Schitt's Creek series finale delivered fan service that actually worked

Esquire

The Pop TV comedy ended six seasons Tuesday with a celebratory finish that felt like the way Schitt's Creek was always meant to end, says Justin Kirkland. "The finale of Schitt's Creek is purely fan service, which can often be a disappointment to watch," says Kirkland. "Fan-driven plot can be a misguided wishlist of non-sequitur fiction. But for the final episode of Schitt's Creek, it works. This half-hour, while a beautiful goodbye to the series, is largely inconsequential because Dan and Eugene Levy managed to wrap up every narrative arc before this last installment. 'Happy Ending' is just that—a rare coda that allows the Rose family (and viewers) a moment to celebrate this accomplishment before them. Television finales and life milestones have this unfortunate similarity: rarely are they allowed the proper amount of time to breathe. Schitt's Creek dodges that. This moment of celebration and fan service and triumph works because it was earned. While Schitt's Creek was always a comedy that focused on the flamboyant and silly, it never allowed its characters to find an easy way out. There's a difficult line to walk when redeeming an unlikable character, but Schitt's Creek managed to shine a light on the flaws of each member of the Rose family in a way that made you want to root for them."

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• Schitt's Creek gave fans the perfect ending: "If they had to leave us–and this feels like a particularly painful time to say goodbye–at least the Rose family left us well. The magnificent series finale of Schitt’s Creek was a balm, a confection, a tear-jerker, and a perfect reminder that there just have to be better days ahead," says Karen Valby. "The darling Roses had their lives stripped away, after all, and were forced into their own version of a quarantine in a middle-of-nowhere town, distant siblings and disengaged parents confined to two shabby motel rooms. It was a wonderful thing to watch over the last six seasons as each of them lovably, uncomfortably, sometimes heartbreakingly, sometimes hilariously (hi yoh, that masseuse!) reached towards his or her happy ending. The Rose family lost their riches, but earned their own good fortune."
• Schitt’s Creek ends with an episode (and a final season) that truly highlights one of its greatest strengths of a show: "Its ability to make its characters grow without fundamentally changing them," says LaToya Ferguson. "For example, one of the most striking differences between the Rose family in the pilot and the series finale is how much they all openly admit that they love each other and actually mean it when they say it. Which frames things like Alexis wearing a wedding dress to David’s wedding and Moira arriving in what can only be described as 'Pope couture' in a much different way from how they’d be if they attempted to do something like that back in the first season. Because both of those character choices could totally have existed in the first season… but they wouldn’t have come from a place where you’ve got to give them the benefit of the doubt that they’re not trying to hurt David or steal his thunder. Instead, by series’ end, they’re walking David down the aisle and officiating his wedding, respectively, ultimately providing two of the episodes’ most integral emotional beats in the process."
• What makes the finale memorable is how quietly it ends: "I keep thinking about that quiet background farewell, the one no one else seems to notice, between the woman who was always ready to get out of town and the home she cared about in spite of herself," says Kelly Connolly. "Moira Rose, for once, didn't need an audience. There's never enough time to say goodbye and there are never the right words; Schitt's Creek knew this. But the spectacle of saying goodbye isn't the point. The love behind it is enough."
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• Dan Levy and Noah Reid discuss their "Happy Ending": "Well, the title has multiple meanings," says Levy. "I think first and foremost, it is what everyone wants for this family. I think it's what everyone wants for the show. It would be really sad and disappointing if we didn't give a happy ending. And then there is, quite literally, a happy ending that occurs during a massage that adds some levity to a pretty intense episode. And that was something that we had a long conversation about, in terms of are we taking it too far, does it live outside the show? And ultimately the conversation ended with, no, it doesn't. This is a couple that has been so open and honest, and has not put sexuality and their sex lives in this box that they can't touch. It's always been around, and it hasn't necessarily defined who they are as people."
• Dan Levy has always tried to avoid fan service, but relented this season: "We really made an active choice not to listen to the fans, not in a negative way, but rather I think the minute you start making a show that is aware of your fanbase, the minute it stops being your show," he tells E! News. "It starts being something else. So, this last season was probably the first time that we obviously had to consider what would make fans feel satiated. What would make fans feel like they got everything they possibly could out of the show, while at the same time, hopefully proposing some other ideas that they didn't see coming? It was a daunting task, but I knew when we were shooting that wedding that there was magic in the air. And that sort of gave me a sense of calm, because there was something so special about that day. I knew that in order to create that kind of energy in the air, the pieces were in the right place."
• Dan Levy says "we need time and space" before entertaining any idea of a revival, spinoff and/or movie: "I find it very flattering that people want to know about this," Levy tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I think that's a sign that we've done something good. The reason we ended the show in the first place was because I never wanted it to get stale. I never wanted to overstay our welcome. I wanted this show to have a legacy that people return to. I wanted it to be included in conversations about great series and not just a great season. And that requires making tough decisions about saying goodbye. So the idea of reopening anything anytime soon is not necessarily going to happen because I think we need time and space. I think the audience needs to take a breath in order to really want to see these characters again, and more importantly, I need to take a breath, do some other things in order to hopefully get an idea that is special enough to bring everyone back together. Because the last thing anyone would want is for us to just do something in haste, have it not be good, and have that be the legacy of the show."