Alison Curtis: Schitt's Creek has become an unlikely hero in our lives
Alison CurtisÂ
My daughter, Joan, and I spend a lot of time together and this is a wonderful thing. I have said this so many times in this column, I am so thankful my working week allows this time with her.
The only time we are really apart across the week is when she is in school or I am on-air and that doesnât add up to that many hours in a week.
I am there every day after school, I take her to all her activities and even though my shows are on Saturday and Sunday mornings I still have those afternoons and evenings with her. So I consider myself very lucky and I hope it stands to both of us as she gets older that we have been so close.
However, there is always a but, up until recently, we struggled to find common ground on picking our entertainment together during downtimes. In short, a TV show that we both want to watch.
I have to admit my attention span for her favourite shows down through the years is definitely short and in many cases non-existent. I mean I found testing the first time around!
This isnât to say that we canât, of course, watch separate shows or that she canât sit independently and enjoy something, it is just more fun if we are âintoâ the same thing.
There have been loads of movies we have both really enjoyed and got a lot out of. But to share a âshowâ is a real bonding moment, like families who all gather around to watch or the couple who never watch ahead of a series when the other person isnât there.
Itâs a connection to someone, a common ground, a thing to really fully appreciate together. As adults its the second most talked about thing followed by the weather. Inevitably the next question in any conversation is âwatching anything good at the moment?â
So Joan and I have been on the hunt for âthe showâ all during lockdown, the one for us as a duo. We dipped in and out of which she loved and obviously as a middle-aged woman it held limited appeal for me. Joan tried to get me into and but I found them both so chaotic. And donât even get me started on when she was drawn to !
Having said that, there have been some really good shows Joan has been drawn to with great messaging on how to treat people and how to be kind, and some shows, I feel, have great representation, which I am really happy to let her sit-down with on her own.
But we still needed âourâ show. Finally, we had a breakthrough moment when I decided it was okay to introduce her to one of my favourite TV shows of all time. Despite having mature content at points, it is the ultimate feelgood, warm, caring and unbelievably inclusive show. Plus the bonus is it suits me to perfectly when I get homesick for CanadaâŠ.. itâs !
Just 60 perfect seconds of Alexis and Moira Rose saying "David" pic.twitter.com/aJqY4XIX5c
— puÉlÇÉčI â Êê” xáŽlÉÊÇN (@NetflixUK) May 22, 2020
The show about a rich family who lose it all and have to move into a motel in a town named Schitts Creek that was bought as a joke when they were filthy rich. Starring and written by the incredibly talented Dan Levy and also has comedic giants Eugene Levy and Catherine OâHara.
Joan absolutely adores it, she always suggests we watch it and we are currently on our second run through. As a show, it is teaching Joan so much about acceptance, about kindness and I feel it is maturing her already brilliant sense of humour.
It does what a great TV show should do, extends its joy beyond the hours we are actually watching it. We repeat moments and lines to each other in character, we have both gotten so good at impersonating all the characters, it cracks us up every single time.
So we have found our show! The one that we can appreciate and enjoy together.
