‘Schitt’s Creek’ Comes to End

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(Left to right) Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy as the Rose family in “Schitt’s Creek,” which airs its final episode Tuesday, April 7.
Photo: Pop TV

By BERNICE FOX

Special to Circling the News

As “Schitt’s Creek” comes to an end after six seasons, passionate fans are gearing up – and tearing up – to say “good-bye.”

Stars of the series, like Palisadian Eugene Levy, had their emotional reaction late last year as work on the show wrapped up.

“The read-through (of the scripts) for the final two episodes that we were at the table for … we literally could not get through it, so that was really something.”

Along with starring in the series together, Levy and his son, Dan, created “Schitt’s Creek.”

Playing father and son, “Schitt’s Creek” follows the Rose family as they go from riches to rags, from mansion to motel. The only thing they have left after abruptly losing their fortune and lavish urban lifestyle is the tiny rural town of “Schitt’s Creek,” which they bought years ago as a joke. They move from their mansion to the town’s rundown motel.

It’s a fish-in-new-water tale. And over six seasons, the Rose family learns the comfort of swimming in this different water.

Sarah Levy plays waitress Twyla Sands.
Photo: Pop TV

Starring alongside Eugene and Dan Levy are Catherine O’Hara as the wife and mom and Annie Murphy as the daughter. Eugene’s real-life daughter, and Dan’s sister, Sarah Levy, plays one of the townspeople, a waitress named Twyla.

It was Dan Levy who came up with the idea for the show. He brought it to his famous dad.

Dan explains “it was always a tricky thing to go to my dad, because I knew that there was the potential for there to be, you know, that nepotism thing that’s sort of thrown around, which is so annoying, but it happens.”

Dan says it wasn’t nepotism, but a sense his dad was the right person for this project and the two of them would be equal collaborators.

“I did feel like I was bringing something to the table, and I was not relying on him for anything, but, rather, we would be working together on something, and I would be trying my best to sort of work with his sensibility and his history and comedy to create something fresh that was a voice — not just his, but mine — and sort of something we could have done together.”

Dad Eugene was surprised Dan came to him with the idea for “Schitt’s Creek,” thinking back to when Dan was in high school growing up in Toronto. (The Levy family bought their Palisades home in 2006.)

“He never came to me for anything in his life.  When he was in school doing plays and I would say ‘Do you need me to help you read lines?’  ‘No.  No.  I’ve got it.  I’ve got it.’   ‘Do you need help with this?’  ‘No.  I’ve got it.’

“He never came to me. So, when he finally came to me and said, ‘You know, I have an idea for a show.  Do you want to work on it with me?’ As a dad, it’s, like, wow, this moment finally came.”

Dan Levy co-created Schitt’s Creek.  Photo: Pop TV

Now as “Schitt’s Creek” comes to an end, Dan explains his view of the show.

“It’s about the opportunity to reset yourself. And I think we all sometimes get into habits and patterns and rhythms in our life where sometimes we just wish we could be taken to a small town and just given the freedom to reset. And that really was the heartbeat of the show:  What do four people who had previously become so accustomed to expressing their feelings and bandaging their problems with money — what does that look like, and what do the relationships look like when there is no money?  And what does love look like when there is no money?

“And I think ultimately this show is an exploration of love and how it expresses itself and what it means truly and deeply and wholly to love without the remedies of what money can provide.”

With this depth and the success of “Schitt’s Creek” it’s not a surprise that Dan Levy now has a production deal with Disney.

And reports are that Dan recently moved to Los Feliz. Circling the News asked dad Eugene about his son making that move, if maybe 36-year-old Dan thinks Pacific Palisades just doesn’t have the “hip factor” he wants.

“Yes. Yes. Los Feliz is hip. Silverlake is hip. That’s where all the kids are. I think in time, he will look to the Westside and say ‘Ooh, not a terrible thing to be closer to the ocean and to Mom and Dad.’ But don’t tell him that!”

Now that “Schitt’s Creek” is done, Eugene Levy is looking forward to playing golf and just hanging out. He tells CTN “We’re here. We’re going to be spending the next chunk of time home here in the Palisades. And we’ll probably go up (to Toronto) and visit family as summer is starting.”

When CTN asked if he plays at the Riviera Country Club right here in the Palisades, he says “No, Mountain Gate, actually. I don’t play Riviera. No. Riviera’s too highfalutin for me!”

The final episode of “Schitt’s Creek” airs Tuesday, April 7 on its Pop TV home, as well as on Comedy Central and Logo. Following the 30-minute episode, Pop TV will show an hour-long special about the series.

Eugene Levy, co-creator of Schitt’s Creek, plays the lead character Johnny Rose.
Photo: Pop TV

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