Ever since creator Daniel Levy's Schitt's Creek swept major awards at this year's Emmys, the Canadian sitcom has been the talk of the town. Filled with humour, Schitt's Creek is a heartwarming show about love, acceptance and inclusivity. If you haven't yet watched it, this can't be a better year as the series will mean the world to you at a time when the whole world is grappling through misery and uncertainty. And if you have already binged through the six seasons here are some more sitcoms from this year to help you sustain those fits of laughter:
The Good Place
The American fantasy comedy television series is created by Michael Schur. The Good Place premiered on 2016 and concluded in January this year after four seasons and 53 episodes.
Similar to Schitt's Creek, this show also evolves through the seasons. However, the original premise follows Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), a woman welcomed after her death to "the Good Place", a selective Heaven-like utopia designed and run by afterlife "architect" Michael (Ted Danson). Eleanor has been offered this opportunity as a reward for her righteous life.
Things go downhill as Eleanor realises that she has been sent by mistake and thus she must hide her morally imperfect past and strive to become a more 'ethical' person. Kristen Bell aces this vain, impish character and we gradually get drawn to this world full of eccentric beings.
The Good Place is streaming on Netflix
Kim's Convenience
Along with Schitt's Creek this Canadian sitcom has also become hugely popular. Based on Ins Choi's 2011 play of the same name, Kim's Convenience became available outside of Canada when it debuted internationally on Netflix in 2018. The fourth season premiered on 7 January this year and on March it was announced that the show has been renewed for two more seasons.
The show chronicles the day-to-day dramas encountered by a Korean immigrant family that runs a corner grocery store in Canada. The archetypes are obvious and rigid. The villains in their lives are also small-time: a vain entrepreneur, an overly chatty air-conditioning guy, the pastor who never pays for his snacks. But there is a warmth in the way this family navigates through life and their problems.
Kim's Convenience is streaming on Netflix
Workin' Moms
If you are willing to share a few laughs with some working mothers, this sitcom from Canada is waiting for you. Workin' Moms premiered globally on Netflix in February 2019, when the series was in the middle of season three. In April 2020, it was renewed for a fifth season.
The show stars Catherine Reitman, Jessalyn Wanlim, Dani Kind and Juno Rinaldi as a group of friends who are dealing with the challenges of being working mothers.
Workin' Moms has its own flaws but it does portray an accurate and messy picture of motherhood than most shows. Packed with humour, the series shows the ordeals working mothers have to face trying to balance their personal and professional lives. What is also refreshing is that the postpartum depression story is dealt with honesty and sensitivity.
Workin' Moms is streaming on Netflix
Family Reunion
The American series has been created by Meg DeLoatch and it premiered on Netflix on 10 July 10, 2019. In September 2019, the series was renewed for a second season and a holiday special that premiered on 9 December 2019. Some remaining season 1 episodes were released on 20 January 2020.
Family Reunion follows the McKellans who move from Seattle to Georgia to be closer to their extended family. But the transition is like being a fish out of water. It is hilarious to see the family struggling to adjust to the new surroundings.
Family Reunion is streaming on Netflix.
Fuller House
The American sitcom created by Jeff Franklin is a sequel to the 1987–1995 television series Full House.
The story follows D.J. Tanner-Fuller, a veterinarian and widowed mother of three sons, whose sister Stephanie and best friend Kimmy—along with her teenage daughter—live together at the Tanners' childhood home in California. Most of the original series ensemble cast have reprised their roles on Fuller House, either as regular cast members or in guest appearances.
The show released on 26 February 2016 and the second half of the fifth and final season aired on 2 June, 2020.
Fuller House is streaming on Netflix
Schitt's Creek
The Canadian sitcom, created by Daniel and Eugene Levy, aired on CBC Television from January 13, 2015, to April 7, 2020. It consists of 80 episodes spread over six seasons. The series' appearance on Netflix after its third season is credited for the show's sudden rise in stature, with viewers applauding the sensitivity with which queer love is represented on screen.
Schitt's Creek follows the Rose family, who, after going bankrupt, are forced to settle in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Over the course of the show, the layers are peeled and we see the four members of the family embracing a life full of love and happiness.
At the centre is the romantic relationship between David (Dan Levy) and Patrick (Noah Reid). Schitt's Creek ends with the duo having a happily-ever-after - a trope that's often reserved for heterosexual couples.
What has stayed with the fans of the show is the fact that there isn't a whiff of homophobia, bigotry or judgment across the seasons. It's an immersive and wholesome experience to be cherished by all.
Schitt's Creek is streaming on Netflix
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)