This anniversary may be hard to believe, but Schitt’s Creek premiered 10 years ago this week. This Canadian production aired in the U.S. on the mostly ignored cable channel Pop (which you may remember as the TV Guide Network). Slowly but surely word-of-mouth – and huge exposure when past seasons aired on Netflix – turned it into one of TV’s warmest and funniest shows.
Initially playing on the wealthy Rose family’s poor fit in the titular working-class town, the show really took off in Season 3 when its selfish characters learned to view their new home as a place to adore, not a pit stop on the way back to the big time. It also delivered two of the best romances the small screen has had in the last decade. So here are my 10 favorite episodes. With the exception of one, all of these are bound to put a big smile on your face.
10. “Grad Night” (Season 3, Episode 13)
Few sitcoms did better season finales than this show, which will be pretty obvious by the high number of them on this list. While Alexis getting her GED wasn’t my favorite arc, her pride at doing something for herself pushed her to transform from a selfish socialite to a mature, confident CEO. But this episode also contains the first beautiful moment in one of the best romances on television of the past decade: a lovely first kiss between Patrick (Noah Reid) and David.
9. “Happy Anniversary” (Season 2, Episode 13)
The moment the show went from good to great. During a rare dinner at somewhere other than Café Tropical, the Roses run into some of their old, snobby friends. What starts as a nice reunion quickly devolves when the asshole couple starts ragging on their new town. Rather than refuse to make waves, Johnny stands up for his adopted home and its inhabitants. It all ends with a joyous dance as the whole family realizes this is now home.
8. “Meet the Parents” (Season 5, Episode 11)
One of the show’s smartest decisions was not to have its LGBTQ+ characters deal with small-town homophobia. This freed them – mostly Patrick and David – to experience all the other (sometimes cliché) issues couples face. In this episode, Patrick’s parents visit for the first time. The awkwardness comes from Johnny and Roland’s innate ability to make things uncomfortable, not from outdated attitudes. When Patrick finally comes out, on his own terms, it’s extremely moving.
7. “Open Mic” (Season 4, Episode 6)
Few things have a lower floor than a white guy with a guitar, especially one playing a cover song by a woman. It’s one step above “Anyways, here’s ‘Wonderwall.'” But in this glorious episode – which includes perhaps Moira’s most famous mispronunciation – Patrick closes out Rose Apothecary’s first open mic night with an absolutely heart-melting rendition of Tina Turner’s “The Best.” It truly was.
6. “The Presidential Suite” (Season 6, Episode 8)
While Johnny and Roland’s dueling Kennedy impressions and Patrick’s unintentional Trump cosplay never fail to make me laugh, what makes this episode so great is Annie Murphy and Dustin Milligan. After their weekend-long reunion is cut to a few short hours, Alexis and Ted make the heart-wrenching decision – over way too much dairy – to go their separate ways. It’s a huge step of maturity for a woman who once sang “I’m a little bit tipsy/When I drive my car.”
