A while ago some friends of ours recommended Schitt’s Creek, so my wife and I watched the first episode and hated all of the characters. So we shrugged and said de gustibus and decided not to watch any more.
Then several more people we respect went on about how great it is. They also said it takes a while to really get good. So we tried again and we’ve watched five or six now, and frankly, it’s not getting better. The characters are still just as hateful and annoying, the situations are just as predictable, and the laughs are just as thin in the ground as in the first episode.
We hate cringe comedy, like Curb Your Enthusiasm, and predictable plots, like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and I really, really, REALLY hate Chris Elliot.
So does this show actually get better, and lose or reduce these aspects, and if so, when? Or should we just stop torturing ourselves?
Lower your expectations for the Rose family, and they’ll begin to surprise you in season two.
An important point is that, for the entirety of season one, Johnny’s only focus is on finding a way to unload the town and get some seed money to build a new fortune on, thus rescuing his family from their current circumstances. Neither his wife nor their kids have any motivation to step up and pitch in on the project until the season finale.
As for Roland, he’s a proverbial (and provincial) “big fish in a small pond” who never stops being such. Curb your hatred for Chris Elliott and marvel at how he disappears into the role.
I agree with every single thing here, especially the bit about Chris Elliott. And that it takes TOO LONG to get into. But here’s the deal:
Schitts Creek is the best comedy of the last 15 years.
Yes - it takes an absurd amount of time to get there. Just skip to Season 2. You’ll end up going back to watch S1, and wonder why it (Season 1) is still not good, but marvel at where the characters started, and how the series as a whole maintains a new spot in your Top 10 while having one of the worst first seasons of all time.
There’s your problem (or virtue) right there. There’s a style of comedy that I can’t really describe, but I know it when I see it, and I don’t much care for it. It’s shows like Seinfeld, Curb your Enthusiasm,The Office, Arrested Development, and yes, Schitt’s Creek. It’s not cringe comedy exactly- I find Sacha Baron Cohen’s characters hilarious, and they’re definitely cringe comedy, but more along the lines of making someone who deserves it uncomfortable. The shows I’ve mentioned are just about annoying people being awkward and doing screwed up stuff.
I gave Schitt’s Creek a shot, and didn’t like it. I’ve got better stuff to do than be annoyed by shows that are supposedly funny.
And the point where you quit Schitts Creek is where it stops being annoying, and starts being a heartwarming show about good people doing good things. And that’s late S1/early S2.
You don’t have to give it another shot. But please stop mischaracterizing the vast majority of the series that you haven’t seen.
That’s where we’re at. Watched the first episode, hated the characters… struggled through a couple more, gave up.
The part that was hard for me is that I grew up with SCTV, and really wanted to love the actors. But their characters were spoiled and not all that funny. Oh, and I love “cringe comedy”, and all the examples given here. Just had trouble making it through a whole episode of Schitt’s Creek.
This thread has made me decide to try a couple of S2 episodes.
I ragequit the show fifteen minutes into the first episode: everything about the show was like nails on a chalkboard, and I could not imagine subjecting myself to more of these loathsome characters.
Years later I gave it another chance. Once I realized it was a very slow redemption story, I started to appreciate it. A few minutes ago my wife and I finished episode 12 of season 5.
The characters never stop being deeply flawed, but they slowly become sympathetic, and they stumble toward being decent people in a way that works really well for me.
Terrible show, poorly written and hammily acted, with stale/obvious jokes that the entire cast tries to sell by making what they think are funny faces. I tried three different seasons and honestly don’t understand why it continued to be on the air.
I personally liked the show, but I wouldn’t recommend it to others as a really great show that they must watch. It’s a bit quirky, and if you aren’t into it by the middle of season 1 I don’t think you’re ever going to really like it. Yes, the characters get more likable after the first season. I also personally hate Chris Elliot, but if you ignore that it’s Chris Elliot he gets less annoying as the show goes on, or at least he did to me. But even so I personally think you should just move on to something else.
I hate ‘cringe’ comedy. I find nothing funny about watching someone do something horribly embarassing in public. And Schitt’s Creek had quite a bit of that at first. I almost bailed on Parks and Rec at first because it had a whiff of being that kind of show in its first season.
In the first season of Schitt’s Creek I found all the characters annoying. Johnny Rose was a high powered businessman, and they turned him into a clueless idiot who constantly embarasses himself by seemingly not understanding anything at all. . I found Catherine Ohara’s character Moira Rose just about as annoying as her SCTV ‘Lola Heatherton’ character (“I want to have your baby!”). And the two children came off as insufferable, spoiled brats.
Had it been just me, I wouldn’t have made it through the first episode. But my family loved it, so we watched. Eventually, the characters get fleshed out and their most annoying aspects removed, and the show then becomes more about a family of underdogs trying to make a life and claw out of poverty while being complete fish out of water…
They also fixed Chris Elliot’s character by making him somewhat less of a complete parody and idiot. And giving him less screen time.
I really liked the townspeople. The Roses originally saw them all as bumpkins, but as time goes on they discover that there is hidden depth amd character in most of them, and the Roses begin to learn that. By the end, it was a great series and I’m glad we watched it.
I’m grateful for this thread because I, too, had heard raves about the show, and I disliked the first few episodes because they weren’t engaging. I didn’t care enough about the characters to continue watching. Maybe I’ll try jumping to season 2, as recommended.
Does Meet the Parents count as cringe comedy? I’d heard it was hysterically funny, but I cringed throughout the film because the entire plot involved Ben Stiller’s character in one humiliating situation after another. I don’t find that sort of thing funny. I think I’m too empathetic. Is that what lies ahead in Schitt’s Creek?
I agree with this. It helps that the Roses aren’t rude, arrogant assholes and are willing to get their hands dirty (Johnny Rose especially). And everyone is absolutely accepting of David Rose; he delivers a great monologue at one point to explain his pansexuality.
Just don’t think too hard about the whole “own the town” thing; the show seems to be inconsistent on that.
Oh God yes. I am still puzzled as to why anyone likes Moira.
Schitt’s Creek definitely gets better in Season 2 when the Rose family is more likable. However I still think the show is pretty overrated. It’s good, not great.
For me I liked it from the start, not usually into cringe comedy but Eugene Levy makes me laugh, all the way back from when he was Woody Tobias Junior, Director. But it got really good and the characters become more and more loveable. What also helps is realizing that what they built was a town where there was no hate. Lot’s of mockery and teasing, but no hate.
It was a beautiful sucker punch that came out of nowhere but was always there all along.
“I rage quit the show fifteen minutes into the first episode: everything about the show was like nails on a chalkboard, and I could not imagine subjecting myself to more of these loathsome characters.”
I suffered through it. This review sums it a tee.
" Again, there is nothing radical, humanistic or moral about making the brazen decision to eliminate ALL prejudice from a small Canadian or American town, based on the limited experience of being a white, rich gay man. It’s beautiful that families everywhere can experience a bit of life where loving gay relationships are normalized just as heterosexual ones, but it’s a disgusting disservice to American audiences to provide yet another colorblind oasis where white people feel comfortable and even inspired to ignore issues of race (or class). When privileged white gay men are asking “wouldn’t the world be a better place if everywhere was like this?” about postracial classist fantasylands, everyone should stop and question what “better” really means.
Racial and economic inequality in America (and Canada) is horrific. The Uprisings earlier this year as well as the continued panic many families are experiencing through the pandemic are evidence of this. America doesn’t need any more feel-good shows reinforcing neoliberal post-racial values that make rich people seem more lovable and reinforce the cuteness and aspirational nature of being rich — not “comfortable,” but rich . As in, deriving a specific sense of pleasure and/or smugness at the expense of people working beneath you, or just for the sick satisfaction of being admired by people who are struggling or have less than you. In other words, there’s nothing radical about pinkwashed, racist, capitalist propaganda
Just read the review."