Pick of the week
Post-Gazette TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week
TUESDAY “Schitt’s Creek,” 9 p.m., Pop TV.
The little Canadian import that could — and did become an American pop culture phenomenon thanks to a second run of episodes on Netflix after their Pop TV premieres — begins its final season this week. And it’s time.
The series began as a fish-out-of-water story about the once-wealthy Rose family retreating to a small town after their video store business went belly up, but “Schitt’s
Creek” evolved into a smarter, better series in later seasons when the focus shifted from if-the-Kardashians-lost-it-all plots to character-driven stories.
And yet those stories have logical conclusions, particularly with the wedding of David (series creator Dan Levy) and Patrick (Noah Reid) on the horizon, which is why it feels like the timing is right to bid the Roses farewell.
But I can’t quite let them go without a shoutout to the show’s MVPs. While stars Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy get most of the attention, the unsung heroes of “Schitt’s Creek” are Dan Levy and Annie Murphy, who plays David’s sister, Alexis, and the way they have aligned their performances, particularly their facial expressions and the way they move their hands. It’s sibling perfection.