How 'Schitt's Creek' Earned The Name of 'Schitt's Creek', According to Eugene and Dan Levy
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Ahh, Schitt's Creek, a show famed for finally putting Eugene and Dan Levy together onscreen, being both endearingly and aggressively Canadian, and introducing the world to the absolute banger that is “A Little Bit Alexis” (if Taylor Swift can drop a 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” what the hell is stopping Alexis Rose from releasing a 10-minute cut of the greatest pop song to ever exist?). But even with its status as a TV classic, one question remains – where the hell does the show's, erm, Schitty title come from?
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Although a play on the old adage of “up sh--t's creek without a paddle,” with the show's canonical explanation pinning the name on the Schitt family – a.k.a. the first family of Schitt's Creek – the moniker of the show and its titular town also has roots in an IRL dinner party Eugene attended, in which he and his famous pals absolutely dunked on the often-blind sentimentality of small-town life.
According to Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek, a new book by the show's famous Levys, Eugene and his friends spent their meal absolutely dunking on the concept of small “backwards” towns with a variety of mom-and-pop shops with bizarre names, akin to “Schitt Hardware." After the fact, Levy realized that this mentality went against the message of the show and decided to embrace it – much like their characters, who ultimately come around to their new locale starting with its, erm, not-so-Schitty-after-all moniker.
If this sounds eerily familiar, it's because this exchange was later written into the show's second season, in which the Roses and Schitt's meet up with some of the Rose's friends from back in the day, in which they proceed to make fun of the town's name. By the end of dinner, Levy's Johnny Rose had enough of their, well, bull-schitt, snapping back at their snooty friends' insults.
“And that town you passed through?” he says pointedly, “It’s not called Schittsville. It’s called Schitt’s Creek, and it’s where we live.” You tell 'em – both in the show and IRL.
Top Image: CBC Television
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