Need an escape? Watch the best Schitt’s Creek episodes from the show everyone keeps telling you is perfect (because it actually is).

In March 2019, co-creator and star Dan Levy revealed that the series would return for a sixth and final season. “We are so grateful to have been given the time and creative freedom to tell this story in its totality, concluding with a final chapter that we had envisioned from the very beginning. It’s not lost on us what a rare privilege it is in this industry to get to decide when your show should take its final bow. We could never have dreamed that our fans would grow to love and care about these characters in the ways that you have.”

The series is the perfect balm to… well… everything.

Now that the series has officially concluded, it’s the perfect time to go back to the start and watch the entire Rose journey. Here are the best episodes to watch, or rewatch, when you need something to put that bright spot back in your life. While I highly recommend you watch the series in its entirety, there are only so many hours in a day or weekend. Each season should take you four and a half hours.

Catch up on seasons 1-5 on Netflix and stream episodes from season 6 on either the Pop TV or CBC website.

Best ‘Schitt’s Creek’ episodes:

Season 1:

Episode 1, “Our Cup Runneth Over”

The best place to start any journey is at the start. The season opener is a great introduction to the world of Schitt’s Creek from the perspective of the family stranded there. Eventually the scope of the series widens to welcome in an expansive case of loveable residents, but this episode really cements the Before-Roses against the people we’ve come to know and love by the conclusion of season 5.

Best quote: “It’s almost dark and my son is afraid of moths.”

Episode 5, “The Cabin”

One of my favorite things about this series is the family dynamic that is well-established early on. As the series unfolds little bits of insight into the life of the pre-Schitt’s Creek Rose’s life is revealed by how they interact with one another in the present. The circumstances have tossed Alexis and David unwittingly into the same room in twin beds much to their dismay. But when an opportunity arises for them to spend the night apart, Alexis can barely handle 30 seconds alone and ropes David into a games night that, of course, goes against everything David needs to make this happen in the way he needs it to. (More on that here: How the healing power of Schitt’s Creek helped me to find my paddle )

Best quote: “The fact that we don’t have an ideal number for team style gameplay is not why I’m here.”

Episode 10, “Honeymoon”

David and Stevie’s friendship is one of the best evolutions of the series. It’s not one that is riddled with hurdles of jealousy or loss or betrayal. Instead it involves two people learning who the other is slowly, yet intimately, until they know exactly what to say that will set the other off without consequence. The episode also pushes Johnny and Moira out of Alexis and David’s orbit and into the thriving social scene of the town – and whatever that entails.

Best quote: “I like the wine and not the label does that make sense?”

Season 2:

Episode 2, “Family Dinner”

If Dan Levy and Catherine O’Hara win an Emmy, in my mind it will be for this scene. I know that is not how the Emmy’s work, but David and Moira cooking dinner together is one of the best scenes this show has created.

Best quote: “I don’t know how to fold broken cheese like that.”

Episode 4, “Estate Sale”

The Roses find themselves at an estate sale looking to buy a new mattress, David takes a trip with Roland to pick out clothes for Jocelyn, and two children learn to ride a bike. It’s not the most exciting or memorable episode, but I think it gives the Roses a deep immersion into the things that they did not experience in their other lives – seeing what it’s like to shop at a retail store, fighting for scraps of other people’s living, and witnessing the moments that never happened in childhood. Watch Johnny and Moira’s faces as David rides the bike. It will break your heart.

Best quote: “If I wasn’t so easily swayed by powerful women in a retail environment, I would have been there for you.”

Episode 13, “Happy Anniversary”

Full disclosure, this is my favorite Schitt’s Creek episode of the entire series. The ending never fails to make me cry. Not from sadness, but from pure joy. This family coming together, dancing together, expressing their love for one another (and the town). It culminates two seasons worth of ups and downs, smashed hopes, and, most important of all, acceptance.

Best quote: “We love you both very much.”

Season 3:

Episode 3, “New Car”

The ongoing gag of Johnny presenting (and subsequently failing to manage) a car in the family is brilliant. Watch as Moira and Johnny step into the roles of two people trying desperately to downplay the only part of their wealth they have left – their looks. Meanwhile, David steps into the role of supportive friend as Stevie faces down a snapshot of her future and all the life-defining changes heading her way. While Johnny and Moira’s bit is for fun, it is countered perfectly with the depth of what David tries to help Stevie navigate, which ends up setting the stage for much of what comes next for her and the Rose family. Where Jonny and Moira kind of succeed, David truly rises to the occasion and does not need to pretend to be a good friend – he simply is one.

Best quote: “So, I’m just going to change into my funeral blacks and meet you back here.”

Episode 4, “Driving Test”

From what we can piece together, Alexis and David had very different upbringings. Alexis was very much on her own, David was at once tied to his mother, but also aloof. While they have learned a great deal about one another over the past several months living in the same room, there is so much left to unpack between them. Alexis trying to calm David down before his driving test and David in turn reminding Alexis that someone did care when she went off missing for weeks at a time, is a beautifully intimate moment between the two.

Best quote: “No one cares, David.”

Episode 13, “Grad Night”

After the Schitt’s Creek season one finale, the rest of the series touches on great, “coming together” scenes. In this one, the four members of the Rose clan have each hit a personal milestone – David’s birth coincides with a new business and romantic venture, Alexis graduates, Moira chooses her daughter over herself, and Johnny is back in business. But at the end of the day, what happens outside the walls of their shared living space does not compare with the quiet moments they can share together.

Best quote: *cake reads: Happy Day, Alex and Davis!* “We’ve done the best we can.”

Season 4:

Episode 2, “Pregnancy Test”

Catherine O’Hara’s performance in this episode is so incredible that is deserves not only your undivided attention, but repeat viewings. Watch it once to take in all the humor, watch it again to see Dan Levy nearly break, and watch it a third time to capture all of O’Hara’s inflections. Watching her is like watching a master class in comedy.

Best quote: “Let the nuns take care of the little stranger!”

Episode 4, “Girls’ Night”

Another great bonding moment, this time between Alexis and Moira. The duo may not have had many shared moments during Alexis formative years – being left at preschool certainly didn’t help – but in this episode, David points out just how disassociated Moira is from her daughter. The pair have attempted to spend some time together in other episodes, but through her advice – hidden as advice directed at Twila – Moira and Alexis eventually find a way to connect on some level, with Moira imparting a piece of her history to her daughter to see and learn from.

Best quote: “I’ve never heard someone say so many wrong things, one after the other, consecutively in a row.”

Episode 9, “The Olive Branch”

Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” will never be the same again. It was already changed for sure in the episode, “Open Mic,” but David’s rendition for Patrick is not only moving, but perhaps the most romantic gesture he can give to the man he wants back in his life. He is exposed, he is uninhibited, and he is in love. *sigh*

Best quote: “You know people can see you, right?”

Season 5:

Episode 5, “Housewarming”

There is nothing better than watching the 30-somethings of Schitt’s Creek returning to (or fleeing from) their high school personas at Patrick’s housewarming. With alcohol flowing, a game of spin the bottle leads to some hilarious jealousy and bickering among the crowd. Meanwhile, Johnny and Moira attempt to watch Jocelyn and Roland’s baby. Not even industrial cleaning gloves can protect Johnny Rose.

Best quote: “Byeeeeee”

Episode 11, “Meet the Parents”

With so many things going wrong at one time, it would be easy for the series to dive into pain, rejection, and heartache. But Schitt’s Creek is not every other show. It celebrates love, acceptance, and found joy. And there is no better episode to see that than in “Meet the Parents.”

Best quote: “Well you made everything okay.”

Episode 13, “Life is a Cabaret”

There is, of course, one major thing that happens in this episode, but since we’re not here to spoil it for those coming into the show for the first time let’s just go with one of the best moments of this season – Stevie’s journey through Cabaret. Watching her take the stage and sing, “Maybe This Time,” is emotionally crippling in the best way. She is a superstar who beats down all the doubts and reminders of near misses in her life. It’s an escape for her and a reminder of what she can find in this life that she has established.

Best quote: “Easiest decision of my life.”

Season 6:

Episode 5, “Crows Premiere”

The dress makes a comeback as Moira prepares for The Crows Have Eyes 3 premiere that being held in Schitt’s Creek before streaming on Interflix. The episode sets the course for the remainder of the season with Moira experiencing a return to the red carpet, Johnny joins forces with Roland and Stevie for their commitment to expanding the motel business, and David and Patrick find out that there are a few conversational stones unturned in their relationship.

Best quote: “I know a bit of their language — CAW CAW”

Episode 11, “The Bachelor Party”

The Rose family in an escape room? What could possibly go…right? We’ve seen David’s competitive nature, but couple that with Alexis’ distress over leaving town to join Ted, and Johnny waiting for news on whether or not he received a call about the potential for a meeting for seed money for the motel business venture, and Patrick just wanting everyone to have a good time as a family and you have a recipe for disaster. But, just like any time the full ensemble is on screen together, the episode stands out as one of the best.

Best quote: “I’m BLOWING”

Episode 14, “Happy Ending”

The series finale is a beautiful tribute to a series that captured the hearts of everyone who visited the town over the past six seasons. The episode balances the light-hearted humor and hijinks that elevated the series above all other comedies with the bittersweet goodbyes that come with a series finale. It is an emotional rollercoaster with the reveal of Moira’s final outrageous outfit as what may be the best outfit she has worn. Grab some tissues and be ready to go back to the start once the credits roll.

Related: Schitt’s Creek series finale: The greatest family story ever told

Best quote: “Our lives are like little bébé crows, carried upon a curious wind and all we can wish for our families for those we love is that that wind will eventually place us on solid ground, and I believe it’s done just that for my family here in this little town in the middle of nowhere.”

Schitt’s Creek is available to stream on Netflix, PopTV, and CBC.