Schitt’s Creek’s original idea was abandoned early in the show’s existence, which turned out to be a good thing. Schitt’s Creek, created by the father-son combo Eugene Levy and Dan Levy, who both feature in the sitcom, follows the rich Rose family: Johnny (Eugene Levy), Moira (Catherine O’Hara), David (Dan Levy), and Alexis (Annie Murphy). When their business manager steals their family fortune, the Roses are forced to move to a little town called Schitt’s Creek and live in a hotel. Hilarity ensues as the Roses adjust to their new modest lifestyle and the surrounding townspeople.
Schitt’s Creek was a smash hit, equal parts humorous and touching. The sitcom aired for six seasons, with the Levys granted the unusual option of ending the show on their own terms rather than being canceled. Schitt’s Creek only improved with time, and character development within the Rose family played a significant role in the show’s ongoing appeal and long-term success. However, if it had stuck with its basic idea, it might not have matured into the heartwarming series that it is now.
 Schitt’s Creek’s original premise was that the Roses owned the titular town, which is why they came to live there in the first place. Johnny purchased the isolated town as a joke for David’s birthday in 1991, using his limitless disposable wealth. Many years later, this joke gift turns out to be a blessing, even if the Roses didn’t realize it at the time. After losing their riches, the Roses are forced to migrate to Schitt’s Creek, which is their only surviving asset.
The Roses’ ownership of Schitt’s Creek may be what originally draws them to the town, but once there, the fact that they possess it is hardly acknowledged. It’s not necessarily retconned from the program’s canon, but the Roses’ ownership of the town becomes less crucial to the tale as the show progresses. They do stay in Schitt’s Creek for the duration of the series, but the show’s central premise shifts to simply a formerly wealthy family’s reluctance to “slumming it” in a small town after their fall from grace while having nowhere else to go, rather than the actual reason for their relocation to that town.
Ultimately, Schitt’s Creek’s abandonment of its fundamental idea was for the best. The Roses’ character journeys, as well as their family arc, could have been very different if their ownership of Schitt’s Creek had been included in their narrative. Schitt’s Creek is already time-consuming due to the Rose family’s affluent and entitled personalities. The Roses are initially unlikable characters, and if they were constantly imposing their authority of the town over the residents, they would have been much more difficult to root for.
Sure, they still stand out at Schitt’s Creek due to the lavish lifestyles they’ve become accustomed to, but there is no power imbalance between the Roses and the villagers. If anything, their experiences in town have humbled them and taught them valuable lessons. The Roses eventually learn to adapt to Schitt’s Creek’s cultural peculiarities and become proud members of the town, therefore Schitt’s Creek would have been better off abandoning its original idea once it got started.
