Like many of us, I found Schitt's Creek in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it quickly became my comfort show. Honestly, five years later, it still is. However, there is one stereotype in Schitt's Creek that still irks me. The Canadian sitcom has been heavily acclaimed for its inclusivity, winning multiple GLAAD Media Awards. It was so refreshing to see such a show where of the LGBTQ+ community are just accepted, with their sexuality neither questioned nor resulting in conflict.

It was through David's groundbreaking "I like the wine, not the label" speech that many viewers learned what pansexuality was. Throughout the show's six seasons, David Rose continuously cracked us up while also being one of the most positive portrayals of an LGBTQ+ character I've ever seen. When David and Patrick entered a relationship, they became not only one of TV's best gay couples, but best couples ever. Schitt's Creek deserves every ounce of praise it receives — even if it could have done better in its depiction of one particular character.

Jake Is A Walking Polyamory Stereotype

He's Overly Flirtatious & Ignores Boundaries

Schitt's Creek has some great relationships, particularly David and Stevie's. The way they navigate going from sexual partners to best friends is sweet and authentic, and definitely not without its complications. One of the biggest is Jake. Introduced in the season 2 finale, Jake carries out a sexual and romantic relationship with both Stevie and David simultaneously in season 3, much to the discomfort of both of them. When he senses that something is off, Jake's solution is to propose that the three of them all form a romantic relationship — in other words, become a throuple.

He has little concern about how Stevie or David feels about his relationship with the other, just assuming everything is fine.

As a polyamorous person myself, I found this storyline and Jake's character as a whole incredibly frustrating. Two of the biggest polyamory stereotypes are that we're all sex-obsessed and selfish — traits that Jake embodies to a tee. He has little concern about how Stevie or David feels about his relationship with the other, just assuming everything is fine and continuing to benefit sexually. The throuple proposal scene could have also been so positive — the three of them getting together to openly discuss the situation is totally the right thing to do here — but Jake is totally ignorant of his partners' feelings.

Jake pops up a couple more times in the show, with his final appearance in Schitt's Creek season 6, episode 6, "The Wingman," when he comes back into David's life after Patrick buys a table from him. He greets David by kissing him on the lips without his consent and is overly flirtatious with Patrick. He invites them over for a "whiskey or whatever" get-together, which David and Patrick learn upon arrival is an orgy. There's nothing wrong with this type of party, but the fact that he hid this from David and Patrick, combined with his overly forward behavior, leans further into polyamory stereotypes.

Just like with monogamous relationships, communication is so crucial to making polyamory work. More people means even more check-ins about feelings and comfort levels. Nobody is perfect, but Jake is an absolutely terrible communicator, and doesn't seem to care to improve. Polyamory still isn't fully accepted by mainstream Western society, and Schitt's Creek had a perfect opportunity to address it positively through Jake. Instead, they made the show's one polyamorous character a walking negative stereotype.

Jake Aside, Schitt's Creek Still Does Way More Good Than Harm

The Sitcom's Humor Is Always Kind

While I take issue with Jake's portrayal in Schitt's Creek, his character by no means ruined the show for me. Despite my reservations, I even found myself laughing along at some of Jake's lines, like when he tells Patrick, "Great sweater by the way, it really brings out your lips." A big reason for this is because, even in its rare instance of perpetuating a negative stereotype, Schitt's Creek is never mean-spirited. I could tell that Jake's storyline wasn't so much about making polyamory the butt of a joke as it was making an entertaining comedy.

The fact is that Schitt's Creek is a pioneering comedy series whose legacy will never be forgotten. In Best Wishes, Warmest Regards, the heartwarming documentary about filming Schitt's Creek's final season, one particular tearjerking moment sees the cast reading a letter from a group of mothers of LGBTQ+ kids thanking the show for everything they've done for representation and the community. Dan Levy created something truly wonderful with his David Rose character and Schitt's Creek as a whole, and I can't wait to see what he does next — with my fingers crossed for some positive polyamory portrayals.