This 6-Season Sleeper Hit Brilliantly Subverted a Tired Sitcom Trope (Twice)

Part of the reason TV fans are so enamored with sitcoms is that it often seems like something unexpected is going to happen, only to have the more predictable option actually occur. There’s a strange amount of comfort in that. Over the decades, sitcoms have developed a pool of plot twists that generally occur across the genre, but some have found ways to toy with the fabric of the established formula and catch viewers off guard. A six-season sitcom that ran between 2015 and 2020 certainly did this throughout by taking a familiar trope and making it impossible to guess how it would play out in its various forms.

Created by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek is a sitcom that started as something of an underdog but gradually gained a devoted following during its half-decade on the air. Remembered mostly for its offbeat humor and perfectly cast characters, Schitt‘s Creek often resisted being like other sitcoms. While it included certain storylines that could be found in a variety of its peers, the show very rarely made use of sitcom tropes as they’re traditionally implemented. Its innovative blueprint makes it the textbook example of a perfect binge-watch, and even on a second viewing, it’s wild to think that certain arcs didn’t turn out as they were teased to.

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Most sitcoms have at least one central romantic pairing, with the characters involved often going through a pretty tumultuous journey before finally settling down together somewhere near the show’s finale. In Friends, this was Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). Other examples include J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) in Scrubs, or Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Melissa Fumero) in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The constant cycle of getting together and then breaking up again is a big part of what generates interest in their stories, and the well-trodden subplot is referred to as a “will-they/won’t-they” storyline. Almost exclusively, the couple in question ends up married or on the verge of marriage when the show ends.

In many ways, Schitt’s Creek embraced this trope, but not in the same way as other sitcoms. Instead, it showcased the relationship between David (Dan Levy) and Patrick (Noah Reid). After meeting mid-way through Season 3, it only took a handful of episodes for them to become an item, and they then enjoyed a relatively smooth ride to wedded bliss at the end of the show. There were, of course, some bumps in the road, but nothing that ever really came close to threatening their heartwarming relationship.

Other pairings seemed intentionally unconvincing as a couple that would believably go the distance, were incredibly brief, or ended in surprise heartbreak. There was very little push-and-pull when compared to similar dynamics in sitcoms like How I Met Your Mother, The Office, and New Girl. For example, Stevie (Emily Hampshire) and David’s brief romantic entanglement did suggest an imminent will-they/won’t-they arc, but it quickly resolved into friendship. There were a few moments where it seemed that they had feelings for each other that went beyond platonic, but nothing of any real substance.

The ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Will-They/Won’t-They Couple That Fell Apart

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Annie Murphy’s Alexis Rose had two primary love interests in Schitt’s Creek: Mutt (Tim Rozon) and Ted (Dustin Milligan). Alexis and Mutt initially seemed like quite a good match, but they ultimately turned out not to be right for each other. Similarly, the relationship between Ted and Alexis always felt pretty one-sided, with Ted making most of the effort and Alexis just enjoying the attention — at least, that’s how it was the first time around. When Alexis and Ted split up early in Schitt‘s Creek, the sitcom had already suggested that romantic reunions just weren’t part of its roadmap. So, it was a particularly big surprise when they got back together down the line.

However, rather than their rekindled romance in Season 4 acting as a catalyst for a predictable marriage twist — after all, they’d flirted with engagement before — Schitt‘s Creek used the story point to mark the beginning of an agonizing slide into heartbreak. Ted and Alexis had grown a lot in their time apart, and they both seemed quietly primed for that wedding they had long talked about to finally materialize. This was, sadly, Schitt’s Creek‘s sneaky act of misdirection, laying the breadcrumbs of a happy ending for the on-again-off-again couple to a destination far from what viewers wanted.

Despite their evident love for each other, the divergence between Ted and Alexis’ professional goals led to a separation in Season 5, when Milligan’s character left to embark on a multi-year research project in the Galápagos Islands, while Alexis stayed in Schitt’s Creek to nurture her rising career as a publicist. Said separation eventually led to a tear-jerking scene in which they both agreed to end the relationship, despite neither wanting it. Countless sitcom fans were surely lured in by this development, convinced that Alexis and Ted would be brought back together.

Schitt’s Creek Season 6 even provided what would, in other sitcoms, have been the perfect chance for them to reunite. David and Patrick’s wedding would have been a brilliant setting for Ted to show up unannounced and say he’s back for good, but that didn’t happen. Even if he had, it would not have felt fair or believable considering their mature decision to end the relationship. Regardless, there wouldn’t have been enough time before the sitcom ended for Ted and Alexis to tie the knot, and viewers would need to settle for the suggestion that it would happen offscreen. So, even though Schitt’s Creek was technically filled with will-they/won’t-they storylines, the show just always opted for the latter option. Schitt’s Creek is available to stream on Hulu and Prime Video.