Characters / Schitt's Creek

Schitt's Creek

Rose Family

In General

• Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Although they frequently get on one another's nerves (especially due to being forced into close proximity in adjoining motel rooms), they just as frequently demonstrate their love for one another. Moira and Johnny are Happily Married with an active sex life, and David has been a protective (albeit anxious) big brother to Alexis for her whole life. Note that this love includes gentle teasing as often as it includes awkward support.
• The Beautiful Elite: The Roses used to be this, being charming and well-groomed rich folk, and through most of the series, their goal is to regain that status. We get glimpses of their former life throughout, such as the flashback to one of their famous Christmas Parties, visits from Sebastien and Klair and the family's many stories.
• Butt-Monkey: The entire family gets into a lot of humiliating shenanigans over the series' course as they all slowly learn to become better people. The first episode alone sees them losing their house and all their finances, then having to take residence in a crumbling motel, arranged by a guy that crashes in their room for several hours.
• City Mouse: All four of the Roses are completely out of their element in the small town of Schitt's Creek.
• History with Celebrity: All four of the Roses have name-dropped various celebrities, and Moira, David, and Alexis have even dated a few, including John Cougar Mellencamp, Anderson Cooper, and Zac Efron. Alexis also low-key dated Prince Harry, and Johnny and Moira have apparently attended swinger parties hosted by both the Sarkozys and the Castros. David's anecdote about losing his virginity to Tilda Swinton really has to be experienced.
• Impoverished Patrician: The catalyst for the show is the Rose family used to be billionaires, but are now broke.
• Impractically Fancy Outfit: All four Roses wear clothing that is impractically expensive and out of place in the town. Moira, with her dramatic wigs, extreme hats, layered accessories, super high-end designer clothing and platform shoes, embodies this dynamic to the extreme. Creator Dan Levy insists that the outfits worn by the Roses be authentic and representative of fashion collections from before the Roses lost their wealth.
• Like Father, Like Son: It takes a while, but both David and Alexis are eventually shown to have inherited Johnny's knack for business, in addition to Moira's theatrics.
• Nuclear Family: Father Johnny, mother Moira, son David, and daughter Alexis.
• Old People are Nonsexual: Thoroughly subverted throughout; Johnny and Moira manage to enjoy an active, satisfying, and fairly creative sex life (involving impromptu roleplay, a position no one should attempt at eight in the morning, and an awful lot of suitcases for an overnight stay in a friend's cabin), despite sharing a motel wall with their children. Before losing their fortune, they were apparently regular guests at "Eyes Wide Shut parties," for which Moira is quite nostalgic.
• Parents as People: Moira and John were too busy gallivanting around with other socialites; instead of raising their children, they simply threw money at them. They don't even know Alexis's middle name during the first season.
• Parental Neglect: Johnny and Moira realize at the start of the series that, in spite of their best efforts, they've neglected their children for most of their lives. Their kids have been raised by nannies and at boarding schools, and even had their own separate wing of the house. Moira can't even remember Alexis's middle name. In Season 4, David brings up a game he and Alexis used to play with Moira called "Sleepy Mommy," where they’d feed her tranquilizers, suggesting that even when Moira was home, she was often unconscious.
• Parental Obliviousness: Moira and Johnny were completely oblivious to Alexis's wild adventures in her teens and twenties and are still regularly shocked to learn what she had been up to.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: Played for Laughs in that even after becoming poor in dollars, too, the whole family tends to behave dimly. Even the canniest member of the family - Johnny - is prone to slipping up occasionally.
• Riches to Rags: The Roses go from uber-wealthy to having nothing to their names besides the town of Schitt's Creek and the clothes on their back in the pilot's cold open.
• Share Phrase: David and Alexis respond to a lot of surprises with some variation of "Ew!". Even though she says it a grand total of three times in six years, Alexis got memed with "Ew! David!".
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Though they have different tastes, the entire family sport expensive ensembles. Alexis tends to favor light and airy outfits, Moira and David textured black and white extravegances, and Johnny conservative but amazing suits.
• Spoiled Sweet: Though they're often ignorant and self-centered, the Roses never actually want to hurt people. They just as often go out of their way to be kind and helpful (once they realize someone needs help).
• Took a Level in Kindness: This is a core premise of the show, with all four Roses being jerks in the pilot and becoming much better people as the series continues.
• Turn Out Like His Father: Downplayed but still present. While the immature Alexis and David initially appear to be complete opposites of the reliable, intelligent Johnny, they both turn out to be surprisingly entrepreneurial: Alexis runs her own (small) marketing company and David runs Rose Apothecary. Johnny's backstory is that he turned a single video store into a successful chain, generating the immense wealth the family lost in the pilot.
• Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist: In Season 1, all four of the Roses are snooty, self-involved and rather obnoxious. Thanks to Character Development, however, they gradually evolve and become far more sympathetic.
• Upper-Class Twit: All four Roses to some extent are formerly wealthy and still out of touch, but especially the children. David and Alexis were raised in the lap of luxury and Moira and Johnny never bothered to teach them general life skills, so they both start the show self-absorbed and helpless.

Johnny Rose

Jonathan "Johnny" Rose

Portrayed by: Eugene Levy

The rational patriarch of the Rose family, and a businessman who invests his time helping run the town motel.

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• Anger Born of Worry: One of the main reasons Johnny gets mad, especially shown when he believes Alexis is pregnant.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: Downplayed, but he's a once-successful business owner who wears a very nice suit. When he steps into the role as the motel's manager, he does so quite well and turns it into a quietly thriving business.
• Bad Liar: When Johnny lies, whether to motel guests or his family, he is rarely believed.
• Bavarian Fire Drill: His preferred tactic when trying to get his wife and kids all on the same page regarding something. It does not usually work however, at least partly because his family is so individualistic and partly because he tends to have poor timing. For example, in the Christmas Episode he decides on Christmas Eve morning that they should have as big of a party as they can manage. He fails to take into account that they might already have other plans (Moira, Alexis and Ted) or have a business to run (David and Patrick). Roland lampshades this by commenting that next time he would like at least a week's notice.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: He is played by Eugene Levy, after all. When recounting how she and Johnny met, Moira even refers to him as "the eyebrows".
• Beware the Nice Ones: Johnny often gets irritated with his family but rarely loses his temper. That, is, until the Christmas Episode and then he finally loses it over his family's selfish antics.
• Bumbling Dad: Bad gift-giver, bad liar and completely unfamiliar with social media, Johnny bumbles through a lot of situations. He's also intelligent, occasionally clever, hard-working and loves his family.
• Catchphrase: Subverted; Johnny says "son of a bitch!" almost constantly in the pilot but stops doing it in episode 3. It looks like it's going to be his catchphrase, but it's not.
• Character Development: At first, his attempts to regain wealth are relatively self-serving, but he begins to change in Season 3, when he decides to help Stevie with the motel. The rest of the series shows him using his business experience to help someone else, albeit with plenty of missteps along the way.
• Consistent Clothing Style: Former well-off businessman Johnny is always in a suit.
• Convenience Store Gift Shopping: Johnny stops at the church rummage sale to buy Christmas gifts for his family.
• Cool Old Guy: Sure, like most Levy characters he has his moments of awkward, but sharp-dressed, sophisticated Johnny can be pretty cool, whether it is throwing lavish parties, supporting his untalented daughter's musical career and especially, sticking up for the town of Schitt's Creek when his former friends put it down.
• Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments.
• The Determinator: Johnny has lost the fortune he worked his whole life to build, but he remains determined to rescue the family from their circumstances, despite several early setbacks.
• Given Name Reveal: Moira casually refers to Johnny as "Jonathan" at one point.
• Good Parents: Not in the past, where he feels he neglected Alexis and David, but after they move to Schitt's Creek, he puts a lot of effort into being a better dad to them both. He also becomes a good parent to Stevie, especially noticeable when she bursts into floods of tears during the Hospies in Season 5.
• Hangover Sensitivity: After a rare instance of Johnny Drowning My Sorrows, Alexis and David gleefully order fish, hollandaise sauce, and ask Twyla to turn up the lights in the cafe.
• Happily Married: Despite their shortcomings, it's clear that Johnny loves Moira no matter what, they rely on each other, and he's lost without her when she goes to Bosnia.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With Stevie, before becoming a fully-fledged Parental Substitute for her.
• Irishman and a Jew: He's married to and makes a good team with his Irish-Catholic wife, and he's in an Odd Couple friendship with Roland.
• Living Emotional Crutch: To Moira. While he is also lost without her, she needs him to vent her many frustrations and support her through everything.
• Never My Fault: His first instinct when he screws up is usually to deflect or convince someone else to share the blame.
• Nice to the Waiter: One of the defining traits of Johnny's personality as the Only Sane Man is that he, unlike the other Roses, are always nice to Stevie and Twyla, even from the beginning.
• Odd Couple: Is the Felix to Roland's Oscar, who drives him nuts but they still manage to work together and be friends.
• Only Sane Man: While Johnny has his quirks, he's the sanest and most level-headed of the Roses, often serving as the straight man for the other members to conflict with. Stevie also occasionally fills the role when the Rose family gets overly emotional or pretentious.
• Open-Minded Parent: He worries about his children, but he is also accepting and encourages them to have a healthy attitude toward sex. This leads to Eugene Levy getting to do some of his Dad-awkwardness Johnny Rose style.
• Open Mouth, Insert Foot: All the Roses do this occasionally, but poor Johnny does it all the time. Often, Johnny has every right to assume the thing he's wrong about, but he still gets blamed and guilted. Examples include when he assumes Alexis is pregnant, when he assumes Ted's mother has a crush on him and when he assumes Patrick's parents know their son is in a relationship with David.
• Parental Substitute: Gradually becomes a surrogate father to Stevie over the course of the series, and when the motel is renamed The Rosebud Motel, it feels like a kind of adoption.
• The Patriarch: Johnny's hard work built the family's fortune, and when they go broke, it's Johnny who holds them together as a family. At the same time, it's a lot harder for him to get back on his feet than his children, as he's an older man with expectations about where he should be in life. They get entry level jobs and start businesses, but he struggles to accept that he has to start over. Eventually he does though, launching a new motel chain with Stevie and Roland (whereas his children are each just starting a small brand).
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In the Season 2 Finale, Johnny gives an epic one of these as he dresses down a snooty couple from the Roses's former life who were making fun of the town. He defends Roland, Jocelyn and the town while calling out his former friends for having abandoned him and Moira.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Johnny may dress less flamboyantly than the other Roses, but he still wears immaculately tailored, expensive suits.
• Skinny Dipping: Moira suggests she and Johnny skinny dip in the literal Schitt's Creek, but when Moira is distracted by a phone call, a mortified Johnny is apprehended by an off duty police officer by himself.
• The Straight Man: Johnny often reacts both to his family and the townspeople's antics like a normal human^note . Eugene Levy has not only spoken about the importance of this role in the show, but during his Emmy speech he joked about the fact this was one of the first times in his long career he was the straight man and it won him the best actor award. .
• Teasing Parent: When Alexis gets a job with a fitness company that turns out to be a UFO cult promising to take its members to a mystical Gateway in the sky, Johnny pretends to know nothing about it. However, when giving a pep talk to his family, he laments that they are all about to lose Alexis to the Gateway, to the amusement of everyone present but Alexis.
• Took a Level in Badass: In the Season Finale of Season 2, Johnny heroically sticks up for Roland, Jocelyn, and Schitt's Creek.
• Uptight Loves Wild: The uptight to Moira's wild. It becomes clear he hates to spend any time without her.
• Wealthy Philanthropist: Seems to mostly have donated large sums of money to get things named after Moira. After going broke, he funds a small community flower garden in her name.
• When You Coming Home, Dad?: Ironically recognises himself in this trope much more than Alexis or David do, and becomes a much more committed parent to them when they move to Schitt's Creek.
• Wingman: Along with Ronnie and Roland, serves as Bob's wingman.
• Workaholic: Johnny isn't happy when he doesn't have a business to run. He threw himself into running Rose Video and throws himself into running The Rosebud Motel. When Moira leaves town to shoot a movie, he becomes obsessed with working because he misses her.

Moira Rose

Moira Rose

Portrayed by: Catherine O'Hara

The dramatic matriarch of the Rose family and former soap opera star, who takes an interest in civics after moving to Schitt's Creek.

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• Accent Upon The Wrong Syllable: Catherine O'Hare affects the most absurd and impossible accent for Moira that includes obscure vocabulary and occasionally ridiculous pronunciation.
• Attention Whore: She craves attention, though she makes it clear she only wants the right attention.
• The Chanteuse: Moira refers to herself as a "trained" one of these, and she can sing but whether she's actually a chanteuse is open to interpretation.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Moira is an aging actress up to eleven. She has 500 wigs, she can barely remember her children's names, she can barely pronounce words.
• Comedic Sociopathy: Often as she can be downright horrible and dismissive to her children. She's trying to get better but it's a one step forward, two steps back kind of deal.
• Consistent Clothing Style: Moira wears extravagant, statement-making black and white outfits nine times out of ten to represent how out of place her flamboyance is in small-town Schitt's Creek.
• Deadpan Snarker: She has her moments.
• Doesn't Know Their Own Child: Didn't know Alexis's middle name. Although David appears to be her favourite, she forgets his birthday in "Grad Night".
• Drama Queen: She can be very dramatic. She even used to be on a soap opera.
• Elegant Gothic Lolita: Although she is an older woman with grown kids (while most Lolitas are very young), Moira uses a Parasol of Prettiness and elaborate lacy dresses with puffy sleeves.
• Everything's Better with Sparkles: As the seasons progress and Moira begins her comeback, she starts to frequently wear sparkling dresses, skirts and tops. She wears sparkles to Patrick's birthday party, to meet the producer of Sunrise Bay and to the Crow's premiere.
• The Fashionista: Her wig collection alone qualifies her for this, and her over-the-top, black and white outfits consist of legitimate pieces from high-end designer collections such as Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, and Givenchy. So iconic is the character's wardrobe, that Paste, New York Magazine and Vogue have all written about the show's costumes with special focus on Moira's style. While some of her more understated looks are downright elegant, more than occasionally Moira ventures into Impractically Fancy Outfit territory.
• Giant Poofy Sleeves: More than one of her dramatic, sculptural outfits has big, puffy sleeves.
• Happily Married: It's hard to see it through the theatrics, but she adores Johnny.
• I'm Not a Doctor, but I Play One on TV: Assures the ER doctor that she will understand Johnny's condition because she once played a nurse on M*A*S*H.
• Impractically Fancy Outfit: Expect this of any scene where Moira needs to venture into more rural parts of Schitt's Creek.
• It's All About Me: Does this constantly, both in the past and present. When she walks into a room where people are talking, she tends to assume she was the topic of conversation, or if there is (positive) news about her, she assumes everyone has heard it and wants to talk about it.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Moira is selfish, egotistical, and careless, but she usually does the right thing.
• Lady Drunk: Moira is proud of her past as a Hard-Drinking Party Girl and still enjoys pills, pot and booze. Thanks to her former wealth, she's still quite attractive and managed to be a high-functioning alcoholic thanks to her being able to hire staff to care for her house and kids.
  Moira: Oh my god, did I used to have a drinking problem?!
• Large Ham: All over the place, all the time.
• Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The "dark" to Jocelyn's "light".
• Marry for Love: Moira may have absolutely relished Johnny's money, but she makes it clear on numerous occasions that she married for love and will always love Johnny, no matter what. It never occurs to her to leave him in Schitt's Creek.
• My Beloved Smother: Only to David, her favorite, but she constantly bothers him to be involved in whatever she's doing, while being neglectful of Alexis (though she eventually grows out of this).
• Never a Self-Made Woman: Somewhat. While Moira does have a poor acting career — and is therefore more immediately recognisable than Johnny — it's implied that she had access to this solely because of Johnny's funds.
• No Inside Voice: Noticeable, especially in her screaming.
• Not with Them for the Money: People might have assumed Moira was a Gold Digger given how she relished spending Johnny's money, but after Johnny goes broke, Moira never considers leaving him and never blames him for their situation. She remains devoted to him.
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Moira gives a speech to the Regional Municipalities Conference which results in a large funding boost. We don't see the speech, but we do see her getting asked about it by a reporter and other conference goers wanting to buy her many drinks.
• Parental Favouritism: Towards David over Alexis. It becomes less obvious as time goes on and Alexis and Moira become closer, but it seems he always will be her favorite.
• Pretty in Mink: Owns multiple fur and fur-trimmed garments. Seen wearing a fur hat and coat during the Christmas Episode. Once wore a mink coat to a Christmas PETA benefit.
  "I heard Peter benefit. Bogdanovich loved a mink!"
• Parental Neglect: Towards Alexis and David when they were younger.
• Parental Substitute: The not-at-all-maternal Moira becomes an unlikely mother figure to Stevie during a community theatre production.
• The Perfectionist: Moira throws herself into her acting roles and always does her best, even if it's a soap opera or B-Movie. She's also this way when she directs a community theatre production.
• Put on a Bus to Hell: Happens In-Universe to Moira's Sunrise Bay character, who vomits a demon into a toilet and then drowns. And then is shredded. This happened thanks to behind the scenes scheming from Moira's jealous co-star.
• Recovered Addict: Moira apparently blanked out on whole years of her life due to a pill addiction and she falls Off the Wagon a couple of times.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: After her death is mis-reported online, Moira basks in the attention until Cuppy the Kitten steals her thunder.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Her vocabulary is as outsized and dramatic as the rest of her personality.
• Shiksa Goddess: The Irish Catholic Moira is married to Jewish Johnny Rose.
• Sleep Deprivation: Moira takes one, maybe two, Bosnian uppers to stay awake during her three-plus day journey from a film set. When she gets home, she decides to plow through to an even four days.
• Small Name, Big Ego: While her former wealth via her marriage to Johnny certainly opened a lot of social doors for her, she blatantly has misconceptions about how relevant she was as an actress.
• Socialite: Was this to a T before Johnny lost his wealth, and she remains something of one within the town of Schitt's Creek thanks to her community activism.
• Took the Bad Film Seriously: In-Universe, Moira works hard and invests a lot of emotional energy in her comeback film, The Crows Have Eyes III: The Crowening. She's aware it's schlock, but she intends to make her performance and the film the best it can be.
• Wag the Director: In-Universe: Moira knows she can't be picky about the acting jobs she gets, but she does work hard at them and will rewrite scripts, create character backstory and and make strong suggestions to the director. This is especially effective on the set of ''The Crows Have Eyes III: The Crownening."
• Wanted a Son Instead: She did, when she gave birth to Alexis. Lampshaded.
  There once was a radiant young actress, who dreamed of having two sons. The second of which would be named Alex. Now it seems the vivacious daytime Emmy nominee was surprised by how taken she was with this unanticipated daughter. Mostly because she didn't cry as much as the unmannerly son, but also because she was adventurous, carefree, so beautiful.
• Wealthy Philanthropist: Was involved in many celebrity-laden fund-raisers prior to going broke, mostly for social reasons. After going broke, she headlines Schitt's Creek's Asbestos Fest.
• What Did I Do Last Night?: Moira has a long history of mixing alcohol and pills, resulting in her not remembering the end of many evenings. In Season 3 she wakes up in Roland's hotel room, only to be very relieved to discover nothing happened between them.
• What the Hell Is That Accent?: Moira speaks in an affected, unrecognizable accent that is lampshaded by several characters. Since Moira came from a small town not unlike Schitt's Creek, it is presumed she developed this accent, as well as her bizarre, arcane vocabulary, in an attempt to appear more sophisticated.
• White-Dwarf Starlet: Her level of fame never really transcended the "soap opera star" echelon. She is later cast in a film called The Crows Have Eyes III: The Crowening.

David Rose

David Rose

Portrayed by: Dan Levy

Johnny and Moira's flamboyant son, who later becomes the owner of a town shop called Rose Apothecary.

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• Absurd Phobia: David is afraid of heights, bugs with milky exoskeletons, moths and butterflies and businesswomen in sneakers.
• Allegedly Dateless: David's family sees him as a complete failure at romance, despite his having an endless series of stories about failed relationships with famous and non-famous people of both genders. When he moves to the town, he attracts Stevie and Jake before meeting Patrick.
• Ambiguously Gay: For most of the first season, his sexuality isn't directly addressed though he is quite camp-y and it's a plot point that characters assume he's gay. Subverted once it gets spelled out that he's pansexual.
• Amicable Exes: With Stevie, whom he later regards as his best friend after their sexual relationship is over.
• Berserk Button: Anything that offends his sense of taste and/or order. This includes placing breath mints where the lip balm should be, toilet plungers and brushes displayed at the front of his store and Patrick's mountaineering shoes.
• Big Brother Instinct: David often worried about Alexis during her wild adventures and would send things to help her, and he tells Ted that she has changed when Ted worries about getting back together with her.
• Big Eater: Loves food and is frequently distracted by its presence or absence.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Seemingly runs in the Rose/Levy family, if his father is any indication.
• Break the Comedian: In early seasons, David snarks on everyone and everything with bitterness being the closest thing he shows to emotion. Then, when his parents crash the barn party to say I love you, he says it back. As his family dances together, he smiles and looks happy for the first time.
• Bridezilla: As David plans his wedding to Patrick, he surprises no one by becoming something of a bridezilla.
  David: My special day...
  Patrick: Our special day.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: David may not know anything about paperwork or taxes or inventory, but he is exceptionally good at retail, first transforming the Blouse Barn into an upscale boutique then opening his own successful shop that elegantly rebrands local products and crafts, selling them on consignment. He may need Patrick to help him with the business side of their business, but the creative side is all him.
• But Not Too Bi: After his first season fling with Stevie ends, David's onscreen romantic partners have all been male.
• Camp Gay: The pansexual David has slept with a handful of girls, but he is otherwise flamboyant, un-athletic, fussy, aesthetically-inclined and fits this trope completely.
• Character Development: David begins the series as a sad-sack narcissist, but he develops into devoted son and brother, good friend to Stevie, and loving and supportive partner to Patrick.
• Closet Key: Becomes this to Patrick.
• Confronting Your Imposter: David discovers his old boss Wendy has started a business with Antonio, who dresses like a knockoff David. Their business is a knockoff off Rose Apothecary, but it sells counterfeit products. David doesn't confront Antonio directly, but he does reveal the fraud to Wendy, who was not in on it.
• Consistent Clothing Style: David follows his mother's example by also dressing almost exclusively in black and white, albeit more casually (usually sweaters).
• The Dandy: He's very into fashion and concerned with his appearance. His fashion sense is as bizarre as his mother's, and he strictly adheres to only wearing black and white outfits.
• Deadpan Snarker: Alongside Stevie, he's perhaps the snarkiest one on the show.
• Didn't Think This Through: David suggests Patrick sow his oats on a date with a handsome young man, only to have Alexis point out that open relationships have ground rules, which David didn't set, and Patrick might actually like this young man.
• Eating Pet Food: Helps himself to a doggie treat at Ted's office, thinking it was a cookie.
• Extremely Protective Child: To Moira. He's very aware of how fragile her ego is and tries to protect her. He even sleeps with his much-loathed ex boyfriend to get back the photographs that would've humiliated her.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: While both siblings lacked a certain common sense from their privileged upbringing and were prone to self-centered behaviour, David is more responsible. David would have go to consulates to send temporary passports to Alexis so she returned safely from her reckless escapades overseas.
• Foreign Culture Fetish: David is a Japanophile. He talks fondly of his visits to Japan, owns clothes by Japanese fashion house Commes des Garcons and once bought a Japanese cologne that smelled like a car crashing into a cedar tree. Johnny gifts him a thousand yen for Christmas, and Stevie invites him to see the cherry blossoms at the botanical gardens. When he doesn't get to go on the tour, he consoles himself with drunk karaoke.
• Friendless Background: While his sister was popular prior to moving to the town, David seems to have been surrounded by people more interested in his money than him. He tells Stevie that she's the first best friend he's ever had, and she admits the same.
• Friends with Benefits: With Stevie, briefly.
• HA HA HA—No: Has this exact reaction when Roland asks the rhetorical question, "Who am I, Gwyneth Paltrow?"
• Have I Mentioned I Am Sexually Active Today?: Unlike his sister, when David brags about his sexual adventures, he tends to be a little defensive—he has had so many partners because he keeps getting dumped.
• Hipster: Once the owner of an avant-garde downtown gallery, David tried very hard to be an art world hipster. When his art hipster ex Sebastien shows up in town, however, David chooses his mom over Sebastien.
• I Choose to Stay: In the penultimate episode, having been elated to possibly move to New York with his family and finally get out of the town, he first learns that Stevie is not moving to New York. Then, he learns that Patrick had been trying to buy a charming house that David had admired. After heartfelt talks with Patrick and Stevie, David realizes his life is in the town and chooses to stay.
• Informed Ability: David's natural talent for retail work is praised by the other characters but not much in evidence on-screen. He's insulting to customers (because it's funnier) and sells merchandise that's wildly inappropriate for a small rural town. His conversion of the Blouse Barn into a high-end couture boutique sinks the business. He does get better over time, mainly thanks to Patrick's influence.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: David likes to be a selfish, self-involved snob but of all the Roses, he has most often gone out of his way for his loved ones, including his parents, Stevie, Alexis and Patrick.
• Last Het Romance: With Stevie. David will always be pansexual, but he settles down with Patrick.
• Like Father, Like Son: Where Alexis is a Daddy's Girl (initially), David is a Momma's Boy (initially). His stark black and white fashion sense with varied textures mirrors Moira's, as does his melodramatic personality. That said, he has a flair for business that matches Johnny's and he transforms first the Blouse Barn then the failed Schitt's Creek General Store into thriving businesses, the latter as Rose Apothecary.
• Like Parent, Like Spouse: David falls for the button-downed, business major Patrick, who has a lot in common with Johnny.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Despite presenting himself as an aloof, hipster gallerist, it becomes clear that David was a lonely and isolated child and adolescent, surrounded by users and with no real friends. It doesn't help that his family has a tendency to remind him that he was pigeon-toed, bullied and otherwise uncool.
• Manly Men Can Hunt: David decides to prove his masculinity to Stevie by going on a turkey hunt. It goes about as well as one would expect.
• Momma's Boy: His closeness with Moira is portrayed as a positive thing, and he clearly was influenced by her when it comes to his style. More than once, he is shown being willing to go out of his way for her. Such as when he realizes his ex-boyfriend intends to humiliate Moira in a photography project and he sleeps with him in order to obtain the memory card. Or when he agrees to do "The Number" at Asbestos Fest.
• Mistaken for Gay: Stevie initially thought David was gay, until they slept with each other, and afterward he explained to her (via wine analogies) that he's pansexual.
• Narcissist: David is a classic narcissist in early seasons, believing himself to be too good for the town and constantly self-obsessed. He evolves, however, and learns to put other people first now and then.
• Neat Freak: David's side of the motel room is always tidy and his bed is always made. He also keeps his store immaculate and well-ordered.
• Not a Morning Person: David jokes about this to Patrick after their first kiss, but it's true. He almost never arrives to work before Patrick.
• Oblivious to Love: Early on, he is oblivious to the fact that Stevie has developed feelings for him beyond friendship. Later, he misses some pretty obvious signs that Patrick is attracted to him.
• Obsessed with Food: He loves to eat and constantly thinks about food. Not only does he have a tendency to shame eat and thus struggles with his weight, per Ray he talks about how much he eats all the time. He also cares far more about the post-game barbecue than Patrick's team's championship baseball game, even going to snag some chips before he's up to bat. When planning his wedding, he tells his father that the food is the only thing at the wedding he wants people to care about and really enjoys all the samples at the tasting.
• One Head Taller: At 5'11", David is much taller than Stevie, who is 5'5". He's also taller than his boyfriend Patrick, who is 5'8", but that isn't quite as significant.
• Only Shop in Town: Along with Patrick, owns the only store in town, Rose Apothecary.
• The Perfectionist: He's extremely meticulous and prone to getting hung up on small details while ignoring the bigger picture. This is often a source of conflict between him and Patrick, who is much more practical and easy to please.
• Post-Stress Overeating: David tells Stevie that he's prone to shame eating when he drinks, and he often "eats his feelings" when he's upset about something, especially romantic breakups.
• Queer Establishing Moment: "Honeymoon" has David, who up until this point appeared to be Camp Gay, reveal he is pansexual, using wine as a metaphor to explain it to Stevie ("I like the wine and not the label").
• Sheltered Aristocrat: Begins the series not understanding that credit cards produce bills that must be paid and thinks the minimum wage is $45 per hour.
• Sleepy Depressive: Sleeps all the time, or at least tries to sleep, and won't get out of bed after suffering a setback, including when he first arrives in town, when the Blouse Barn shuts down and when he briefly separates from Patrick.
• Spoiled Brat: Was this as a child thanks to Johnny and Moira's parenting style, and even though he's grown as a person his spoiled tendencies flare up.
• Tall, Dark, and Snarky: David is the tallest of the four Roses, dark-haired and handsome, and when not crippled by his own insecurities, can be a condescending and confident snarker, especially when interacting with Alexis.
• Tears of Joy: Begins to weep when he realizes Patrick is proposing.
• Turn Out Like His Father: Initially, David seems to have little in common with his dad beyond their resemblance. However, when he starts his own small business with the Rose name, it turns out he shares his father's work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit.
• The Unapologetic: One of the few remnants of his massively spoiled persona is his refusal to say sorry. Alexis even lampshades it, and the closest thing he can get is:
  David: I am remorseful...
• Up Marketing: David has a talent for this, first transforming The Blouse Barn and then opening Rose Apothecary.
• Upper-Class Wit: A rare example where a character could qualify both as this and Upper-Class Twit. David is sharp and funny, but pretentious and airheaded. The loss of his money makes him a funnier, lighter, and savvier person.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Stevie.
• Wingman: Offers to be this for Stevie more than once; gets roped into doing it at the Elm Valley hotel when she goes to meet Emir.

Alexis Rose

Alexis Rose

Portrayed by: Annie Murphy

Johnny and Moira's bratty daughter, who struggles to find her calling in life.

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• Age-Gap Romance: After breaking up with Ted, she spends an episode dating a man Johnny's age and teaching him how to do things like use Instagram.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: At first. She has a legendary number of bad boyfriends, most of them involved in illegal activity. She carries on this pattern by dating Mutt, though she then subverts it by settling down with Ted in Season 3.
• All Take and No Give: Alexis's first season relationship with Ted epitomizes this. When they get back together in later seasons, she realizes she has to start giving.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: David loves and looks out for Alexis, but there's no doubt that her antics and her self-centeredness can drive him a bit crazy.
• Big "WHAT?!": She reacts this way when she figures out Ted's friends might resent her/not like her over the little fact that she cheated on him and broke off two engagements during their first relationship.
• Book Dumb: Alexis is not book smart and she has little interest in intellectual pursuits.
• Bratty Teenage Daughter: Which she apparently never grew out of.
• Calling Parents by Their Name: When she's doing business with The Rosebud Motel, she calls her father Johnny. He doesn't love it.
• Catchphrase: "Eww, David!"
  • Subverted. This has caught on as her catch phrase despite only saying it about three times throughout the entire six seasons. She DOES say "Eww" and "David" seperately quite a bit, which is probably what leads to the misconception they get used together frequently.
• Character Development: She's perhaps the Rose who undergoes the most of this throughout the series. She evolves from a bratty, immature young woman who doesn't know what she wants in life, to an entrepreneurial, assured one.
• Character Tics: Alexis's nervous smile and touching her hair, as well as her flamboyant Hand Signals, qualifies for this.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: Alexis calls stamps "stickers of old men" and a journal an "empty book", but escaping Thai drug lords or the Yakuza is totally normal in her eyes.
• Consistent Clothing Style: Alexis has a very casual, bohemian, feminine style, favoring loose but figure-complimenting cuts and nature-inspired patterns classed up with heels and jewelry.
• Cool Crown: Alexis wears a gold tiara to break up with Ted, and she later loses the tiara in a jewelry swap with Twyla.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Gets jealous and passive aggressive when anyone shows interest in Ted, and she gets into a big, jealous huff when Ted drunkenly kisses David during spin the bottle. When it comes down to it, however, she trusts Ted.
• Daddy's Girl: In contrast to Moira's indifference, Johnny doted on and spoiled Alexis and always seems to express shock when finding out about one of her wild escapades. He even has a favorite track from her terrible album. In return, Alexis begins the series with more affection for him than her mother.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Played for laughs, as Alexis has a habit of bringing up absurdly horrific experiences as if they're nothing out of the ordinary, like escaping from the trunk of a Russian mob boss's car, or spending days freeing herself and her friends from the compound of a Saudi prince.
• The Determinator: Even when faced with personal or professional setbacks, Alexis never gives up and remains cheerfully determined to be happy and successful.
• Embarrassing Tattoo: On her lower back, which says "that's hot" in Cantonese. She got it in Hong Kong when she was twelve.
• Ethical Slut: Alexis isn't shy about liking sex and having had many, most of whom are famous, lovers. However, she's honest and when she accidentally cheats on Ted early on, she's horrified by her actions.
• Everyone Loves Blondes: Most men seem to find Alexis very attractive, and she tells David if a man doesn't ask for her phone number, he's either newly married or he's gay.
• Expansion Pack Past: Alexis has apparently been to many foreign countries, and usually gotten into scrapes while in them, which involved being kidnapped, being locked in a sheikh's mansion, and being monitored by the FBI.
• Fallen Princess: Once a globe-trotting socialite with a bevy of famous friends and a penchant for wild adventures, Alexis adjusts remarkably well to her small town life.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: While both siblings can be pretentious and emotional, the hard-partying and globe-trotting Alexis is more prone to reckless escapades than David.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Alexis broke Ted's heart badly in the early seasons, but he forgives her. She, however, remains haunted by her actions and continually tries to prove herself to him.
• Genius Ditz: Alexis is not book smart and she has big gaps in her knowledge, but she's brilliant at social media, highly organized, has multiple international drivers licenses and an F-Class for light trucks, has escaped more than one kidnapping and catches a group of teens shoplifting from her brother's store.
• Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: The flouncy and feminine Alexis plays a mean game of pool, has a license for driving light trucks and has no problem sleeping in the cab of trucks, overnight.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Certainly from Season 2 onwards, even when she's behaving like a Jerk with a Heart of Gold her heart is gold like her very blonde hair.
• Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Was this prior to moving to Schitt's Creek, but she has cleaned up her act.
• Has a Type: Her two love interests are Mutt and Ted, both muscular men with a slender build, a beard, and flowing hair. The significant difference is that Mutt was reserved and uncommunicative, leading to their breakup, and Ted is open and honest.
• Hates Being Alone: Particularly evident after her break up with Mutt. Twyla even tells her it's healthy to spend time alone.
• Heel Realization: She treats Ted abominably early in the series, mostly out of thoughtlessness rather than maliciousness. When she realizes this, she starts to make an effort to become a better person.
• Innocently Insensitive: Alexis is very sweet, but also very able to insult you while thinking she’s paying you a compliment. Often she has trouble realizing other people’s needs are as important as, or more important than, her own.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With Jocelyn, who tells her about her pregnancy first.
• I Take Offence to That Last One: She often does this, especially with David.
  Alexis: And I would never wear a tankini!
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Alexis can be very selfish, impulsive, and bratty, but she's also a genuinely nice person who hates hurting anyone, which becomes apparent as she stays in Schitt's Creek longer.
• Jewish American Princess: Fits this stereotype to a tee despite technically being Canadian, not that you'd notice.
• Lazily Gender-Flipped Name: "Alexis" is revealed to be one by Moira, who was certain she was having a boy.
• Like Father, Like Son: In the beginning, she's the Daddy's Girl to David's Momma's Boy, but she shares Moira's love of being the center of attention and she also has Moira's ability to ad-lib her through any situation, as demonstrated by her ridiculous Expansion Pack Past. In later seasons, she develops her own business, combining Moira's showmanship with Johnny's savvy as a publicist.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: Alexis did not inherit her mother's talent at singing or acting, although she is oblivious to this.
• Like Parent, Like Spouse: Alexis falls for the uptight, kind and hard-working Ted, who seems attracted to Alexis's wild side the way Johnny is drawn to Moira.
• Lovable Alpha Bitch: As popular, vain and shallow as she was, even before losing her wealth Alexis is revealed to have been kind-hearted and decent all along.
• Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Although she is a protagonist and she evolves away from this thanks to her character development, she very much functions as an MPDG for both Mutt and Ted in early seasons.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: She is based on Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, reality TV stars socialites of the 2000s with famous parents and who had reputations for being spoiled.
• Obviously Not Fine: She always tries to put on a brave face no matter what so this applies a great deal to Alexis, but it's most significant in Season 6 after she breaks up with Ted and shows up at the cafe with a loose hair extension.
• On the Rebound: After breaking up with Ted for good, she dates Artie, a man who is Johnny's age but still trying to be hip, much to Johnny's chagrin.
• Operation: Jealousy: Her relationship with Ted in Season 1 had definite shades of this in terms of getting Mutt’s attention.
• Passing Notes in Class: Takes the blame for a note passed by another girl her first day back at high school, causing herself embarrassment but winning some friends.
• Plucky Girl: Cheerful, brave and optimistic, nothing seems to get Alexis down.
• School Is for Losers: Alexis dropped out of an expensive Swiss boarding school because of a boring story involving a yacht, a famous soccer player and like a ton of mushrooms. She later regrets her lack of schooling and returns to get her high school diploma.
• Sibling Team: Often with David.
• Snowball Lie: Even at her brattiest, Alexis hates awkward situations and would rather tell a lie than risk embarrassing herself or the person she's talking to. This frequently gets her caught in even worse predicaments.
• The Social Expert: While Alexis is very Book Dumb, her socialite background has made her a master of social situations. To capitalize, she starts an event planning company & eventually pursues becoming a publicist.
• Spoiled Brat: Was this as a child thanks to Johnny and Moira's parenting style, but she was never a bad person, just clueless and insensitive. She's grown as a person, but she still occasionally has moments of insensitivity.
• Statuesque Stunner: As frequently demonstrated by her very short dresses.
• Stylish Sunhats: She wears a few custom sunhats over the series, including when the Roses go searching for David when he is hiding with the Amish.
• The Tease: Alexis spends much of the early seasons playfully flirting with whoever catches her eye but doesn't really learn how to commit until her rel eventually grows out of her flirtatious ways and when she is in love only flirts with that person.
  "I'm a little bit single, even when I'm not!"
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Johnny's face when she describes some of her wilder exploits says it all; he's horrified by her drinking, wild exploits, and tattoos in foreign countries.
• Turn Out Like His Father: The ditzy Alexis seems to have little in common with Johnny, but she is highly ambitious, entrepreneurial and works hard whether it's at her receptionist job or running her own small PR firm.
• The Unfavorite: Alexis is Moira's second favorite child in the early seasons, but they eventually become close.
• Valley Girl: Her voice especially, and she often slips into this, but the show makes it clear that she has layers beyond that.^note Moon Zappa, who helped codify the Valley Girl trope, was fulsome in praise of Annie Murphy's performance, calling her a "genius".
• Will They or Won't They?: Her relationship with Ted becomes a series of starts and stops. They eventually don't, for good, although amicably.

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Town Council

Roland Schitt

Roland Schitt

Portrayed by: Chris Elliott

The eccentric mayor of Schitt's Creek, and a fourth-generation Schitt. He later starts working at the motel.

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• Bad Boss: Although not technically Johnny's boss, he definitely appears like this, especially in Season 1 when he helps Johnny and Moira.
• Bad Samaritan: To the Roses in Season 1, when he helps them out by putting them up in the motel and continues to make them miserable for large parts of Season 1.
• Clingy Jealous Guy: A rare platonic example to the Roses. He's extremely jealous of any of their other friends and frequently gets his nose put out of joint if they ask someone else.
• Crass Canuck: Especially in earlier seasons, the crass and obnoxious Roland contrasts strongly with Johnny. And we all know this is rural Canada.
• Daytime Drama Queen: Was a big fan of Sunrise Bay and Moira's character Vivienne Blake in particular.
• Entitled Bastard: Roland will often demand the Roses' time and attention.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Downplayed as the series goes along, but Roland is unable to stay out of the Roses' lives, despite the many signals they want him to.
• Good Parents: He may have been estranged from his adult son, but Roland is a devoted, hands-on parent to his late-in-life baby son.
• Hands-On Approach: Roland gets peculiarly intimate while teaching already experienced golfer Johnny how to improve his swing, much to Stevie's amusement.
• Hidden Depths: Roland is sincerely devoted to the town of Schitt's Creek, basking in the attention Moira gets for the town at the Municipalities Conference. He's also a film buff and is familiar with the avant-garde artists Moira names in her art park pitches.
• Jerkass: Roland walks the line between jerk and Jerk with a Heart of Gold, but unlike Moira and David, he more often lands in the jerk zone.
• I Have This Friend: Roland tells Johnny he has a friend who needs work at the motel, and Johnny quickly figures out that friend is Roland.
• I Have No Son!: Roland is estranged from Mutt in the early seasons, so much so that Jocelyn feels she has to see Mutt in secret.
• Irishman and a Jew: Fourth generation Irish Roland is the bruiser to the smarter, more sophisticated Johnny.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: The brash Roland contrasts with his reserved son.
• Lower-Class Lout: Roland is uncouth and rude and initially embodies everything the Roses hate and fear about the town. However, he subverts the trope by being a tolerant and in his own way, sensitive person.
• Mayor Pain: Roland is mostly just incompetent and ineffective, and it's clear he wants to do right by the town. In the first season, however, he seems to get a kick out of tormenting the Roses, especially Johnny.
• No Sense of Personal Space: Roland's major character trait is standing way too close to people, not knowing when to shut up, and dishing out too much information at the drop of a hat.
• No Social Skills: To the Roses, although the Schitt's townspeople don't seem to mind him. The Roses think he's loud, crass, and rude.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: It’s sometimes difficult to tell whether he’s engaging in this or, well, actual stupidity. At times he seems to be using people’s low expectations of him to his own advantage.
• Odd Couple: The Oscar to Johnny's Felix, Roland insults Johnny all the time but also frequently refers to him as his Best Friend.
• Pet the Dog: Roland is mean-spirited and obnoxious from the moment he meets the Roses, yet he lies for Johnny at the unemployment office, allowing Johnny to collect unemployment.
• Psychopathic Manchild: He's usually annoying and trying to punish the Roses, but he seems to be immature and childish, especially shown when he starts working at the Rosebud.
• Punny Name: "Roland Schitt" sounds a bit like "roll in shit". His ancestor's name, Horace Schitt, is even punnier. Then he names his son Roland Moira Schitt ("roll in more shit").
• Redheads Are Uncool: Roland has ginger hair and is not well-liked in the Rose family. Even when he becomes closer to them once he starts working for Johnny, he is still viewed as an annoyance.
• Sleeps in the Nude: Sleeps naked every night, something Moira discovers to her horror.
• Stupid Sexy Flanders: Roland's remarks to Johnny often have Homoerotic Subtext, although it's all one-sided.
  If you're looking for an ass to kiss, it's mine!
• Token Evil Teammate: Roland will often suggest doing the most evil thing, such as when he posits that they should kill Gwen to keep her out of the poker game.
• Took a Level in Badass: When Roland returns for his briefcase during the Season 6 pitch meeting in New York, he dresses down the snooty venture capitalists and sticks up for his friend Johnny.
• Troll: Roland seems to work on a logic of his own, especially noticeable when he lets Johnny borrow his car only to try and extort money out of him.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Roland is a weaselly, beer-gutted, mulleted oaf, but his wife is perfectly normal and attractive. The Roses are a little thrown off when they first meet her.
• Wingman: Serves as Bob's wingman, along with Ronnie and Johnny.

Ronnie Lee

Veronica "Ronnie" Lee

Portrayed by: Karen Robinson

One of the town councillors. She isn't too fond of the Rose family... at first.

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• Agree to Disagree: Ronnie declares this when Jocelyn critiques her singing.
• Butch Lesbian: She's a tough, harsh lesbian who dresses in a masculine way.
• Gender-Blender Name: In demonstration of her masculinity.
• Jerkass Has a Point: When Ronnie snarks on the Rose family, she's usually in the right.
• Lesbian Jock: She not only is very dedicated to her amateur baseball team, the town's outdoor tennis court was named after her.
• One of the Boys: She plays cards and sports with the male Schitt's Creek residents.
• Sassy Black Woman: Her sassiness is usually expressed in glares and eye rolls, but she always makes it plain that she has no time for any of the Roses' shenanigans.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: Sports a stunning cocktail dress on the red carpet for the crows premiere.
• Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Becomes this to Patrick, who is not used to being disliked, after he mishandles a complaint about her renovations of the Rose Apothecary bathroom.
• Spirited Competitor: Develops a rivalry with Patrick over baseball.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: On the town council, she's the Tomboy (sarcastic and butch) to Moira's Girly Girl (flouncy and feminine).
• Twofer Token Minority: She's a black lesbian.
• Wingman: Serves as Bob's wingman, along with Roland and Johhny. She does better at the bar than Bob, picking up a woman.

Bob Currie

Robert "Bob" Currie

Bob

Portrayed by: John Hemphill

One of the councilmen who also owns a car repair shop.

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• Happily Married: Subverted. Bob believes he's happily married to Gwen, and they are a united front early on, but they then get an acrimonious divorce in season 6.
• Jerkass: In the first few seasons, especially, Bob torments Johnny almost as much as Roland.
• Silly Walk: Bob's walking style is odd, something like a shuffle.

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Citizens

Stevie Budd

Steve Budd

Portrayed by: Emily Hampshire

A clerk and employee at the motel, later becoming its owner.

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• Alone Among the Couples: After David meets Patrick, Stevie is often the only single person among the cast of couples. This makes it even more devastating when what she thought was a serious relationship with Emir crumbles.
• Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: The introverted Stevie has few friends and dislikes social interaction, until she meets her kindred spirit in David.
• Amicable Exes: With David, whom she later regards as her Best Friend after their sexual relationship is over.
• Bad Liar: When her colleagues recruit her to pose as a guest and talk up the motel to travel blogger Emir Kaplan, she folds and admits the truth before she and Emir can order drinks, which charms him.
• Beneath the Mask: Stevie is introduced as a tough, sassy and irreverent woman, but over the course of the show it's revealed that she's a deeply insecure person who's been unhappily stuck in a rut for most of her life.
• Best Woman: Serves as the "Maid of Honour" for both David and Patrick, and she wears a suit to the wedding.
• Brainy Brunette: Downplayed, but she's very smart and witty and she and Johnny form a good team when they take over the motel.
• Character Development: Opens up over the course of the series and becomes a close friend of the Roses.
• Closer to Earth: Played for Laughs, but is the townsperson of Schitt's Creek who takes the Roses, especially David and Johnny, under her wing and brings them back closer to earth, too.
• Consistent Clothing Style: Unlike the Rose family, who dress like they hadn't lost all their money, their new down-to-earth friend Stevie is usually wearing a plaid or checkered shirt and jeans, sometimes paired with a plain shirt.
• The Cynic: Stevie often mocks the Roses and tends to believe the worst will happen. She gets a little more optimistic as the series progresses.
• Deadpan Snarker: One of the show's most prominent examples.
• Empty Fridge, Empty Life: David discovers Stevie's fridge is empty save for two de-shelled hard boiled eggs in a bag, which he eats.
• Eternal Employee: Especially in Season 1 and 2, when she is the sole employee of the motel, does everything, and is hardly ever seen at home. Justified after she takes over the business despite still being one of two employees (with Johnny) and therefore has to do almost everything.
• Family of Choice: Gradually becomes part of the Rose family over the course of the series. By Season 5, Johnny includes her when he talks about the kids.
• Friendless Background: Stevie doesn't give a lot of details of her life before David arrived but she seems to have few if any friends, and she later tells David that he's the first best friend she's ever had.
• Friends with Benefits: With David, briefly.
• Gender-Blender Name: To accentuate her tomboyishness. >> Tomboyish Name
• Hidden Depths: Discovers those when she gets a role in Cabaret, to the point that she wants to see the world instead of just remaining in the area working with motels.
• Limited Wardrobe: Aside from moments where she dresses up, always expect Stevie to be wearing flannel shirts and jeans.
• Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The "masculine girl" to David's "feminine boy".
• The Matchmaker: For David and Patrick.
• Mistaken for Suicidal: In the Season 5 Finale, Stevie goes missing the day of Cabaret and after she learns of David's engagement. Her friends fear the worst, but she was just going to pick up a sentimental engagement gift and got caught in traffic.
• Only Friend: To David when he moves to Schitt's Creek and almost until he meets Patrick, and even then she's his only platonic friend unless you count his parents and sister.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Stevie might be a tomboy, but she's beautiful in part thanks to her striking coloring.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: On the rare occasions when Stevie dresses up, she turns everyone's head, including David's.
• Shipper on Deck: Becomes one to David and Patrick once she sees the chemistry as the two interact, especially during "Grad Night".
• The Snark Knight: Stevie helps David (and, to a greater extent, Johnny) out, and she has a naturally snarky demeanor.
• Smithical Marriage: Takes David for a spa weekend to console him over his romantic troubles, but she tells the spa they are on their honeymoon so they'll get free booze and upgrades. The hotel goes way overboard in fetting the "newlyweds" and this becomes awkward.
• Tears of Joy: Cries during the Jazzagals performance in the Christmas Episode.
• Third Wheel: Is this with David and Patrick a few times. She also knows David will not want to be this when she's pursuing Emir but drags him along anyway.
• Tomboy: Her usual lack of makeup and casual style makes her this, which becomes a plot point when Johnny innocently suggests she starts wearing makeup on a daily basis.
• Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Stevie puts on dresses occasionally, has an affinity for Rose Apothecary products and is flirty and demure with Emir.
• Unkempt Beauty: Really only in-universe because Stevie dresses much more tomboyishly and normally alongside the Roses.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With David, who she pulls no punches with verbally yet loves like family.
• When She Smiles: Stevie smiles more after meeting Emir than she does throughout the rest of the series.
• White Sheep: Downplayed, but she seems estranged from her whole family as they are all petty criminals and generally unpleasant people.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: In her darkest moments Stevie tends to suffer from low self-esteem, viewing herself as lesser than the cultured Roses. David, Moira, and Johnny all take over at these moments to reassure her.

Ted Mullens

Ted Mullens

Portrayed by: Dustin Milligan

The town veterinarian who becomes romantically involved with Alexis.

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• Alcohol-Induced Bisexuality: During a housewarming party, he gets very drunk during a game of Spin the Bottle. On Ted's turn, the bottle lands on David, and Ted immediately goes for a longer-than-average kiss that he clearly enjoys. It's his only sign of being interested in guys, and it's not clear how much the booze has to do with it.
• Bad Liar: Ted is such a bad liar, he's not even good at sexy role-playing with Alexis. He tries his best to back up Alexis when David wants to know why the Rose Apothecary sink is broken, but David doesn't buy it.
• Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Mutt's Veronica for Alexis' Archie.
• The Big Damn Kiss: With Alexis, at the end of Season 4.
• Closest Thing We Got: As a vet, he's the closest thing Schitt's Creek has to a doctor, since the nearest hospital is in Elmdale.
• Clueless Chick-Magnet: Ted is obviously very attractive, but doesn't seem to realize it... until he finds out women have been enjoying his (accidentally) revealing webcam streams.
• Extreme Doormat: Not to everyone, but even when it's obvious that it's wearing on his patience, he tends to let Alexis walk all over him, even when they're not together. It isn't that she can do no wrong, but that he loves her so much that he instantly forgives her for everything, no matter how self-centred she's acting. He even hires her as a nurse for his clinic, despite her having no experience or even aptitude, and keeps her on after she repeatedly makes mistakes.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Ted forgives Alexis for breaking his heart, but it's a long journey before he can trust her again. Even when they become a solid couple, Alexis is shown as being insecure about their past and feeling like she must prove herself to him.
• Forgiveness: At the end of Season 2, Alexis realizes how much she hurt Ted and she apologizes. He forgives her sincerely.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Unlike Moira and (often) Alexis, Ted is more or less nonstop nice and has dark blonde hair.
• Hunk: Alexis notices just how hunky Ted has become after he returns from their honeymoon, which he took solo after she dumped him, having worked out the entire time. He rides into the scene on a motorcycle and we're treated to a nice shot of his ass as he straddles it in tight jeans. Alexis is very appreciative.
• Kindly Vet: He's a veterinarian, and shown to be very nice.
• Life of the Party: He shows up to Patrick's housewarming tipsy, looking good and ready to join in the fun and games.
• Likes Older Women: He eventually dates a woman in her forties.
• Living in a Furniture Store: Ted literalizes this trope because he buys entire rooms of furniture online from a store that is changing out its showrooms.
• Lust Object: It might be easier to make a list of characters who haven't noticed how hot Ted is. Alexis, David, Stevie, Patrick, Heather, Shannon, the viewers of the bunny cam and quite a few more have all admired him.
• Mr Fan Service: Willingly becomes this In-Universe when he finds out the audience for his office's bunny cam can see and has been enjoying his after-run disrobing. For the bunnies' sake.
• Neat Freak: Despite having multiple pets, his apartment is always immaculate. He owns three vacuums.
• Nice Guy: As hot as he is, women tend to reject Ted for being too nice. This includes Alexis until she realizes her mistake.
• On the Rebound: After Alexis shatters his heart in the early seasons, Ted rebounds with Heather, an attractive, slightly older woman who owns a goat farm.
• Pungeon Master: Makes a lot of animal puns.
• Romantic Runner-Up: In the first two seasons, he's the broken-hearted runner-up as Alexis chooses Mutt. This is subverted, however, when Alexis and Mutt's romance burns out and she realizes she made a mistake with Ted.
• Smarter Than You Look: The hunky and affable Ted makes a lot of silly animal puns, but he's a graduate of veterinary school, runs a thriving practice and is awarded a prestigious research fellowship in The Galapagos Islands.
• Will They or Won't They?: His relationship with Alexis becomes a series of starts and stops.
• The Un-Hug: Shares an epic one of these with David before they share a heartfelt talk about opening themselves up to love after being hurt more than once.

Jocelyn Schitt

Jocelyn Schitt

Portrayed by: Jennifer Robertson

Roland's wife, a teacher in town.

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• Acceptable Feminine Goals and Traits: Jocelyn is very traditionally feminine, gentle, domestic, has children, and teaches school, unlike Moira.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Jocelyn sticks up for herself, but she rarely raises her voice. That changes when Moira and the other Jazzagals don't notice her post-baby stress.
• Can't Get Away with Nuthin': More often than not, if Jocelyn attempts to live a little less restrained or manipulate things into her favor, it backfires on her. She manages to trick Moira into taking on the responsibility of directing Cabaret... only for Moira to make her assistant director, which takes up even more of Jocelyn's time and energy.
• Gag Haircut: With Moira's encouragement, Jocelyn resolves to "rock on" despite her age. This results in her getting an '80s Hair haircut inspired by her love of the band Poison.
• Grew a Spine: As the stress of raising another baby gets to her, Jocelyn slowly grows more willing to voice her frustration and stop taking on too many responsibilities.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Despite occasionally getting stressed out and being a little eccentric, Jocelyn is unfailingly polite, kind and a devoted teacher, mother, wife, and friend.
• Hot for Student: Jocelyn is one of the most normal characters in the series, and is best described as the quintessential folksy small-town wife. The only thing off about her is that she enjoys it when her students check her out.
• Intergenerational Friendship: With Alexis after she teaches her, to the point that she tells Alexis first about her pregnancy.
• Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The light feminine to Moira's dark.
• Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Utilizes this when she needs Roland or the Roses to do things for her, as she's too outwardly nice to be straightforward about it.
• Perpetual Smiler: Is always smiling, even when under stress or anxiety.
• The Pollyanna: Most of the time. Overlaps with O.O.C. Is Serious Business, as Jocelyn is so nice, kind, and optimistic that it's extremely rare for her to ever express a single worry.
• Rage Breaking Point: After months of baby-related sleep deprivation, Jocelyn's hints that she is starting to snap go unnoticed. Finally, she arrives at a Jazzagal's rehearsal to discover the time had been moved and she lets loose on them all.
• Screaming Birth: Jocelyn's labor pains kick in during Singles Week.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: When she is running for town council, David gives her a sleek, sophisticated makeover.
• Sleep Deprivation: She is caring for an infant in the fifth season, so obviously she becomes sleep deprived.
• Stepford Smiler: The worse things are going for her, the wider her smile gets.
• Surprise Pregnancy: Jocelyn has an adult son, and she believes she's going through menopause but instead is pregnant with her second child.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Roland is a weaselly, beer-gutted, mulleted oaf, but his wife is perfectly normal and attractive. The Roses are a little thrown off when they first meet her.
• What Does She See in Him?: She and Roland are very Happily Married, although the Roses seem completely nonplussed as to why, as Jocelyn is sweet, attractive, and likeable, while Roland is crude, rude, and selfish.

Twyla Sands

Twyla Sands

Portrayed by: Sarah Levy

A waitress at the town diner.

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• Bubbly Waitress: Twyla may not be the most competent waitress, but she's always cheerful.
• Cloud Cuckoolander: In many ways, she's Alexis's rural counterpart in this. She thinks her relatives' multiple marriages, dismemberments, and prison sentences are totally normal but is hard pressed to get anyone's order correct.
• Eternal Employee: She's seemingly the only waitress at the cafe, to the point where Johnny has to help her when she hurts her foot. There are other employees, but we never really see them.
• Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: Twyla ends up on the right side of a jewelry swap with Alexis and gets to wear her Cool Crown, armbands and other assorted bling.
• Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Often refers to her aunt and her mom's horrific scrapes as though they were completely normal/funny.
• Innocently Insensitive: Can come off this way from time to time.
• Kindhearted Simpleton: She's very much portrayed this way. She's as kind as she is airheaded.
• Nice Girl: Easily the most altruistic and down to earth character in the series.
• Secretly Wealthy: In the penultimate episode, she reveals that she works at the cafe because she likes it, not because she needs the money. She had previously won big on the lottery but doesn't believe money buys happiness.
• Tarot Troubles: Twyla reads tarot cards to raise money for the cafe's dishwasher, and she spooks Alexis by predicting a gruesome drowning. Turns out she predicted that for a lot of people, but she also predicts prosperity and happiness for the Rose family.
• Uncle Pennybags: Subverted. Twyla is secretly a multi-millionaire after winning big in the lottery, and tries to give Alexis an unspecified large amount of money to help her start her new life in New York. Alexis is touched but turns it down.
• White Sheep: Apparently to her family. They are all crooks while she's very kind and trusting.

Mutt Schitt

Mutt Schitt

Portrayed by: Tim Rozon

The adult son of Roland and Jocelyn.

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• Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Ted's Betty for Alexis' Archie.
• The Big Damn Kiss: With Alexis at the end of Season 1.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: The Bus Came Back in season four, but he's nowhere to be found in the last two seasons.
• Hunk: Alexis goes to the tailgate party looking for rural hunks to photograph herself with, and she finds Mutt.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: The quiet and mysterious Mutt contrasts markedly with the overly talkative and brash Roland.
• Obliviously Beautiful: His chiseled physique, his gorgeous green eyes, his full beard. Despite Tim's lack of chemistry with Annie, he's so gorgeous that it carries the relationship until he leaves for Wynonna Earp.
• Poor Communication Kills: His next to no communication kills his relationship with the open and gregarious Alexis.
• Practically Different Generations: He's in his late twenties before his mother Jocelyn gets pregnant again.
• Put on a Bus: Leaves the show in season three, but The Bus Came Back in season four.
• The Quiet One: A very taciturn man. Played for Drama when his minimal communication clashes with Alexis's talkativeness to end their relationship.
• Relationship Reveal: His relationship to Roland and Jocelyn isn't revealed until after his first appearance.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Most of his screentime is spent topless.
• Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Mutt's dynamic with Alexis in the first season epitomizes this, as he derides her princessy lifestyle and manners despite his growing attraction to her.

Patrick Brewer

Patrick Brewer

Portrayed by: Noah Reid

David's boyfriend, and co-owner of the Rose Apothecary.

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• Closet Gay: In Season 5, David is surprised to learn that Patrick, who is out in the town, has not come out to his parents.
• Closet Key: David becomes this for him, realizing he was never really attracted to women because he's gay.
• Coming-Out Story: Patrick isn't even out to himself when he arrives in town, but once he and David are together, he's open and proud. Yet, when David throws Patrick a Surprise Party and invites his parents, David discovers Patrick has not come out to them. They are loving and accepting, even as Patrick finds it hard to tell them for fear it will change how they see him.
• Contemplation Location: In Season 5, Patrick takes a reluctant and whiney David on a hike to a beautiful view, and Patrick tells David he used to come there often when they first met to contemplate his growing feelings for David. He then gets on one knee and proposes.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: The normally confident and even-tempered Patrick gets into a jealous huff when he sees a drunken Ted kiss David during spin the bottle. Luckily, David and Patrick talk things out, but only after Patrick and Alexis share a ridiculously Awkward Kiss in revenge.
• Cross-Cast Role: Tells David about the time he played the coveted role of Mary in his all-boys high school Christmas pageant.
• Deadpan Snarker: Often calls out David on his drama in a way that is simultaneously affectionate and snarky.
• First Kiss: While not technically his first kiss, he tells David their first kiss felt like his first time.
• Forced Out of the Closet: Downplayed. Patrick eventually becomes out to everyone in Schitt's Creek when he starts dating David but his parents don't find out until Johnny accidentally informs them. However, they are open-minded and are more upset that he felt like he couldn't tell them.
• Gayngst: Subverted.
  • Rather than being upset when he realizes he is gay, Patrick is thrilled to finally figure out what had been wrong in his previous relationships and thereafter appears totally comfortable with his sexuality.
  • David initially expects a homophobic reaction from Patrick's parents once he learns that Patrick isn't out to them. He's relieved to find out this isn't the case and even notes that he expected it to get "very dark".
• High-School Sweethearts: Subverted with his ex-fiancee, as he was never into the relationship as much as she was.
• Iconic Sequel Character: Patrick's first appearance isn't until Episode 8 of Season 3 as a potential Love Interest for David but caught on immediately and became iconic after his open mic night performance.
• Incompatible Orientation: With his ex-fiancee.
• Last Het Romance: David learns he's formerly engaged (to a woman) when she arrives in town, looking to reunite with him.
• Nice Guy: David admits that it is new to him to be attracted to someone as nice as Patrick. Patrick responds that he thinks David is a good person but playfully (and honestly) will not call David nice in return.
• Only Sane Man: Is very much the Johnny to David's Moira, becoming the sanest person of the younger generation even though he has his quirks.
• Only Shop in Town: Along with David, owns the only shop in town, Rose Apothecary.
• Poor Communication Kills: Patrick is usually good at expressing himself, but when it comes to the big stuff he can be reticent to rock the boat. He didn't make it explicitly clear that he and David's first date was a date and needed David to make the first move. He neglected to tell David he had been engaged to a woman, and he didn't come out to his parents right away. David learns to be understanding about this.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The "blue" to David's "red," Patrick is even-keeled and fairly easy to please.
• Serenade Your Lover: He serenades David with an acoustic cover of Tina Turner's "The Best" at open mic night.
• Smooch of Victory: Lays a rather chaste and sweet one of these on David as their team celebrates David's game-winning home run.
• Spirited Competitor: Patrick sets high standards for himself, and he likes to win. This applies to his business as well as his amateur baseball team. He also suggests an Escape Room for his bachelor party, and he gets really, really into it.
• Straight Gay: Patrick has no stereotypical gay mannerisms, enjoys baseball, and has a very conventional fashion sense. It's a surprise when he reveals himself to be gay. Justified since before David, he didn’t even realize he was gay.

Ray Butani

Ray Butani

Portrayed by: Rizwan Manji

Ray

The town's multi-jobbed immigrant and former town councilor.

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• Comically Missing the Point: Early on, he does not understand Johnny's concerns about the town sign.
• Hidden Depths: He is seen crying at David and Patrick's wedding. After all, he introduced them to one another.
• Innocently Insensitive: Shows no mercy in his sales pitches and occasionally insults his photographic subject, usually without intending to cause offense.
• Jack of All Trades: Ray is the town's real estate agent, photographer, travel agent, closet organizer, Christmas tree salesman and his office processes paperwork, such as David's incorporation papers.
• New Job as the Plot Demands: Ray's jack-of-all-trades status is useful, and it works in universe when he is performing a new job, such as selling Christmas trees in the Christmas Episode.
• Roommate Drama: Ray is a very friendly and chatty roommate to Patrick, which eventually becomes an issue when he keeps interrupting David and Patrick one morning.
• Shady Real Estate Agent: Ray may not be the worst embodiment of this trope, but he will always sell the heck out of whatever property he is showing.

Jake

Jake

Portrayed by: Steve Lund

Jake

An open-minded furniture maker.

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• Carpet of Virility: His sculpted torso is also covered in hair, as well displayed by his towel scene.
• Ethical Slut: Jake is everyone's ex and no one's ex, but he does conduct his unorthodox sex life honestly and openly and doesn't want to hurt anyone. This is downplayed because he doesn't discuss this with his partners beforehand and is confused when he learns Stevie and David didn't know he was having sex with both of them.
• Hunk: He wears a towel well.
• Innocently Insensitive: It doesn't seem to occur to him that a partner would be uncomfortable with an open relationship, given that David and Stevie are caught completely off-guard and start freaking out over the predicament.
• Lust Object: Jake is very handsome and takes care of his body well, something that Moira compliments him on.
• Manly Man: Carpet of Virility, hunk physique, Manly Facial Hair, job as a woodworker... The only thing that doesn't fit the stereotype is his bi/pansexuality.
• Mr. Fanservice: Steve Lund is gorgeous and the show likes to show it.
• Nice Guy: Jake may have an unconventional sex life, but he is unfailingly polite, as well as open and honest about who he is.
• Polyamory: Jake is open about open relationships and even floats the idea of a throuple.
• A Threesome Is Hot:
  • Jake suggests that Stevie, David and himself become a throuple.
  • Later, he invites David and Patrick to join him and Stevie for a date in the woods.
  • Later still, he invites David and Patrick to his house for a "whiskey or whatever." David and Patrick go, only to leave when they discover Jake is hosting A Party, Also Known as an Orgy and Stevie is one of the many guests present.

Emir Kaplan

Emir Kaplan

Emir Kaplan

Portrayed by: Ennis Esmer

Travel blogger who enters a romance with Stevie.

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• Gag Penis: If Johnny, Roland and Stevie's reaction to the pic he sends Stevie is any indication.
• Long-Distance Relationship: Carries on this with Stevie. David refers to him as her cell phone boyfriend.
• Nice Guy: Is kind and understanding about Stevie's foibles, approaches his job ethically. However, he does misunderstand how serious Stevie is taking their relationship, leading to him hurting her.
• Stood Up: Best case scenario outcome. He shows up hours late for a date with Stevie because of a fender bender and subsequently accidentally swapping phones with the teenager who hit him.

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