The List: Top 10 ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Episodes

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.

Annie Murphy with uncredited co-stars in Schitt's Creek

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.

Dan Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Annie Murphy, and Eugene Levy in Schitt's Creek

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.

Annie Murphy, Sarah Levy, Emily Hampshire, Noah Reid, Dan Levy, and Catherine O'Hara with uncredited actors in Schitt's Creek

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.

Dan Levy and Catherine O'Hara in Schitt's Creek

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.

Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy in Schitt's Creek

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.”

Noah Reid and Dan Levy in Schitt's Creek

5. “The Incident” (Season 6, Episode 2)
Arguably the funniest episode the show ever produced. After nearly dying of embarrassment from wetting the bed at Patrick’s, David tries to maintain a low profile. But that’s a challenge when your mother takes over a streaming service’s social media and broadcasts your most mortifying moment to thousands of people. This episode provides big belly laughs, little chuckles, and even those silent reactions when you see something so cringey you can barely watch as the horror unfolds.

Dan Levy and Dustin Milligan in Schitt's Creek

4. “Singles Week” (Season 4, Episode 12)
The show turns the classic “rushing to the hospital for a birth” trope on its head, as the pregnant Jocelyn is the most levelheaded of anyone involved – including a stressed-out Moira, a guilt-stricken Johnny, and a suddenly mission-focused Roland. But the episode’s third act is truly great TV, with David accidentally serving as Ted’s therapist, leading to a deeply heartfelt reconciliation between the latter and Alexis.

Eugene Levy and an uncredited actor in Schitt's Creek

3. “Carl’s Funeral” (Season 1, Episode 9)
A personal favorite that I’ve possibly ranked too highly. While the show was figuring itself out in its first two seasons, it tried some different styles, including this pitch-black episode. Bob’s brother Carl has died by suicide (a fact only noticeable to Johnny, it seems). The deceased wanted to have Johnny speak at his funeral, despite having never met him. The befuddled Rose patriarch stumbles through an ad-libbed eulogy, saved not once but twice by Moira belting out “Danny Boy.” Aside from one other dalliance with death, the show never again tried something this dark. Even if it flew in the face of the show’s sunny disposition, I would have loved another one like this.

Eugene Levy, Noah Reid, Catherine O'Hara, Annie Murphy, Dan Levy, and Emily Hampshire in Schitt's Creek

2. “Happy Ending” (Season 6, Episode 14)
It’s easy to be cynical these days, but it was impossible not to absolutely adore this series finale, whose title of course is a double entendre. As Patrick and David’s wedding day is threatened by storms and other mishaps, it’s also put in jeopardy by Patrick hiring an unlicensed massage therapist to help David “relax.” Unlike most American series’ last hurrahs, there was no extended running time or special guest stars; just the same modest townsfolk that we fell in love with.

Noah Reid and Dan Levy in Schitt's Creek

1. “The Hike” (Season 5, Episode 13)
But we don’t get the events of that lovely finale without this perfect episode. Roland, Moira and Stevie worry about Johnny’s health scare, while Patrick’s romantic picnic plans go awry. When he injures his foot on a hike that David has only complained about, it seems like the couple’s differences might finally drive them apart. But the fussy Rose son steps up and his boyfriend becomes his fiancé. The wait was worth it. That proposal scene is one of TV’s best.

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