Throughout six seasons of Schitt’s Creek, the audience met many quirky and interesting characters that complemented the Rose family in the show’s titular town. Here, we’re ranking the 11 characters who received main cast billing throughout the series’ run.
The town of Schitt’s Creek was already filled with an eclectic population before the Rose family arrived in Season 1. With a talented cast led and assembled by Dan and Eugene Levy, many of these characters became familiar presences over the course of 6 years. Without further ado, here is the ranking of Schitt’s Creek 11 main characters.
11 – Mutt Schitt (Tim Rozon)
The son of town mayor Roland and his wife Jocelyn, the character of Mutt Schitt was an intermittent presence throughout the show’s early seasons. Mutt’s reclusive and mysterious nature contrasted with his parents’ more outgoing personalities although they were rarely on-screen at the same time. He was also an early love interest to Alexis Rose, initially being chosen by the former socialite over his competition, local veterinarian Ted Mullens.
Mutt was a main character on Schitt’s Creek for the first 3 seasons only and made brief appearances in fourth season, giving him less screen time than the others on this list. In real life, actor Tim Rozon was cast on Wyonnna Earp as Doc Holliday, explaining his absence from Schitt’s Creek/
10 – Ted Mullens (Dustin Milligan)
Local veterinarian Ted was first introduced as the nearest ‘doctor’ when David Rose believed he was having a heart attack. Since then, much of Ted’s storylines have involved the character of Alexis Rose. This has spanned dating, a failed engagement, professional relationship to dating again. Ultimately, Ted and Alexis amicably end their relationship to pursue individual career goals.
Ted’s placing in this list is nothing against the character or indeed the actor, Dustin Milligan. While Ted was a consistently likable presence to have on the show, he suffers in this case from being overshadowed by more prominent characters to the overall story being told.
9 – Twyla Sands (Sarah Levy)
Twyla Sands, the friendly waitress at the local Café Tropical, appears in all 6 seasons of Schitt’s Creek. However, some fans may be unaware that her actress, Sarah Levy, is the real-life daughter and sister respectively of co-creators Eugene and Dan Levy. Putting this familial relationship to one side, Twyla’s sunny personality shines through in every scene she appeared in.
Throughout her tenure, Twyla has shared memorable scenes with each of the Rose family, particularly Johnny, Moira and Alexis. There have been numerous friendly interactions between Johnny and Twyla and knowing that their actors are real-life father and daughter creates a lovely extra dimension to those scenes.
8 – Jocelyn Schitt (Jennifer Robertson)
Jocelyn Schitt, along with her husband/town mayor Roland Schitt, is one of the first Schitt’s Creek locals to meet the newly-arrived Rose family in Season 1. A high school teacher, Jocelyn is an empathetic and kind person. Her closest friends are the Jazzagals, a women’s acapella singing group which Moira Rose later joins. She also mentors Alexis Rose to achieve her high school diploma.
By the second season finale, the audience sees just how much Roland and Jocelyn have impacted the Roses’ lives, in Johnny’s speech to their former friends. In Season 4, Jocelyn falls pregnant with her second son, named Roland Moira Schitt. Although the show is a comedy at its core, this offered an insight into being a middle-aged new mother and the obstacles that come with this.
7 – Patrick Brewer (Noah Reid)
Compared to the other characters on this list, Patrick Brewer (played by actor/musician Noah Reid) was a late addition to the cast. First introduced in Season 3, Patrick becomes David’s partner in both business and romance. Noah Reid became a regular from Season 4, cementing Patrick’s long-term future on the series.
Although David had been in relationships prior to Patrick’s arrival, this one showed a side of David that hadn’t been explored, romantic depth. Patrick is also a much more calm, centered character than loud, outgoing David, which helps them balance each other out.
6 – Roland Schitt (Chris Elliott)
Town mayor Roland Schitt was played by comedy legend Chris Elliott, known for projects such as Groundhog Day, Get A Life and How I Met Your Mother, among others. As a character, Roland is a delightful eccentric whose antics annoy Johnny Rose, sometimes intentionally. Rather than being a pushover, Roland is brave enough to stand up for himself, which he shows early on by having the Roses’ motel doors removed.
As quite an oddball/misfit character, Roland was in safe hands with Chris Elliott. His scenes with Johnny in particular were always funny to watch. In later seasons, Roland’s role became even bigger by becoming involved with the motel, one of the show’s main locations. The trio of Roland-Johnny-Stevie working together makes no sense on paper but completely worked.
5 – Johnny Rose (Eugene Levy)
Played by patriarch Eugene Levy, Johnny is the patriarch of the once wealthy Rose family. As the first billed character, Johnny plays a large role in the show’s long-term storyline, with a big chunk of the story ultimately being about Johnny building his personal and business reputation back up. Johnny is also the ‘straight man’ of the series, being at the receiving end of other characters’ (Moira, Roland, Bob) unusual antics.
In a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Eugene Levy said that: “For me, Johnny is probably the straightest character I have ever played [and that is] by design. To be the calm eye of the storm in this show, Johnny had to be very real and believable. So I think I probably drew more on myself than I ever have for a role. Similar in a way to Jim’s dad in the American Pie movies but [with] more of an edge.”
4 – Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara)
Taking on the role of Rose matriarch Moira was Catherine O’Hara, comedy veteran and long-time collaborator of Eugene Levy, dating back to their days with SCTV. Moira was an eccentric former soap star with a wide vocabulary and a vocal distaste for the new surroundings that she found herself in. Moira’s distinct accent, dress sense and wigs also helped set her apart from the other characters on Schitt’s Creek.
While different actors or writers might have depicted Moira as a one-dimensional, joke character, both Catherine O’Hara and Dan Levy’s writing staff were able to give her depth and character development. Although not as settled in the town as her family, Moira is a markedly different person for the better by the time that the final credits rolled.
3 – Stevie Budd (Emily Hampshire)
Actress Emily Hampshire brought the Rosebud Motel’s deadpan front desk clerk to life. Introduced as a loner with few friends and an aversion to people in general, Stevie finds a best friend in David Rose, who is is many ways her opposite. As well as David, Stevie is also mentored at different points by Johnny (running the motel) and Moira Rose (her Season 5 performance in Cabaret). It can be argued that Stevie is emotionally the closest character to the Rose family, having close bonds with their members.
It should also be noted that for most of Schitt’s Creek‘s run, Emily Hampshire was playing Stevie concurrently with also portraying ‘Jennifer Goines’ on 12 Monkeys, a vastly different role. The fact that Hampshire made Stevie such a beloved and memorable character while balancing another in her head makes it all the more impressive.
2 – Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy)
Landing in second place on the list is Alexis Rose, the daughter of the family. She was portrayed by Annie Murphy in an Emmy-winning performance. Alexis is first introduced as a typical vapid rich girl, with no actual career plans and relying on other people – her parents and boyfriend – to support her. However, Murphy’s acting throughout the 6 seasons ensured that Alexis received extensive character development, to the point where Alexis’ Season 1 and Season 6 counterparts are barely recognisable to each other.
Prior to Noah Reid joining the show in David’s storyline, Alexis was probably the character used most to explore romantic plots with both Mutt Schitt and Ted Mullens. The latter also significantly helps Alexis’ personal growth by encouraging her to college. This ultimately sets the path that Alexis is on as the series came to an end.
1 – David Rose (Daniel Levy)
In many ways, Schitt’s Creek is David Rose’s coming-of-age story – and his actor Daniel Levy was the creative mind behind it all. Over 6 seasons, David openly states his pansexuality with a wine metaphor, enters the retail industry, meets his future husband, and is on his way to becoming a successful businessman. David’s relationships with his parents and sister also improve through being cramped together in the motel.
David’s witty, sarcastic back-and-forth conversations with the other characters – mostly Alexis, Stevie and Patrick, were always entertaining to watch. While David never would have predicted that he’d stay in Schitt’s Creek longer than he had to, the fact he chose to stay there with Patrick was very gratifying.
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