Katie Patton

Professor Tarson

RTVF 034

1 March 2021

Schitt’s Creek Pilot Analysis

The pilot for the show Schitt’s Creek effectively sets up the world of the show and the

people who reside in it. The driving conflict of the show is set up almost immediately, with the

government coming in and taking everything from the Roses and their reactions to that. The

movement from the lavish home to the dreary motel solidifies the change the characters must

face and embrace, and the episode also starts to set up how the characters may start to deal with

it. The world is one where people like the Roses do not exist within the town, and it is one that is

wacky and blue collar. The premise of the show becomes even clearer as the members of the

town meet the family, particularly Twyla, Stevie, and Roland. The contrast between the two

groups of characters highlights the change in the Rose’s lives.

Each character is crafted specifically as well, with the family all being established in the

first several minutes through their reactions to losing everything. Moira packing wigs and

clinging to everything she can and John blaming his family for stealing all of his money, Alexis

on the phone with her clubbing friends and David berating the government workers, each of

these sets up specific aspects of the characters. David is outspoken and aggressive, Alexis is

ditzy and distracted, Moira is attached and clingy, and John is not one to take responsibility.

Some of the character’s wants are not super clear, such as David, who does not have a

completely clear objective. Alexis seems to want a boyfriend who gives her what she needs, and
her family approves of. Moira wants to be seen by others as better than and above. John wants to

control things and have a say in how things go.

The town characters are also set up quickly, with Roland refusing to leave, Stevie saying

almost nothing, and Twyla chatting. Roland, the town mayor, is introduced as someone John will

have to interact with often through the series as John tries to sell the town. Stevie, toward the end

of the episode, has an interaction with David that sets up a likely friendship between the two.

Twyla interacts with the family in the dinner with all the friendliness of a small-town worker,

and she seems like she will come back to offer anecdotes and advice to the Roses as they adapt.

Roland wants what is best for the town, but he has a warped view of what that entails. Stevie’s

needs are also not clear in this episode, and neither are Twyla’s.

The tone of the show is also very specific through the episode, filled with sarcasm and a

strong distinction between the haves and have-nots. The pace of the show is fast, covering a lot

in one episode. The show also uses the cold open to demonstrate what the story will involve and

the tag to wrap everything up with a joke, with this particular episode ending on Moira’s line,

“Let’s pray we don’t wake up.” This is an example of the sarcastic, dramatic tone of the show

that highlights the humor. The drama the characters experience is heightened from how a normal

person would go about these experiences, creating the dramatic yet humorous tone. The show is

a single-camera style show with an act break that comes somewhat later in the episode, and it

does not feature a laugh track. The sound that is most emphasized in the show is the music that

comes from the intro that plays at the act break and the end of the show. Overall, it seems like a

show that focuses on themes of family, change, and class division.