‘Schitt’s Creek’ Emmy haul sets an all-time record

“Schitt’s Creek” entered the 72nd Emmys having never won anything. It left taking everything, becoming the first comedy program to sweep all seven of the major series prize categories.

Cast members Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy won the lead and supporting acting Emmys, the first time that has happened.

Dan Levy also won Emmys for writing and directing (sharing the award with Andrew Cividino) and took another Emmy as a producer when “Schitt’s Creek” won best comedy series. He shared that prize with his father, Eugene, with whom he co-created the show.

Earlier in the week, “Schitt’s Creek” won Emmys for contemporary costumes and casting for a comedy series, giving it a total of nine wins — another record, eclipsing “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” which had won eight in 2018 and 2019.

“The first hour of Sunday’s telecast was essentially a tribute to ‘Schitt’s Creek,’” wrote Times television critic Robert Lloyd, an early champion of the show.

The wins — celebrated together by the show’s cast and crew — capped an unlikely Emmy trajectory. The series premiered on the little-known Pop network in 2015 as a straightforward fish-out-of-water comedy about the wealthy Rose family — businessman Johnny (Eugene), soap actress Moira (O’Hara) and their adult children David (Dan) and Alexis (Murphy) — who lose their entire fortune, save for ownership of the isolated town once purchased as a gag.

The series saw a bump in its viewership since Netflix began streaming it in January 2017. But it didn’t really start peaking until its fifth season, when it earned its first Emmy nominations. Levy made the call to end the show after six seasons, culminating with the wedding of his character, David, to his boyfriend, Patrick.

When Levy won his third Emmy, the supporting acting honor, he joked that “the internet’s about to turn on me.” By the time he got to the fourth honor, he didn’t hold anything back.

“Our show at its core is about the transformational effects of love and acceptance — and that is something that we need more of now than we’ve ever needed before,” Levy said, accepting the series Emmy. “I just wanted to say for any of you who have not registered to vote, please do so, and then go out and vote because that is the only way that we are going to have some love and acceptance out there. Please do that. I’m so sorry for making this political, but I had to.”

Levy then turned to Eugene, saying, “Dad, do the rest of the fun stuff.” But in true “Schitt’s Creek” fashion, Dad spoke from the heart.

“I also want to thank once again this young man who took our fish-out-of-water story about the Rose family and transformed it into a celebration of inclusivity, castigation of homophobia and a declaration of the power of love,” Eugene said. “So thank you, Daniel.”