I feel that it was a political statement. It seemed to have an incredible effect on people.” – Daniel Levy
“From bringing pansexuality to the forefront to pushing LGBTQ acceptance as the norm rather than the exception, @SchittsCreek has broken barriers for queer representation on television. What can we say – it’s simply the best.” – Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
After ending the show after its 6-season run, Daniel Levy is hinting towards a movie! “To be honest this is the best way we could have ever ended the show… but… if there is an idea that pops into my head, it has to be really freaking good because this is a nice way to say goodbye. Fingers crossed we get a nice idea popping into our head soon…. I would love to work with these people again.” A movie with the values that Schitt’s Creek has is what we need right now on the big screen!
So, if you do get a little free time on your hands, do go ahead and binge-watch Schitt’s Creek because it is just so wholesome and warm and fuzzy and most of all, accepting! The Rose family has 99 problems but homophobia isn’t one of them!
“I do drink red wine. But I also drink white wine. And I have been known to sample the occasional rosé… I like the wine and not the label, does that make sense?” – David Rose
