[4] The series concept came from Dan Levy who wondered how wealthy families, as frequently depicted on American reality television, would react if they lost all their money.
It was first sold to CBC Television in Canada and secured final funding to start production in its sale to Pop in the United States.
They move towards rebuilding their lives with their sole remaining asset: a remote town named Schitt's Creek somewhere in Canada, which Johnny bought for David's birthday in 1991 as a joke.
While the family adjusts to their new lives, their well-to-do attitudes conflict with the town's more provincial residents, including mayor Roland Schitt (Chris Elliott), his wife Jocelyn (Jenn Robertson), and their son Mutt (Tim Rozon), the motel's clerk Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire), town council members Ronnie Lee (Karen Robinson) and Bob Currie (John Hemphill), veterinarian Ted Mullens (Dustin Milligan), and Jazzagal member and Café Tropical waitress Twyla Sands (Sarah Levy).
Schitt's Creek eventually found a U.S. home on Pop TV after striking a deal with network head Brad Schwartz, who had previously hired Dan on MTV Canada.
To prove their point, they brought pages copied from a phone book to the CBC showing listings for individuals with the "Schitt" surname.
O'Hara eventually agreed to participate in the presentation pilot with no obligation to continue in the role after Schitt's Creek was ordered to series.
[27] Annie Murphy was offered the role of spoiled socialite Alexis Rose after actress Abby Elliott was unable to continue due to scheduling conflicts.
After this audition, Dan Levy convinced his father that Murphy could dye her hair blonde, and she was officially cast as Alexis Rose.
[28] Emily Hampshire was cast as the deadpan motel clerk, Stevie Budd, after auditioning for the role in Los Angeles.
According to Daniel Levy, who was present for the process, Hampshire gave a "great" audition, then proceeded to lift her shirt over her head to hide and slowly rocked back and forth.
[54] Main Street Stouffville served as a filming location for an unspecified number of scenes (Thicketwood Veterinary Hospital) in the series' first two seasons.
Scenes involving the fictional retailer, Blouse Barn, in seasons two and three were filmed on location on Main Street Unionville in Markham.
[56][57] In the season four episode "The Jazzaguy," scenes involving a spa retreat were filmed on location at Monte Carlo Inn in Vaughan, Ontario.
The Jazzagals' main members are Moira Rose, Jocelyn Schitt, Twyla Sands, Ronnie Lee, and Gwen Currie.
[63] In season one's "Carl's Funeral", Moira sings an unaccompanied version of "Danny Boy" as a distraction when Johnny's eulogy goes awry.
[72] In season six's "Happy Ending", the series finale, the Jazzagals sing a cappella versions of James Morrison's "Precious Love" and Tina Turner's "The Best" at David and Patrick's wedding.
Noah Reid's Patrick also sings a portion of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" as part of his wedding vows to David in the same episode.
[2] The series finale aired on April 7, 2020, at 8:00 pm ET; followed by a one-hour behind-the-scenes retrospective documentary, Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt's Creek Farewell.
[80][81] It was previously broadcast in New Zealand by TV2 and TVNZ on Demand, in Australia by ABC and its iView streaming service, and on Comedy Central in India.
[87] In December 2019, fans on social media accused UK television station 4Music of censoring some scenes featuring "intimate dialogue" and kissing between the show's LGBTQ characters.
[88] Co-creator and star, Dan Levy, also addressed the alleged censorship on social media calling it "highly disturbing" and "dangerous".
Levy noted via social media that Schitt's Creek is "a show about the power of inclusivity" and censoring gay intimacy was a "harmful statement against that message".
The website's critical consensus reads, "The title is one of the best jokes of Schitt's Creek, but performances from Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara give the writing a comedic boost.
[107] Bridget Read of Vogue wrote that while the series "started off with typical fish out of water scenarios," it has "fully come into its own, with a whole cast of Twin Peaks-meets-Christopher-Guest-universe characters that are as equally endearing".
The event included behind-the-scenes stories; a live question and answer session with the cast; and an audience participation trivia game.
[133] In November and December 2019, Schitt's Creek's US broadcaster, Pop TV, staged two immersive fan events in Los Angeles and New York City.
[134] To promote the series' sixth and final season in January 2020, the CBC and Pop TV commissioned "groundbreaking" billboards featuring a same-sex kiss between the show's engaged couple, David and Patrick.
[135] Series creator Dan Levy said it felt "irresponsible" not to put the characters kissing on a billboard, as it isn't "something we see every day" and is "banned in multiple countries.
[138] In conjunction with the series finale, the one-hour documentary special Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt's Creek Farewell was also broadcast by both the CBC and Pop.