Let’s take a gander at thee 10 Best ‘Schitt’s Creek‘ musique moments!
“After a relatively unassuming start, Canadian sitcom Schitt’s Creek gradually evolved into one of the most heartwarming, memeable and downright joyful shows on our screens, deservedly picking up some long overdue Emmy nominations last year at the fifth time of asking.
Created by and co-starring father and son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, the slow-burning hit has also provided us with a host of memorable musical moments, from faithful renditions of Liza Minnelli showtunes to a pitch-imperfect spoof of a mid-’10s Britney banger.
In the week that everyone’s favorite riches-to-rags family returns for a sixth, and sadly final, season, here’s a look at ten of the best music moments.
10) “Silent Night” (“Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose,” S4, E13)
Dropping just a few weeks before its fifth season, holiday special “Merry Christmas, Johnny Rose” was further proof of Schitt’s Creek rising popularity. It was also the episode which showed that the town’s all-female vocal troupe had the power to move its most impassive resident to tears. Yes, the Jazzagals’ touching rendition of “Silent Night” at the Rosebud Motel’s hastily-assembled festive shindig prompted its co-owner Stevie (Emily Hampshire) to let her guard down and reveal that behind her decidedly deadpan exterior, there was a heart just as big as those of her weird and wonderful neighbors.
9) “Islands in the Stream” (“Rooms by the Hour,” S3 E5)
After hearing that she’s been shortlisted for the coveted role of ornithologist Dr. Clara Mandrake in The Crows Have Eyes II, fame-hungry Moira (Catherine O’Hara) inevitably drops all other commitments at the drop of her Cossack hat. This includes the “Islands in the Stream” duet she’s due to perform with Jocelyn (Jenn Robertson) at an upcoming Jazzagals gig. But after realizing (briefly, anyway) that a Bosnia-based straight-to-DVD schlocky horror might not be the career boost she needs, she returns with her tail between her legs, only to discover that café owner Twyla (Sarah Levy) has taken her place. Forced to watch the surprisingly harmonious duo belt out the Dolly/Kenny classic, the lovably shameless Moira can’t help but interject with her own foreign-language ad-libs as well as a perfectly-timed “ah-hah.”
8) “Money” (“The Roast,” S5 E12)
“I’m not embarrassed at all. I thought I would be.” Like most of us viewers, David (Dan Levy) was expecting Moira’s amateur production of Cabaret to be something of a car crash. But after stumbling upon Patrick (Noah Reid) and Stevie’s secret extra rehearsal of “Money” with his mother in tow, the cashmere sweater addict concedes that the musical’s legacy might not be tainted after all. Even Moira, who’s initially dismayed to find that her two leads have been seeking extra assistance behind her back, acknowledges that their “skullduggery” has produced “thrilling results.”
7) “Danny Boy” (“Carl’s Funeral,” S1 E9)
Moira treats us all to two renditions of funeral favorite “Danny Boy” in season one’s standout episode. Firstly, she saves Johnny (Eugene Levy) from the brink of an existential crisis as he’s encouraged to deliver a eulogy for a man he never knew, leading a mass singalong of the traditional Irish ballad. But it’s her second performance at the wake where O’Hara’s wonderfully bizarre enunciation and elongated pauses truly come to the forefront. The sight of her nearby husband nonchalantly tucking into a sandwich only adds to the brilliant awkwardness of it all.
6) “Baby, I’m Yours” (“Grad Night,” S3, E13)
Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy) has undoubtedly shown more character progression than any other. Initially an air-headed socialite with an arsenal of outlandish celebrity tales (“Do I have to remind you of the time that I was taken hostage on David Geffen’s yacht by Somali pirates for a week?”), she soon transforms into a much kinder-hearted, if admittedly still slightly ditzy, small-town girl no longer concerned about keeping up with the Kardashians. It’s why her quiet dejection is so heart-breaking when she believes none of the Rose family have turned up to her belated high school graduation ceremony. And it’s why her smile is so uplifting when she sees that Moira and the rest of the Jazzagals have canceled a prior engagement to honor the occasion with a touching rendition of Barbara Lewis’ “Baby, I’m Yours.”
5) Moira’s audition (“Jazzagals,” S2, E3)
One of the first signs that the 12-time projected Daytime People’s Choice Award nominee was willing to partially embrace the simpler life was when she muscled her way into the Jazzagals in season two. Never one to miss an opportunity to blow her own trumpet, Moira had led the rest of the group to believe she had the voice of an angel before auditioning. But their illusions were quickly shattered when TV’s most prolific wig enthusiast performed a baffling and presumably entirely improvised scat-jazz number about being held on a log. Unsurprisingly, Moira was still joining the group whether they liked it or not.
4) “Maybe This Time” (“Life Is A Cabaret,” S5 E14)
Although Patrick’s eyeliner and suspenders-clad performance of “Willkommen” was impressively committed, the hero of Schitt’s Creek’s tribute to Cabaret was undoubtedly its Sally Bowles. More used to delivering sarcastic ripostes behind a reception desk, wallflower Stevie’s nerves were palpable from the moment Moira unexpectedly gifted her with the lead part. But following a touching pep talk from the latter, the reluctant star raised the roof with a mixture of vulnerability and defiant optimism while rocking a wig that David once used to dress up as Alanis Morissette.
3) “The Number” (“Asbestos Fest,” S4, E3)
“You can’t unsee something like this,” Alexis warns Patrick just as the town’s annual Asbestos Fest headliners enter the stage. And she’s not wrong. Despite the height of summer setting, Moira and David decide to revive the Christmas skit that was once a Rose family tradition. And it’s every bit as cringeworthy as you’d expect. There’s the stilted dialogue, the corny jokes, the half-hearted shuffling and a medley of festive songs which suggest that David inherited his mother’s somewhat unique approach to harmonizing. Sadly, the mother/son combo are cut off just as they’re about to hit full swing.
2) “The Best” (“Open Mic,” S4 E6)
As with Cabaret, David was initially skeptical about boyfriend Patrick’s musical talents before he kickstarted the open mic night designed to promote their flagging apothecary store. However, Moira’s offer to pull the fire alarm mid-song wasn’t needed. For it turns out that Patrick was something of a dark house, reworking Tina Turner’s bombastic sports anthem “The Best” into a tender declaration of love that was so well-received in real life it reached the Canadian iTunes Top 10. Three episodes later, David returned the favor in his own inimitable style, attempting to patch up their relationship by lip-syncing to the Tina original for his life.
1) “A Little Bit Alexis” (“The Hospies,” S5 E8)
Of course, Noah Reid isn’t the only Schitt’s Creek cast member to have recently graced the iTunes charts. Annie Murphy also inspired a bunch of fans to download her musical contribution to season five, a hilarious trash pop parody which evoked Britney Spears’ less than subtle club banger “Work Bitch.” Co-written by Murphy and her real-life husband, Hollerado frontman Menno Versteeg, “A Little Bit Alexis” nails the parody, but you have to see the character’s audition performance — conceived as the theme tune to Alexis’ same-named “critically-reviewed limited reality series” — to get the full effect. Inspired by the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, Alexis leaves casting crew Moira and Jocelyn open-mouthed as she confidently busts some moves to lines such as “I’m a Prada handbag/I’m a naughty elf/I’m a little bit ‘go girl’/When I touch myself.”
Dan Levy later joked that Schitt’s Creek’s sixth season would consist of nothing more than a video for “A Little Bit Alexis.” And as much as we love the rest of the gang, we’d also be more than satisfied if that was the case.” – Billboard.com
