Okay, okay, fans of “Schitt’s Creek”. I fully recognize and admit that I am five seasons late to this party. I hear you. It’s my own fault that I didn’t get to it sooner. I can’t claim ignorance as a defense; numerous pals recommended the show to me and I had heard that it was killing it with critics. But there’s only so much time in every day, and there is SO MUCH good streaming content to consume, you guys! Not to mention books, podcasts, and movies!
But anyway, happily, we as a family finally finished up streaming a bunch of other shows, and decided to start watching “Schitt’s Creek”. We were already liking the show, but absolutely fell in love with it when, in Season 1 Episode 10, David comes out as pansexual.
If you’re not familiar with the show, the premise is deceptively simple. The extremely wealthy Rose family – video store tycoon Johnny (Eugene Levy), former soap opera star Moira (national treasure Catherine O’Hara), son David (show creator Dan Levy), and daughter Alexis (Annie Murphy) – suddenly find themselves penniless. Their only remaining asset is a town called Schitt’s Creek, which Johnny bought as a gag gift for David years before. The family have no choice but to move to Schitt’s Creek and take up residence in the town’s rundown motel, along with all their remaining possessions (an impressively large wardrobe, plus Moira’s seemingly endless collection of wigs).
This fish-out-of-water setup provides fodder for plenty of gags as the family is forced to adjust to their new circumstances and interact with the permanent residents of Schitt’s Creek. But the show also has a lot of warmth; they bicker almost constantly, but there’s an undercurrent of affection, and gradually they grow attached to the town and its eccentric citizens.
One of those citizens is Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire), the motel’s darkly sardonic receptionist. She and David establish a kinship fairly early on, and slowly become friends. In Episode 9, the two share a spontaneous drunken tryst, and in Episode 10 they’re attempting to navigate the aftermath. In part because of Stevie’s confusion, as David’s character is written and portrayed in a specific way that could be read as gay.
As Stevie and David purchase wine to bring to a dinner party, they have a conversation that clears the air between them while also neatly describing pansexuality. I couldn’t find a clip online, but with the writers’ forgiveness I’ll transcribe it here:
Stevie: I only drink red wine. And up until last night, I was under the impression that you, too, only drank red wine. But, I guess I was wrong?
David: I see where you’re going with this. I do drink red wine. But I also drink white wine. And I’ve been known to sample the occasional rose. And a couple summers back, I tried a merlot, that used to be a chardonnay, which got a bit complicated.
Stevie: Oh, so, you’re just really open to, all wines.
David: I like the wine and not the label. Does that make sense?
Stevie: Yes. It does.
Later in the same episode, Johnny reveals matter-of-factly in a conversation with the town’s mayor, Roland (Chris Elliott), that his son David is pansexual. (Cue gag about being attracted to cookware.) Our queer kid squealed with delight at watching a show confirm that it’s canon that David is pansexual, as it’s not something she’s used to seeing a lot, and she has quite a few friends who identify as pan.
We’re going to keep watching “Schitt’s Creek” as a family. I’ve been a bit spoiled for some future hookups and I can’t wait to see what the show’s writers and creators do as they explore this aspect of David’s sexuality. I definitely recommend this sitcom for viewing with your LGBTQ kid(s)!
Schitt’s Creek is available to stream on Netflix and CBC Gem.
