It has been nearly eleven years since the world was first introduced to the Rose family, a group of out-of-touch socialites who found themselves stripped of their fortune and deposited into a town they once bought as a joke. When Schitt’s Creek debuted on January 13, 2015, few could have predicted that this small Canadian sitcom would eventually become a global phenomenon, a historic Emmy-sweeper, and a beacon of radical kindness in a cynical television landscape. Today, as fans continue to revisit the Rosebud Motel through streaming, the question of a reunion remains the "devil’s telephone" of Hollywood gossip—always ringing, but rarely answered with a definitive "yes."
The mastermind behind the series, Dan Levy, has remained protective of the show’s legacy. Speaking at the premiere of his film Good Grief in late 2023, Levy addressed the feverish demand for a revival with a mix of gratitude and caution. While he acknowledged the beauty of the fans’ enduring passion, he emphasized that any return to the world of the Roses would require more than just nostalgia. "It has to beat what we’ve done, and that’s a tough thing to do," Levy explained. For a creator who meticulously crafted a six-season arc that concluded with one of the most celebrated finales in sitcom history, the bar is exceptionally high. Until a truly "compelling" idea strikes, Levy is content to let the show stand as a finished masterpiece, though he playfully noted that if the reunion rumors drive people back to watch the series from the beginning, he considers that a win.
To understand why a reunion feels so necessary to the public, one must look back at the unlikely alchemy that made the show work. The series was born from a moment of creative curiosity during Dan Levy’s tenure as a co-host for MTV’s The Hills after-show. Immersed in the world of early 2010s reality television, Levy began to wonder what would happen if the ultra-wealthy—families like the Kardashians—suddenly lost everything. The core concept was further grounded in a bizarre piece of real-life trivia: in 1989, actress Kim Basinger actually purchased the town of Braselton, Georgia. Levy took these seeds of reality TV excess and celebrity eccentricity and asked his father, comedy legend Eugene Levy, to help him cultivate them into a script.
The partnership between the Levys marked the first time Dan had ever asked his father for professional help, a move Eugene later admitted he had been hoping for. However, the show’s most iconic casting required a bit more persuasion. Catherine O’Hara, a longtime collaborator of Eugene’s from their SCTV and Christopher Guest movie days, was initially hesitant to commit to the role of the family matriarch, Moira Rose. She originally agreed only to the pilot presentation as a personal favor. It took a final, persuasive phone call from Eugene, asking her to give the project just one season, to secure the performance that would eventually redefine the "eccentric mother" archetype for a new generation.
Moira Rose became a cultural icon not just for her avant-garde wardrobe, but for her incomparable vocabulary and an accent that defied geographical classification. O’Hara famously told Eugene she didn’t want to sound like a "human," leading her to develop a mid-Atlantic, theatrical lilt that turned words like "bebe" and "herb" into comedic gold. She even curated Moira’s look by insisting on a massive collection of wigs—more than 100 throughout the series—which she treated as characters in their own right, naming them after friends or inventing personas for them on the fly.
While O’Hara provided the show’s theatrical flair, Annie Murphy provided its heart through the transformation of Alexis Rose. Interestingly, Murphy was not the first choice for the role. Abby Elliott, daughter of Chris Elliott (who played Roland Schitt), was originally slated to play Alexis in the pilot. When scheduling conflicts arose, Murphy stepped in, beating out hundreds of other actresses and even dyeing her hair blonde to embody the jet-setting socialite. Murphy’s contributions went beyond acting; she famously co-wrote the viral hit "A Little Bit Alexis" with her husband, Menno Versteeg, aiming for a "banger" reminiscent of Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. She also choreographed the character’s signature hand-flipping dance, which has since been immortalized in countless memes and TikTok tributes.
The show’s emotional pivot point, however, was the relationship between David Rose and Patrick Brewer, played by Noah Reid. When Reid was cast in season three, the writers hadn’t yet decided if Patrick would be a permanent fixture or even a romantic interest. The chemistry between Reid and Levy was so immediate that the trajectory of the show shifted to accommodate their love story. In a move that reflected the show’s commitment to being a "safe space," Dan Levy famously decided that Schitt’s Creek would exist in a world without homophobia. This allowed the David and Patrick arc to focus on the universal anxieties of vulnerability and commitment rather than the trauma of prejudice.
This commitment to sincerity culminated in the season four serenade, where Patrick performs an acoustic cover of Tina Turner’s "The Best." The arrangement was entirely Reid’s creation, and the emotional reaction from Catherine O’Hara in the scene was genuine; she was so moved by the performance that she couldn’t stop crying, prompting Dan Levy to keep the raw footage in the final edit. Later, David’s "lip-sync for his life" to the same song served as a mirror to that moment, a scene Levy admitted was terrifying to film. To calm their nerves, Levy and Reid reportedly shared a bottle of prosecco over lunch before capturing the performance that would become one of the most beloved moments in television history.
Beyond the performances, Schitt’s Creek succeeded because of its incredible attention to detail. Despite a modest budget in its early years, the show’s fashion was world-class. Dan Levy spent years scouring eBay, consignment apps, and vintage stores to find high-fashion pieces from designers like Alexander McQueen and Rick Owens, ensuring the Roses always looked like they belonged on a Parisian runway, even while standing in a muddy field in Ontario. The town of Goodwood, Ontario, which served as the filming location for the fictional Schitt’s Creek, has since become a pilgrimage site for fans, though the production had to "dingy it up" significantly to make it look like the neglected hamlet seen on screen.
The show’s path to greatness was a slow burn. It spent years as a cult favorite on Pop TV in the U.S. and CBC in Canada before hitting Netflix in 2017. The "Netflix Effect" catapulted the show into the stratosphere, turning it into the second most-watched acquired series on the platform, trailing only The Office. This surge in popularity set the stage for the 2020 Emmy Awards, where Schitt’s Creek made history by becoming the first comedy ever to sweep all seven major categories in a single night, including wins for the entire lead quartet.
As the 11th anniversary of the show’s premiere approaches, the legacy of the Rose family feels more relevant than ever. The show taught audiences that it is never too late to start over, that family is defined by more than just a last name, and that "tasting the wine, not the label" is a beautiful way to live. While Dan Levy remains hesitant to rush back into the Rosebud Motel without a "beat-all" idea, he has never closed the door entirely. For now, fans are left with six perfect seasons and the comfort of knowing that, as David Rose would say, they are "simply the best." The journey may be "it for now," but in the world of the Roses, the door is always left slightly ajar for a grand re-entrance.
