Catherine O’Hara is a genius
I’m just going to come out and say it: Catherine O’Hara is easily the best part of Schitt’s Creek. Eugene Levy is great and all (and a legend in his own right) but it’s O’Hara that steals the spotlight every time.
Moira Rose is shrill, neurotic, delusional, and pretentious. The has-been soap star convinces herself that she’s still a star, and she’s somehow shocked when people don’t bow at her celebrity feet or when she’s offered C-list movie roles. She’s also probably one of the least nurturing mothers in history and takes better care of her extensive wig collection than she probably did of her children.
That character may sound like the least likable person in history, but O’Hara brings such craziness to the character that’s so over the top that you have to love her.
Dan Levy. Period.
Dan Levy clearly inherited his father’s comedic timing, and his character David is another shining beacon on Schitt’s Creek. Like his mother, David has a hard time adjusting to their new, rustic life living in a cheap motel. He doesn’t have his expensive skincare, and his eccentric designer clothes look way out of place in their small town (but more on his fashion sense later).
Levy, who co-created the show with his father, can express a whole array of emotions without uttering a word. He’s got a strong pair of expressive eyebrows — like his dad — and with one single scrunched up expression, he says more than any words can explain. I probably sound crazy right now, but if you watch the show, you’ll know exactly what I mean. David is the kind of character that is funny without really trying. He’s sarcastic, dry, and almost never happy, and it’s that sullen demeanor that lends to his humor perfectly.
How they handle David’s sexuality
In real life, Dan Levy is openly gay and felt that it was important for Schitt’s Creek to feature an LGBTQ storyline. But instead of doing the obvious and making his character David gay, the character is revealed to be pansexual. Pansexuality — the sexual, romantic, or emotional attraction towards people regardless of their sex or gender identity — isn’t a sexual orientation that is often talked about in the media, especially not on network television. But on this show, they don’t make a big deal out of it.
David described his pansexuality with the perfect analogy: “I like the wine and not the label.” It’s as simple as that. And what’s even better is that it’s never a point of contention on the show, and his sexuality is never the butt of the joke. Sure the townspeople may laugh at his sense of fashion or his snobbishness, but never the fact that he’s queer.
With a heartwarming romance in the show’s latest season (no spoilers, don’t worry!), Levy has received a lot of accolades for his portrayal of David. “Telling a queer story on network TV is quite a special thing for me, so I’m quite proud of that storyline in season 4,” Levy said in an interview with the National Post. “It’s been amazing to hear, across the board, the response to David.”