How ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Subverted the Will-They/Won’t-They Storyline

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One reason people love sitcoms is the comfortable feeling of knowing what’s likely to happen, even when a show hints at something surprising. While sitcoms often rely on familiar storylines, some shows cleverly subvert expectations. A particular six-season sitcom, which aired from 2015 to 2020, was especially good at this, consistently taking a common plot device and delivering a completely unpredictable outcome.

As a huge comedy fan, I have to say, Schitt’s Creek really surprised me. Created by Eugene and Dan Levy, it started out quietly but slowly built this incredibly dedicated fanbase over its six seasons. What I loved most was how genuinely funny it was, and the characters felt so perfectly cast. It wasn’t afraid to be different from other sitcoms; it would hint at familiar storylines but consistently avoided those predictable, overused tropes. It’s honestly the perfect show to binge-watch, and even rewatching it, it’s amazing how often it subverted expectations and didn’t go the way you thought it would.

‘Schitt’s Creek’ Avoided the Traditional Use of the Will-They/Won’t-They Sitcom Trope


CBC Television

Many sitcoms feature a main romantic couple whose relationship has plenty of ups and downs before they finally get together, usually near the end of the series. Classic examples include Ross and Rachel from Friends, J.D. and Elliot from Scrubs, and Jake and Amy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This back-and-forth, where viewers constantly wonder if the couple will or won’t end up together, is a common way to keep the audience engaged. More often than not, the show concludes with the couple either married or about to be.

Schitt’s Creek played with the typical sitcom trope of relationship drama, but did so in a unique way. The show focused on the developing romance between David and Patrick. They connected around the middle of the third season, quickly became a couple, and eventually shared a sweet and largely uncomplicated journey to marriage by the show’s end. While they faced a few challenges, their connection always remained strong and heartwarming.

As a big fan of will-they/won’t-they romances, I felt like a lot of the couples in this show just didn’t feel convincing enough to last. Many were super short-lived, or ended with a sudden, unexpected breakup. Honestly, compared to shows like How I Met Your Mother, The Office, or New Girl – where that tension and back-and-forth is everything – there just wasn’t much of that push and pull here. Take Stevie and David, for instance. They had a little spark that hinted at a potential romance, and I thought, ‘Okay, here we go!’ But it fizzled out really quickly and they just became friends. There were a couple of moments where you thought maybe there was something more, but it never really developed into anything substantial.

The ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Will-They/Won’t-They Couple That Fell Apart


CBC

Throughout Schitt’s Creek, Alexis Rose (Annie Murphy) had two main romantic interests: Mutt (Tim Rozon) and Ted (Dustin Milligan). While Alexis and Mutt initially seemed compatible, they eventually realized they weren’t a good fit. Her relationship with Ted always felt a little unbalanced, with Ted doing most of the work and Alexis simply enjoying his attention – especially during their first attempt at a relationship. The show hinted early on that characters wouldn’t get back together, making Alexis and Ted’s eventual reunion a surprising and heartwarming moment.

Instead of turning Ted and Alexis’s renewed relationship in Season 4 into a simple marriage plot – they’d hinted at getting engaged before – Schitt’s Creek used it to start a painful breakup story. Both Ted and Alexis had changed and grown during their time apart, and it seemed like they were finally ready to get married. But this turned out to be a clever trick by the show, leading viewers to believe they were headed for a happy ending when, in reality, the couple was going in a completely different direction.

Schitt’s Creek’s 2 Believable “Will-They/Won’t-They” Pairings That Didn’t Work Out
Pairing Reason It Didn’t Work
David Rose & Stevie Budd Became close friends instead.
Ted Mullens & Alexis Rose Called it off to follow their professional dreams.

Okay, so as a huge fan, I was devastated when Ted and Alexis broke up! It was so frustrating because you could tell they really loved each other, but Ted got this amazing opportunity to do research in the Galápagos Islands for years, and Alexis was finally getting her publicist career off the ground in Schitt’s Creek. They tried to make it work long distance, but eventually they had this incredibly sad scene where they realized they had to end things, even though neither of them wanted to. Honestly, it totally hooked me – I, along with so many other fans, was immediately hoping they’d somehow find their way back together!

The sixth season of Schitt’s Creek could have easily brought Ted back into the picture – a surprise appearance at David and Patrick’s wedding would have been a great moment – but the show didn’t go that route. Even if Ted had returned, it wouldn’t have felt right given the realistic way he and Alexis ended their relationship. Plus, there wasn’t enough time left in the series for them to actually get married, so viewers had to assume it would happen after the show ended. Ultimately, Schitt’s Creek hinted at romantic possibilities but generally chose not to follow through with them. You can stream Schitt’s Creek on Hulu and Prime Video.

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2025-11-25 18:38