The exploits of Johnny, Moira, Alexis, David, and Stevie (who basically became a member of the Rose family along the way) were set in a world full of extreme-yet-mundane situations that always came from a place that spoke to 21st century realities. That’s why the show garnered critical acclaim—and grew a dedicated fan base—and became one of the best-loved comedy TV series in history, even receiving multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards. Here are some of our favorite scenes and moments from Schitt’s Creek that highlight the best of the series and its fractured take on the modern world (and all its quirks).
8. David With the Amish
At the end of season one, David’s relationship with Stevie reaches a stalemate over how they feel about the other, with Stevie having feelings for David. Thinking that his family has finally sold the town and will be rich again, David takes a car and leaves Schitt’s Creek. Season two opens with David missing and the family searching for him. After a long hunt, they find David out of gas and living with an Amish community—annoying them with his constant demands and nit-picking. The scene is hilarious as the famously patient Amish people are clearly pleased that David will be leaving and taking his petty criticisms with him.
7. Alexis at School
When Alexis heads back to school to get her college degree, she first must go back to high school and finish her education to get her GED. The sight of Alexis sitting in a classroom full of teenagers and feeling the pressure of the popularity system that operates within the classroom dynamic is one of the show’s best shots. What makes the sequence even better is watching Alexis get into trouble for something she hasn’t done to gain favor with the popular girls, who she believed were talking about her behind her back. Instead, they were remarking about how beautiful Alexis is.
6. The New Car
As the family begins to get back on their feet—after losing everything and struggling to adjust to life lived in a motel—they finally have enough money to buy a car for themselves. Johnny and Moira head down to the local car dealership to buy a car that the whole family can use. As they look amongst the many modern cars they could own, they set their sights on a 1977 Lincoln. Moira uses her acting skills to haggle the price down—by (badly) pretending to be Cockney and telling a story from her old TV show. The whole sequence is filled with brilliant dialogue and is one of Catherine O’Hara’s best Moira moments in the series.
5. Alexis and the Milk
When Johnny sees Bob drinking coffee with raw milk, he looks to invest in raw milk—which is illegal—because he wants to see how much money he can make from the banned item. Leaving Alexis to deal with the purchase of the milk, Johnny gives her instructions to buy a dozen pints to start with. Alexi accidentally forgets the “pints” part and ends up ordering 120 gallons. Horrified, Johnny quickly attempts to sell the raw milk with Roland’s help. Unfortunately, the three are caught in a roadblock—and after Roland panics in the presence of the police, they get busted and are forced to dispose of the raw milk. The whole process is a catastrophe and represents the bohemian brand of humor that Schitt’s Creek brought to mainstream TV.
4. The Lewd Town Sign
During the first season, Johnny notices that the town sign for Schitt’s Creek is—for lack of any better words—unseemly. Indeed, it appears to depict a man and a woman having intercourse. Johnny tries to make Roland see that the sign is inappropriate, but Roland suggests it’s fine because the two are siblings so obviously nothing raunchy is going on. Only after much discussion does Roland relent and agree to change the sign. But Roland’s idea to fix the billboard is… to put up another sign on top of the original that reads, “Don’t worry, it’s his sister.” Which Johnny stares at, baffled, at the end of the episode.
3. Alexis and Ted Break Up for Good
Schitt’s Creek made a long point about Ted and Alexis being perfect for one another and how they make each other better. At first, Alexis only dated Ted to make Mutt jealous—but after dumping Ted for Mutt, Alexis realizes that Mutt wasn’t the one she wanted to be with, so the pair split. When Ted returns to Schitt’s Creek, he reconnects with Alexis and they become friends again. Eventually, Alexis realizes that she’s fallen in love with Ted. They get back together, and their relationship appears to be perfect. But there’s one fatal flaw: Ted has to move to the Galapagos Islands for his research opportunity, and Alexis absolutely wouldn’t flourish there. Ted knows Alexis won’t be happy with him there. Alexis knows Ted can’t give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So they agree to break up. It’s a heartbreaking moment, but a great one that shows how much more Schitt’s Creek has to offer than silly jokes.
2. David Gets Married
The grand finale of the series culminates in David and Patrick finally getting married. It’s not their perfect wedding, as the original wedding plan is ruined by a storm the morning of the big day, and that causes David to stress out in typical David fashion. However, Stevie and Patrick take charge of the disaster, and David is forced to take a break (with Patrick accidentally paying for a massage with a happy ending). In the end, the wedding is moved to inside the town hall, which David is surprisingly okay with. The whole scene is doubly hilarious and beautiful, as Moira—who officiates—turns up dressed like Pope John-Paul the Second. Patrick finds out about David’s happy ending, then realizes he essentially told the masseuse to do it. And Alexis gives David away, with Stevie being David’s maid of honor. Perhaps it was all quite perfect after all.
1. Moira’s Wine Commercial
When Johnny speaks to a local winery about hiring him to help their brand, Moira is asked to do a commercial for them. She has just one small problem: she can’t pronounce the owner’s name (“Herb Ertlinger”) during the commercial. Or many other words, for that matter. She attempts multiple takes of the commercial, none of which are good because she keeps messing up. Her confidence plummets, but thankfully Johnny talks her around to going back and trying her best, which we expect would end with her getting it right. But no. When Moira’s final take is revealed, she still can’t say the owner’s name and the entire commercial is a disaster. The sequence is so funny because it subverts the usual sitcom trope and flips it on its head.
