Schitt’s Creek: Things That Make No Sense About Money

Schitt’s Creek is one of the most heartwarming comedies of the past decade, while the central message makes it clear that money isn’t everything… money (or the lack of it) is a huge part of the show. The premise itself is that the Rose family loses all their millions thanks to a shady business manager, and are left struggling to get by on nothing in a town they bought as a joke. And while they are learning to support themselves and grow as people, money is always in the forefront of their minds.

But for a series that is so focused on money and status (in the best possible way), there are several things about it in the show that just don’t make sense. Obviously, some of these are written in because it just makes for a better story, or because making sure every detail is accurate isn’t really what the show is about (who cares if Alexis’s stories line up? They are one of the best parts of the show!), but they still leave fans wondering.

10 Why Did The Kids Lose Everything Too?

The basic premise is that Johnny loses all his money – which is absolutely something that could happen, but why did everyone else end up bankrupt, too? Legally, if a parent goes bankrupt, their adult children (and even their spouse, depending on how the assets are divided and set aside) wouldn’t be affected. For Alexis and David to have been left destitute, it would have to mean that they had literally nothing in their own names, and it just seems odd that a man like Johnny wouldn’t have set aside anything for them separately.

9 How Did The Roses Pay For Everything

The Roses were meant to lose ‘everything’ – and even if they were left with a few hundred, they would have blown through it quickly – so how did they afford everything they bought? And, given that they were bankrupt, how did Moira or David manage to order things online – presumably, their cards would have been canceled, not left available to run up more debt with? The motel rooms are free, as they are town owners, but the meals at Twyla’s aren’t, and Johnny is the only one shown to apply for unemployment – and even that takes a while, and wouldn’t provide them with very much.

8 How Did The Motel Make Money

Despite the fact that the Roses live in the motel, and a large part of the show takes place there, it’s rare to ever see an actual guest. Stevie lets David use one of the rooms for storage, and while there is occasionally mention of an actual paying customer, it doesn’t seem like enough to really keep a small town motel like that afloat.

7 How Was Alexis Going To Afford An NYC Apartment

At the end of the series, Alexis is planning to move to New York, on her own – and while her company is starting to take off, anyone who has actually lived in Manhattan was left wondering how on earth she managed to get an apartment there.

NYC rentals involve brokers fees, first and last month’s rent, a month’s rent as deposit, and proof of income that is up to 40 times the rent (or a guarantor, whose income must be even higher, and who must also live in New York). It’s hard to believe that Alexis would have all this ready to go right away.

6 Where Were Moira’s Residuals?

Moira is a washed-up soap star at the start of the series, struggling to find a comeback as an actress. And while she does eventually, and triumphantly, get there (and get the money that comes with it) there is no mention of her ever getting paid residuals from her time as a hugely successful star of Sunrise Bay. The show is still on the air, and re-runs are presumably being aired as well, and Moira finds out she can make money at fan conventions too, so even if it’s just a small check, she should be getting something.

5 Didn’t Family Help Out?

At least one family member, DeeDee pops up when the family are in Schitt’s Creek, and it’s a big point of the show that their rich friends essentially abandoned the Roses when they lost their money – but didn’t they have any other family that might be able to help out? Obviously, it would have ruined the series if they had been helped or bailed out or had somewhere else to stay, but it did seem a bit strange that there was absolutely no one in their life.

4 How Did No One Approach Them For A Publicity Deal?

Johnny had actually already written and published one book, about his rise in the video store business. So after they (very publicly) lost all their income, it’s surprising that there was no opportunity to make money off it in some way.

People love to watch the downfall of celebrities and the rich, and with Alexis already having had some smaller brushes with fame, it wouldn’t be surprising to find an offer of a book deal, movie rights, reality series, etc, that would have helped them get back on their financial feet.

3 Why Didn’t Alexis Work?

It’s revealed over the course of the show that Moira is still attempting to get back in the spotlight as an actress, and that David was a gallerist – a job that doesn’t exactly translate to Schitt’s Creek. But Alexis was a model (and successful enough to travel the world doing it), and released her own album, appeared on TV, etc etc. She still had her impressive wardrobe and stunning looks, so why did she stop working along with everyone else?

2 What Do Any Of Them Do For Health Insurance?

It’s a particularly US-centric question, but the issue of healthcare is never brought up. Presumably, the family were covered with the Roses’ business while they were rich, but once they lost everything, and no one was working, how did they get healthcare? If they were paying for private insurance, how did they afford it for a family of four? Perhaps they were doing what many low-income Americans do, and just hoping for the best, but this would have been a good issue to address if that was the case.

1 Why Were They Allowed To Keep The Town?

This is presumably because it was… the premise of the show. However, outside of a writing perspective, it’s not quite clear why the US government would dramatically repossess every asset except this one town. It’s mentioned that this was because it was deemed to have ‘no value’, but presumably that would have applied to a few other things, too – used wigs, even ones as impressive as Moira’s, would likely not be deemed more valuable than a literal town! Still, this is one money misstep that fans will happily accept, as it meant the show happened.

About The Author

Rose Graceling-Moore
(1516 Articles Published)

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Rose Graceling-Moore has been writing about film, TV and comics since 2013, when she began writing for a local print magazine in Vancouver, BC. Since then, Rose has written for Horror Honeys, Moviepilot and Quirkbooks as well as Screenrant, increasingly focusing on comic books and live-action comic adaptations, as well as diversity and representation on screen. Rose also co-hosted the DC Movies Podcast, and has guested on other nerd and entertainment podcasts over the past five years.

Rose’s love of comics began all the way back in the early ‘90s, when she discovered the X-Men while living in Africa (where there wasn’t a whole lot to do but read!), and since then has had an on-again, off-again love affair with not just Marvel, but DC and indie comics as well. You can follow her on Twitter: RoseMooreWrites for tweets about comics, movies, and more.

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