Lionsgate's Debmar-Mercury selling sitcom in domestic syndication

The Fox Television Stations have acquired all seasons of Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek in a two-year deal, Lionsgate-owned Debmar-Mercury said Thursday. The show will start airing in broadcast syndication in an all-barter deal in September 2020.

Schitt’s Creek, which is just coming off an Emmy nomination for outstanding comedy, will air its sixth and final season on Pop and Canadian Broadcasting Corp. this January. Debmar-Mercury sold the show in domestic syndication after acquiring the rights from ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

“Schitt’s Creek will enter syndication on Fox and other television stations throughout the country next fall with one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases on television,” said Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein in a statement. “It is so rare to have a show like this that appeals equally to viewers, Emmy voters and critics -- a testament to its extraordinary gifted cast and writing.”

The half-hour comedy follows a wealthy family who suddenly find themselves broke and forced to live in Schitt’s Creek, a small town they once bought as a joke. Eugene Levy stars as the once-wealthy video store magnate Johnny Rose and Catherine O’Hara is his former soap-opera star wife Moira, who still dresses like she needs to be on set in the next five minutes. The couple have two extremely spoiled adult children: self-described black sheep of the family David (Daniel Levy) and career socialite Alexis (Annie Murphy).

Besides Emmy nominees Eugene Levy and O’Hara, the cast also includes Chris Elliott, Emily Hampshire, Jennifer Robertson, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan, Sarah Levy and Karen Robinson.

Commissioned by CBC, Schitt’s Creek is produced by Not A Real Company Productions Inc. and created by Eugene and Daniel Levy. The executive producers are Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy, Andrew Barnsley, Fred Levy, David West Read and Ben Feigin. Schitt’s Creek is produced in association with CBC and PopTV and distributed internationally by ITV Studios Global Entertainment.