“I will be retweeting this every day until I get a response.”
Dan Levy is demanding answers from UK channel 4Music for censoring queer content from Schitt’s Creek.
Earlier this week, a British fan tweeted Dan – co-creator and star of the Canadian comedy series – after watching an episode that removed dialogue between his character David and his on-screen love interest Patrick (Noah Reid).
“4Music showed Schitt’s Creek with cut dialogue between David and Patrick. “…to sleep with me or whatever” is just missing,” they tweeted. “But their kiss is there. And episodes earlier talk of Moira sleeping with Roland remains.”
They pointed out that a scene in which Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara) saying “fuck” had been left in, but scenes with David and Patrick, as well as David and his previous lover Jake (Steve Lund) had been “trimmed down”.
The tweets immediately gained traction, with fans calling on 4Music to give a response as to why they felt the need to cut harmless same-sex content. The backlash soon caught the attention of Dan, who tweeted them directly.
“Is this true, @4Music? Censoring kissing and intimate dialogue? Also, I will be retweeting this every day until I get a response,” he wrote. “Footage of the Jake/David kiss having been edited out.
“Aside from this censorship being highly disturbing and dangerous, it was a big laugh in the scene! This is very disheartening.”
4Music are yet to comment.
Although Schitt’s Creek is currently at its peak, both critically and commercially, Dan announced earlier this year that he and his father Eugene – who co-created the series together – were ending the show with its upcoming sixth season.
“We are so grateful to have been given the time and creative freedom to tell this story in its totality, concluding with a final chapter that we have envisioned from the very beginning,” they wrote in a joint statement.
“It’s not lost on us what a rare privilege it is in this industry to get to decide when your show should take its final bow. We could never have dreamed that our fans would grow to love and care about these characters in the ways that you have.
“We are all so excited to begin shooting these last fourteen episodes and can’t thank you enough for the overwhelming love and generosity you’ve shown us. We hope you continue to enjoy the rest of our fifth season as we prepare to shoot our sixth!”
Since its premiere in 2015, Schitt’s Creek has received universal acclaim from critics and has been lauded for its portrayal of its LGBTQ characters especially Dan’s character, who identifies as pansexual.
Earlier this year, the show was finally recognised at the Primetime Emmy Awards, with nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Eugene Levy) and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (O’Hara).
Last week, all four leads were nominated for Critics’ Choice Awards.
The sixth and final season of Schitt’s Creek will air 7 January on Pop TV – watch the hilarious trailer below.
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