American Culture Studies Ph.D. Dissertations

The Urban/Rural Divide: Social Identities on Schitt's Creek

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

American Culture Studies

First Advisor

Sarah Rainey-Smithback (Committee Chair)

Second Advisor

Lisa Martin (Other)

Third Advisor

Jeffrey Brown (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Becca Cragin (Committee Member)

Abstract

The television comedy Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020) explores the urban/rural divide by presenting a narrative about the Roses, a formerly wealthy cosmopolitan family trapped in a small town. The show’s premise offers a unique opportunity to research the role of a specific popular culture text within discourse about social identity and cultural expectations by examining stories about class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and fashion. Textual analysis of this Nicecore sitcom works hand-in-hand with theoretical frameworks of feminism, television studies, gender and queer studies, religious studies, and fashion studies through close reading of the series, and online research of fan reactions offers feminist and LGBTQ views of the show’s effectiveness. Together, theory and method create a methodology which analyzes the text’s cultural and societal implications, combining into a cohesive examination of the show’s messages and impact. As a text within the sitcom genre the series defies traditional humor by turning away from the exploitation of marginalized groups. Instead, the show leans on humor produced by the more neutral difference of class, through the lens of the urban/rural divide. By examining the urban/rural divide within the series it becomes apparent this binary is not set in stone. Neither the Roses nor the townspeople completely take on the other’s characteristics, but both grow and change through their interactions with each other, ultimately illustrating that despite a wide gap of priorities, beliefs, and worldviews people are capable of engagement with those different from themselves. The Roses, while never becoming “rural,” move on with a new understanding of people and themselves; the townspeople, while never completely understanding the “urban” that came into their midst, grow beyond the boundaries of their small town. The urban and the rural, while distinct, find spaces of commonality; the characters see each other’s humanity despite their differences.

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