Agreed. But Eugene Levy didn’t create it. Dan Levy did — and he made it from a place of relative privilege. Would you apply the same argument to Brooklyn Beckham’s published photography book. Sure… his Dad made a fortune as an international footballer and model, but does that mean his son can jump in as a ‘professional photographer’ on his parent’s connections alone?
The difference between Dan Levy and Brooklyn Beckham however is that Dan Levy is a very talented writer and Schitt’s Creek is very good — and my understanding is that Brooklyn Beckham isn’t quite the photographer savant the world wants him to be.
Non-nepotism shows like Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office (the original British version) and South Park tend to be pretty good — they also tend to be more interesting and spin comedy off in new directions. Not always of course, but sometimes.
And no, I don’t think a trio of 70+ actors can get a comedy show off the ground… but I do know that having three household names attached to a project would likely sway the broadcaster in favour of committing to a pilot. Consider how easy it would be for the average writer to get hold of three household names to put into their pitch or treatment. Securing a big name (as Always Sunny did with Danny Devito) is a good way to ensure there’s some chance of continuation.
They may not have the clout, but it certainly didn’t hurt their chances did it? And it may have bought Schitt’s Creek the time it needed in order to turn into the huge success it is today.
