Series · Comedy · 2015 · TV-14

Schitt's Creek: parents' guide

13+our pick

Best for ages 13 and up. Rated TV-14.

A sweet, character-driven comedy about a rich family rebuilding their lives in a tiny town, best for teens who can handle frank adult talk. It carries warm messages about humility, family and acceptance, including a loving same-sex romance. Parents should know about a handful of uncensored f-words, regular sex jokes and talk of past hookups, implied sex under the covers, frequent drinking played for laughs, and two early episodes where characters, the parents included, smoke marijuana and get high. A pet cat is killed by a car, and a man's death by hanging is mentioned. Most families find it works from about 13 with a parent nearby.

What's in it

Violence

Mild

Almost none. In season 5 a pet cat is accidentally hit by a car: a thump is heard and the body is seen from a distance, without gore. A few lines mention a man who hanged himself. Otherwise conflict is verbal bickering.

Language

Moderate

Infrequent but uncensored f-words, some used sexually, plus bullshit, son of a bitch, ass and misuse of God's name; the series finale alone has several f-words. The show's title is itself a play on a swear word.

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Lots of sex talk and innuendo, including crude anal-sex jokes, one character's many past flings and a massage implied to end sexually. Couples make out and are shown in bed afterward. Nudity is limited to brief nude images on a website, plus phallic graffiti.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

Strong

Frequent drinking, from wine at dinner to a keg at a bonfire, sometimes to comic drunkenness. In season 1 two young adults smoke a joint, then the parents share one at a party and stay high. Cocaine, heroin smuggling and painkillers come up in conversation.

Scary or intense scenes

Mild

Little that is frightening. A pet being hit by a car may upset younger viewers, and there are tearful breakups and family arguments, but no sustained peril or scary imagery.

Sensitive topics

  • Animal death
  • Suicide

Worth talking about

The Roses go from rich to broke and slowly learn to care about other people: what do they gain by losing their money?

Where to stream →

On our lists

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, bbfc.co.uk, romper.com, Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, tvmaze.com. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.