Moira Rose is the breakout star of Schitts Creek – now give Catherine OHara the Emmy she deserves

It pains me to deliver any more bad news when were already dealing with a monstrous political hell.

A climate crisis nudging humanity towards extinction and the fact that The Greatest Showman has spent 90 weeks in the upper echelons of the UK album chart.

But reader, I must.

Ready? Brace yourself, here it comes. Bookies have made Catherine OHara the long-shot outsider to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series at this weekends Primetime Emmy Awards.

I told you it was bad.

Yes, the woman who has made Moira Rose; soap star turned town councillor, endorser of unpretentious wineries, undisputed saviour of the Crows Have Eyes franchise.

One of the most memorable television characters of recent years is considered highly unlikely to be given the moment she deserves at this weekends awards bash. At Betfair, her odds are currently 50/1.

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In fairness, the competition is almighty. Shes up against Veeps Julia Louis-Dreyfus (odds-on favourite at 1/4), Fleabags Phoebe Waller-Bridge (7/2), The Marvelous Mrs Maisel herself, Rachel Brosnahan (7/1), Russian Dolls Natasha Lyonne (8/1) and Dead To Mes Christina Applegate (tied with OHara on 50/1).

Truly, its the gay Olympics of categories.

However, while no result would be outright unjust, nothing would be sweeter than a long-overdue victory for OHara and, by extension this absolute delight of a TV show as a whole – which also has nominations for Comedy Series and Performance in a Comedy Series for Eugene Levy.

Schitts Creeks five-year ascent from little-known Netflix gem to beloved Emmy-nominated phenomenon has been slow and steady but completely deserved.

We may enter the titular, fictional town via a spoiled and selfish rich family but over the course of the last half a decade, their world has become an unexpected comfort blanket. The stakes are low, the laughs are frequent and everything is underpinned by a reassuring sense of warmth and heart.

In short, at a time when everything in the world feels like its going – well, up s**t creek – its exactly what its burned-out audience need.

Its an ensemble effort and everyone is perfection. Annie Murphy, for one, has really come into her own as Alexis Rose in the last couple of years. A Little Bit Alexis is the song of 2019, dont deny it.

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Emily Hampshires Stevie Budd was such a show-stealer in the recent fifth season finale that she was trending on Twitter. Creator-actors Daniel and Eugene Levy, too, are consistently brilliant as David and Jonny Rose respectively.

All this while Noah Reid (Patrick) and Dustin Milligan (Ted) work wonders as the wholesome love interests of the Rose offspring.

But its OHara, performing with an accent best described as everywhere at once, who is the jewel in this programmes crown, or at least in its elaborate wig.

Shes been the standout from the start. Remember Moiras drunken commercial for Herb Ertlingers Fruit Wine in episode six?

Or her somewhat dark and very, very slow funeral rendition of Danny Boy in episode nine? They were easy highlights of the first season and helped Schitts Creek – a show that did, in the beginning, take a few episodes to find its footing – establish itself as Read More – Source