There is no chance we can forget our all-time favourite, Johnny Rose, well, because he is more than just a fictional character.
As the main lead in Schitt’s Creek, a Canadian sitcom that aired for five years from 2015 to 2020, Jonathan Michael Rose (widely acknowledged as Johnny Rose) is the patriarch of the Rose family who is constantly striving to layout a comfortable and lavishing lifestyle for his family as they once enjoyed.
OVERVIEW
Eugene Levy has done complete justice portraying Johnny Rose, an affluent former CEO of the second-largest video rental chain in the nation. Losing everything he had to the fraud practices of the business manager, Johnny struggles to build up the family empire all the way, again from rags to riches.
As a father of two adult children, David Rose and Alexis Rose, with his wife Moira, who was once a soap opera star in Sunrise Bay, Johnny is the man the entire family can always count on.
ONE CHARACTER IN DIFFERENT MOULDS
Johnny has a witty, practical, and easy-going personality. Let’s look at how his character has developed throughout the series.
AS A BUSINESSMAN
As the owner of Rose Video, Johnny is imparted with exceptional knowledge and determination and doesn’t hesitate to take the lead. After going broke, he has a hard time accepting what has happened but doesn’t sit around dwelling on the mishap; instead, he takes steps to ensure Rose’s rise to the top again.
However, he wasn’t tech-savvy and has been a little ignorant towards the company’s financial working system, which did put him into a situation of bankruptcy and left him only with a small town named Schitt’s Creek that was bought by him as a ‘joke birthday gift’ for his son (that later, became their only safeguard).
AS A FAMILY MAN
Though too busy with his business, Johnny has always been there for his family. He has made many arrangements to keep up with his family’s adjustments after shifting to Schitt’s Creek. He is the one for whom everybody looks around if they need advice; well, don’t mind the title.
As a husband, he always stood by Moira while she was in trouble because of anonymous critics or if she needed support for giving a shot at new roles.
There are times when we see Johnny fulfilling his fatherly duties. He not only becomes the one who motivates his grown-ups but also keeps a check on their ongoing situations, ready to save them up against anything. He is considered the most reliable and practical person, and this is very much evident from the part when he helped Alexis, his spoiled daughter with the paper case.
RELATION WITH TOWN PEOPLE
The character had teeny-weeny chaos in settling around the people of Schitt’s Creek. Things don’t go along all easy as Johnny Rose tries to come around with everything in his new place. “Well, this town is very screamnastic” shows the character’s psychological state while settling in.
Mr. Rose’s initial encounter with the town’s mayor Ronald Schitts wasn’t a walk of roses. He was even into getting the Rose family out of the motel after a minor argument with Johnny.
With Stieve Budd also, Johnny didn’t seem to get along easily. She was an employee at the Rosebud Motel and later turned into its owner after her aunt’s death. Throughout the series, she acknowledged him as Mr. Rose, and Johnny even has titled her as a “mouthy kid.”
But much to our surprise, the table started to turn as the series progressed with time. We have seen the relationship between Johnny Rose and Stieve come to a level where she opens up to him as a daughter to her father. He is the only person with whom she shares about her insecurities regarding the motel and how her personal life goes on full of ups and downs, and the travel blogger with whom her relationship doesn’t seem much of a celebrated thing. Soon after that, Johnny used to feel at home living in the motel. In fact, they became business partners in the later seasons and managed the Rosebud Motel together.
Even the mayor, who once held a grudge against Johnny, developed a soft corner for him and they both supported each other after Mr. Schitt became an employee of the motel.
A DETERMINED BELIEVER
For Johnny Rose, fulfilling his beliefs and proving him to himself has always been kind of the principles which he swears by. After getting caught in the trap of deceitful actions of his employee, he quickly tried his hands on some new ventures. In the later seasons, he becomes the co-owner of the Rosebud Motel and uses his businessman mentality to make it grow.
With the growing reputation of the motel, Johnny regained the pride and prestige he was relishing once. Now he had a purpose and, with it, the sense of achievement to be able to provide his family with everything he had some time back.
CRAFTSMANSHIP OF THE EPIC STORYLINE
The show’s storyline was initially inspired by American reality shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Real Housewives. Eugene Levy and his son Dan Levy were behind this work of art. The character of Johnny Rose was written all the way wittily and performed with such a perfection that the producer-cum-actor of the show, Eugene Levy, earned Canadian Screen Award (CSA) for 4 years in a line and again received the same honour in the year 2016 for Best Performance by an Actor in a counting Leading Comic Role.
The actor also got a Primetime Emmy nomination for the role of outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2019. He again got nominated for the same title in 2020…this time winning the title.
The entire cast of Schitt’s Creek was nominated for the ACTRA Award for Member’s Choice Series Ensemble twice in 2017 & 2018, finally claiming it in 2019. The show has always been adored by the fans and its wrap-up in 2020 left fans emotional, which is much of an irony with the title of the last episode “Happy Ending.”