Schitt’s Creek

I generally try to put shows I’ve watched on this list, but as the number of TV shows out there continues to multiply (very nearly cresting 500 scripted series last year — which doesn’t include reality shows or programs that didn’t air in primetime or made-for-TV movies or...), that’s become trickier and trickier to do. In general, though, I only include a show on the list if I’ve watched enough episodes of the current season to form some sort of opinion on it.

I can’t do that with Schitt’s Creek, which recently began its fifth season and is landing here because everybody I know who watches it loves it, and that holds true both for hardcore critic friends of mine and for people who just want something funny and fluffy to watch after a hard day. The Canadian comedy, imported to the US by Pop (the former TV Guide Network!), is, if nothing else, an opportunity to watch Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara revive their hysterical chemistry from so many years of working together on various comedy projects, and its premise — a rich family falls on hard times and has to figure out how to fend for itself — is a time-honored one. Okay, okay, okay. I promise I’ll watch!

“The writing on Schitt’s Creek is among some of the best comedic writing on television, a tough honor during the era of Peak TV.” Delia Harrington, Den of Geek

Metacritic score: N/A (the show received a 64 out of 100 for its first season, but that aired four years ago)

Where to watch: New episodes of Schitt’s Creek air Wednesdays at 10 pm Eastern on Pop TV, but honestly, most people I know seem to just catch up with the show whenever its latest season lands on Netflix. If you don’t have Netflix, you can currently watch the first four seasons for free on something called the “Pop Now App.”