Schitt's Creek

It's very funny, beautifully played, sometimes touching and, though its premise is familiar--rich family loses money--quite its own animal.

The Levys nicely develop their fish-out-of-water concept by showing how the family tries to fit in out of necessity.

The show has a familiar fish-out-of-water conceit.... But it's always a pleasure to see Levy and O'Hara play off each other. [13 Feb 2014, p.66]

This is pure comedy, with no hidden social agendas, no thinly disguised commentary on human behavior--nothing at all of much importance, except a whole lot of laughs.

I can’t say that there are many funny jokes in Schitt’s Creek, but the show is never less than watchable, thanks in particular to Levy Sr. (playing, more or less, the show’s straight-man) and O’Hara (superb as a former soap-star villain and a real-life diva).

Around the fourth or fifth episode of Schitt’s Creek, the family’s behavior starts to become a smidge less predictable: David decides to sell his pricey wardrobe; Alexis finds herself attracted to a bearded environmentalist; Johnny and Moira display genuine affection for each other. These moments signal the small-town comedy just might have room to grow.

It’s a no-frills production with modest, but pleasant rewards.

The screws need some tightening but the basics are in place and the cast is more than capable.

A show that’s drab and underwritten, with potentially amusing (if familiar) situations that never build to more than a chuckle or a nod of recognition.