So, I’m a little more than fashionably late to the party, but over the past several weeks I’ve been watching all six seasons of Schitt$ Creek with my wife Amy. To be clear, she’s seen every episode at least twice and has been telling me for years that I need to watch the show. This is just another in a long and ever-growing list of times I should have listened to her advice from the beginning. The show is funny and smart and sweet. The characters are both caricatures and authentically human, and it’s inspiring to watch them learn and grow as the show progresses. I’m just at the end of season five now, so I have another season of surprises ahead, but I already find myself saddened by the knowledge that I will miss these people when it’s over.
I also find myself, as with Ted Lasso last summer, thinking about all the ways this show and these characters are related to my life and my role as an educational leader. Each of them has something to show us about life’s lessons and about how we can support one another in our pursuit of personal growth. I’m sure many, many others have written about the show and what we can learn from its characters, but what follows are a few of the lessons I’ve learned from the characters of Schitt$ Creek.
SPOILER ALERT: From this point forward, I will be writing about specific scenes and quotes from the show. Please make sure to watch the first five seasons before reading on; it’s worth it.
David
Of all of the Roses, David is the first to clearly show significant learning and growth from the plight of his family. It is David who first finds employment to directly address the economic situation his family faces and it is David who makes the decision to place his subsequent windfall into a family savings account. Later, it is David who identifies an entrepreneurial opportunity to advance himself by opening the Rose Apothecary and it is David who first openly and consciously embraces the support of others, namely the love of Patrick. In taking these steps throughout the first five seasons (again, that’s as far as I’ve gotten) David teaches us the importance of assuming authorship in our lives. It is this, David’s ability to “write his own script” moving forward, that sets David apart and makes him my favorite character on the show.
Maybe this is no coincidence; after all it is Daniel Levy (the actor playing David) who came up with the original idea for Schitt$ Creek and who serves as a regular writer of episodes. Regardless, though he might not see it or say it, David shows a consistent growth in his ability to take control of his life and create opportunities to improve his and his family’s circumstances. Yes, we see this as he advances professionally, but we also see it as he grows personally through his relationships. It is David, after all, who orchestrates the transition of his relationship with Stevie from one of lovers to another as friends. Many know the difficulty of that maneuver and the emotional maturity needed to make it work. Later, it is David who recognizes the emotional danger of his and Stevie’s relationship with Jake and who subsequently walks away. Here again, we see David as a person growing in his ability to be independent and self-assured. Finally, we see David find love with Patrick. In this relationship we see David accept and express love despite the difficult experiences of his past. There’s a lot to be appreciated here about love and relationships, but for the purposes of this blog I would focus on the lesson David teaches us about the importance of both learning from and letting go of the past. They’re not mutually exclusive, but instead symbiotically essential skills in leading lives (and organizations) of growth and possibility.
Johnny
Johnny’s growth is in direct alignment with the cause of his family’s misfortune. In the first episode, the Rose’s find themselves in Schitt’s Creek as a result of Johnny’s financial advisors embezzling his fortune, leaving the Rose’s nearly broke and without a home. As the series progresses, we learn that Johnny was at the head of a large video retailer, but that he had lost touch with his company, ultimately allowing for the theft of his fortune. Once in Schitt’s Creek, we see Johnny first trying first to sell the town and then brainstorming ideas to create new business opportunities, again with an eye towards leaving town as quickly as possible. Both of these strategies ultimately fail.
By the third season we see Johnny change directions. Rather than looking for quick get-rich strategies or other ways to leave Schitt’s Creek, we see him become partners with Stevie and invest himself fully in the business of managing what becomes re-branded as the Rosebud Motel. By reassuring Stevie that he’s not going to abandon her and the hotel, Johnny teaches us the importance of being present. It’s not until Johnny stops looking ahead to the future or the next endeavor that he recognizes what he has gained in coming to Shitt’s Creek and the value of the relationships he’s forged there. Johnny also teaches us the importance of building strong relationships built on trust. From his conversation with Stevie in the lobby through his subsequent actions as a partner in the hotel we see not just Johnny but also Stevie settle into their roles and re-commit themselves to the organization and each other. They both grow, together. Finally, Johnny teaches us the importance of staying invested in the details. I don’t mean micro-managing, which we see Johnny struggle with in several episodes as he learns to trust both Stevie and Roland in their roles. In fact, I should add that Johnny teaches us the dangers of micro-managing and the negative impact that this can have on staff morale and performance. In fact, watching Johnny’s character arc throughout season five is a master class in effective organizational management.
Alexis
I have to start by admitting that for me, Alexis is the most difficult character to watch. I think the actress playing her is phenomenal, and this is only my unique perspective, but I truly struggle at times with the character’s mannerisms and behaviors. That said, Alexis’s selfless act toward the end of season five is one of my favorite moments of personal growth in the show so far. Alexis teaches us that, to help others be and become their best selves, we must avoid superimposing our own ideals, values, or expectations on others. This can be incredibly difficult (as it surely is for Alexis in this extreme example) or subtle, as it might be when working with someone who’s personal goals or expectations don’t fully align with those of the organization.
Moira
I still don’t understand the speech patterns of Moira, but I know I love them. I also love the incredible lack self-awareness on display in every scene she’s a part of. I don’t now that I’ve ever seen anyone play a character so oblivious of themselves. For these reasons, she’s my favorite character to just sit back and watch, but she’s also taught me an important lesson along the way. Moira teaches us that to truly connect with others, we must first understand ourselves. It’s only in the small moments when she’s able to put herself aside that Moira is really able to connect with others both within and aside her family. It’s by watching her as a foil, however, that we really understand this lesson.
Stevie
I wasn’t initially going to include Stevie in this post for the simple reason that she’s not a member of the Rose family. Then I watched the season five finale and realized her growth couldn’t go without mention. There are so many things Stevie teaches over the course of the first five seasons, but watching her performance of “Maybe This Time” and her conversation with Moira just before changed everything. Through Moira’s pep-talk, Stevie teaches us that there’s power in being yourself. People simply respond to authenticity. It’s inspiring, and it allows one to build connections better than any skill of trick of interpersonal ingenuity. Stevie also teaches us to be courageous. The risk she takes in making herself vulnerable pays off in her performance and in the relationships she builds with her friends who have become family.
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I am sure there are many other great lessons to be learned from Schitt$ Creek, both on a personal and professional level. Now that I’ve written this, I just did a quick Google Search for “lessons from Schitts Creek” to check and got 1,600,000 results. I can’t wait to read some of them, but I’ve got an entire season six to watch before I do. In the meantime, I hope one or a few of the lessons I’ve written about here resonate with you. In the end, Schitt$ Creek teaches us the power of human potential when we live and lead from the heart. Enjoy the show!
Please Come to the Principal’s Office 