The Scottish Mail on Sunday

Why is there such a buzz about..?

- Mark Cook

Schitt’s Creek (Netflix)

Imagine the 1960s US TV comedy The Beverly Hillbillie­s – where a family of poor folk strike oil and move to California – in reverse. In Schitt’s Creek, a loaded and pampered LA family of four are forced to move into a motel in the hick town of the show’s title they once bought as joke, after losing all their money.

There’s Johnny Rose, a former video-rental king, his self-obsessed and eccentric former soap-actress wife Moira and their two spoiled, grown-up children, David and Alexis. The gradual story of their transforma­tion (and that of the townspeopl­e too) has been a slow-burner both here and in the US. Its final, sixth series is poised to pick up the Primetime Emmys’ best comedy award tomorrow.

Canadian creators and writers, father and son Eugene and Daniel Levy, are also nominated for their lead performanc­es in the show, as are Catherine O’Hara’s (right, with Eugene Levy) vowel-mangling Moira with her extraordin­ary outfits and collection of wigs, and Annie Murphy, who plays the ditsy, shallow Alexis. The series was not an instant hit because this quartet are not initially sympatheti­c, and it takes a while (into series two) for the show’s delightful whimsy to take root – many viewers give up after a few episodes.

But this is a witty, charming and heart-warming comedy that, after a while, will have you both laughing out loud and, in the final series, shedding a few tears (even more at the Netflix documentar­y about the show). Just give it time…

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