Upon accepting his Vanguard Award from the third annual Critics Choice Association‘s Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television last night, Big Mistakes co-creator Dan Levy took a moment to shout out Canadian production for being a step ahead.
“The funny thing about this industry is that they think they know what they want, until a Schitt’s Creek or a Heated Rivalry comes along,” the four-time Emmy-winning multihyphenate said, pausing for a second to acknowledge “fellow Canadian” Jacob Tierney, of whom he was “so proud.” (Tierney was not present to accept his Showrunner Award, sending in a video message in which he conveyed he was “working very hard” on the second season of Heated Rivalry.)
“Until those shows come along and change things, in ways that nobody could have predicted,” he continued, drawing cheers and applause, “two shows that simply only exist because Canada saw value in them first; two shows that have people clamoring to make more shows like them. But the truth is, we don’t need more shows like them; we need more money being invested in queer voices, because we make you money.”
Levy — who was among fellow honorees Jane Lynch, Hannah Einbinder and Paula Pell, among others — added: “And we need to be seen as valuable commodities, and not anomalies. Everyone in this room is here because we have defied some kind of odd. And my hope is that we can get to a place in this industry where the odds err in our favor. And Canada doesn’t have to always say: ‘I told you so.’”
He concluded that his homeland is a “very modest country; we hate bragging, but we will if we have to.”
Levy is currently on the FYC campaign trail for Big Mistakes, which was renewed by Netflix for a second season earlier this month, as the producer-writer signed a new series first-look deal with the streamer.
