Who is Johnny Rose in Schitt's Creek?

Show

Schitt's Creek

Played by

Eugene Levy

First episode

“Our Cup Runneth Over”Season 1, Episode 1, aired January 13, 2015

Role

Main cast

Network

CBC

Occupation

Former video chain CEO, then motel co-owner

Show run

2015 to 2020Aired on Pop TV in the United States.

Also known as

Johnny, Jonathan Rose, Jonathan Michael Rose

Johnny Rose made a fortune building Rose Video, then lost it all when his business manager stole the family's money, leaving him with only a small town he once bought as a joke. Played by Eugene Levy, who created the show with his son Dan, Johnny is the patient, eyebrow-raising center of Schitt's Creek.

On Schitt's Creek, Johnny Rose's story runs through Moira Rose (Wife), David Rose (Son), Alexis Rose (Daughter), Stevie Budd (Business Partner), and Roland Schitt (Mayor and Partner).

Who is Johnny Rose?

Johnny is the former CEO of Rose Video, once the second-largest video rental chain in North America. When the family is defrauded by its business manager and the government seizes their mansion, the one asset left is Schitt's Creek, a tiny town he bought in 1991 as a gag birthday gift for his son, David. Johnny, his wife, Moira, and their adult children, David and Alexis, move into two adjoining rooms at the town's shabby motel.

He is the family's planner and its peacemaker. While the others mourn their old lives, Johnny keeps looking for a way out, first by trying to sell the town and later by trying to start one business after another. Eventually he finds his footing running the motel with its clerk, Stevie Budd.

Personality and comedy

Johnny is the show's straight man. Much of his comedy is reaction: a long stare, a deep sigh, or a perfectly timed "Moira" as his family and the townspeople test his patience. He is a gifted businessman who is hopeless with modern technology, and the internet and social media leave him thoroughly baffled.

He starts out a little entitled and quick to complain about the town, but he never stops being a devoted husband and father. Over six seasons his snobbery fades, and he becomes the kind of person who stands up for his neighbors and celebrates every small win his children earn.

Key storylines

Johnny's early plans to sell the town fall through when the buyer ends up in a coma, so the Roses are stuck. In season three Stevie inherits the motel, and Johnny steps in as her business partner rather than let her sell it. Together, and later with Mayor Roland Schitt, they renovate it into the Rosebud Motel and turn it into a real success.

In the final season Johnny pitches the idea of a Rosebud Motel chain to investors in New York. The meeting goes badly and the firm passes, but a few people from the room who are leaving to start their own company want to back the brand. In the series finale, after David's wedding, Johnny and Moira leave Schitt's Creek for California, where Moira is returning to television.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Eugene Levy co-created Schitt's Creek with his son, Dan Levy, who plays David. Levy has said he drew more on his own personality for Johnny than for any earlier character, and critics praised the role as a smart change of pace from his usual comic types. Catherine O'Hara, his longtime collaborator from SCTV and Christopher Guest's films, plays Moira.

Levy won the 2016 Canadian Screen Award for best lead actor in a comedy for the role, and the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2020 for the final season. That year Schitt's Creek swept all seven major comedy awards, with both Levys, O'Hara, and Annie Murphy taking home acting trophies.

Johnny Rose: frequently asked questions

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