Having Netflix but not having something interesting to watch on it? This dilemma takes me back to the era when we actually watched cable TV - so many channels and nothing good to watch except perhaps Friends re-runs.

I stumbled upon 'Schitt's Creek' purely by chance, on a streaming site almost two years ago. This was before the show was recognised by critics or award shows.  I hadn't read any reviews or heard the show mentioned. Coming off the high of Game of Thrones Season 7 and needed something to watch, so the quirky name and the fact that the episodes were only about 25 minutes long, I decided to give it a go. And boy was I surprised!

A super-rich Rose family - Johnny (Eugene Levy), his wife Moira (Catherine O'Hara), two adult children - David (Dan Levy) and Alexis (Annie Murphy) lose their fortune after being defrauded by their business manager has only one asset left. A town that Johnny once bought David as a joke - Schitt's Creek. So, the family move into the town and live in adjoining rooms of a run-down motel.

Think Kardashians without the money! That is the feel of the first couple of episodes as the spoilt children and parents try to adjust to their new status as the poorest people in town. 

It feels like watching a YouTube video of animals giving birth - you want to look away, but can't.

The setup of the series is likely to make you feel that you know what the show is going to be like - a contrast of a duck-out-of-water family of snooty-pants turning their nose up at the local town hicks, while the townspeople sneer at the family's lack of real world know-how, this is exactly where Schitt's Creek is likely to surprise you. 

The show evolves into something deeper. Each character, despite their eccentricities and outrageous pasts pull up its pants and digs deeper to help the show evolve into something, while inherently funny, is also all heart.

Johnny, the patriarch, is the first to dive into the deep end as he takes up a job as a helper in the motel where the family stays. You expect it to go south especially as Johnny, a self-made multi-millionaire is expected to throw his weight around. But Eugene Levy, in a layered performance, brings sensitivity to the part, and not just in his dealings with Stevie, the owner of the motel, but with his own family.

Moira, played by Catherine O’Hara, is a brilliant part written for a brilliant actress. She plays a washed-up soap star, an actress well past her prime who doesn’t really let the reality of her situation phase her. 

Instead, she rises above all the disappointments aided by her bizarre clothes and wigs. Oh, those wigs!  Those dramatic hairpieces have become characters themselves. They deserve more space in than I can give here but if you are intrigued The Vulture has ranked her best wigs here.

Moira perhaps loves them more than her kids. Scratch the perhaps. In a scene from Season 6 when she is caught in a room caught on fire, Moira's first thought after being saved is of saving her wigs. Her unplaceable accent, the slow- drawn-out drawl, the obscure vocabulary, and her quirky pronunciation of the word baby (Bebe) all add to her unexplainable charm and make her one of the most interesting characters to watch.

For someone with the least amount of real-life skills to leverage, Moira joins the local theatre and singing club, leading to many hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable moments.

David Rose’s journey through the series is one of the most satisfying. He is one of the most complex characters but played with such panache and élan that any bits he is involved in bringing such joy to the watching experience. 

As a pansexual character, it is refreshing to note that none of the townspeople or his family comment on that part of his life, it is just taken as par course. One the most of the touching moments of the series come from Davis's evolution from someone who has apparently never been in a serious relationship, to finding someone he really likes. 

It’s endearing to watch the journey of David and Patrick, David edging towards Patrick and retreating when he is broken-hearted, edging closer again. These moments let his vulnerability shine through and make you want to root for this character who started out as a cooky, clotheshorse (the sweaters he sports are quite something) but end up making a show called Schitt's Creek give you something so heart-felt with full-throated sincerity. But damn! It does.

If you think I exaggerate just watch this clip (linked below) of where David is being serenaded by Patrick. David who has that nonchalance that comes with years of being affluent is completely disarmed by his paramour’s love and his genuine emotions shine through - it feels so genuine - the embarrassment at being serenaded alternating with a feeling of immense love and pride. You can see it all flicker across his face and in those expressive. This is also one of the loveliest moments from the series.

Alexis is modelled on a Paris Hilton or a Lindsay Lohan, a party girl full of outrageous dating stories. You never expect the stereotypical party girl, narcissistic, self-absorbed girl to change. And she doesn’t. Well almost. She does find her groove and well-loved in a way that is so cathartic. She also has some of the fun-nest moment in the series. One that deserves a mention is a dance she does for an audition for the local theatre group, to a song she that was written for her brief reality show. It is a dance that can only come from the self-confidence of someone very rich or very beautiful.

Each episode is a warm cosy nook where you can leave behind the crazy world and enjoy being with the Roses. The show also serves perhaps as a commentary of Middle America’s entrepreneurial spirit.

The series has been appreciated by critics and fans alike with glowing articles in Vanity Fair, NYT and placed on annual best-of lists published by Esquire, Glamour, The New Yorker, and Variety. In 2019, the series was named "The Best Show on TV Right Now" by TV Guide.

Not that I think this is a barometer, but the show was nominated for 4 Emmys – Best Outstanding comedy series, Best actor for Eugene Levy, Best Actress for Catherine O’Hara and best costume design ( in no small measure due to Moira’s clothes and wigs).

A large chunk of the credit goes to the father-son team that brought this series to life - Daniel and Eugene Levy.

Let me know if you do start watching and what you think in the comments below. Also if you are stuck and feel like you have nothing interesting to watch just let me know the genre you like and I will find you something you like (except Zombie stuff!) or give me a shout out if you generally want to talk TV series and films. I love good suggestions too! 

Schitt's Creek has been called the best comedy series that you aren't watching yet - Let's change that.