Schitt’s Creek co-creator and star Dan Levy has made his displeasure known over Comedy Central India omitting a gay kiss from its promotion of the Emmy Award-winning series.
In a tweet, Levy accuses the network — a joint venture between Viacom and India’s TV18 — of censorship, evidenced by the fact that female/female and male/female kisses were shown, just not the male/male one.
“You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between two men?” he wrote, adding: “This is a show about the power of inclusivity. The censorship of gay intimacy is making a harmful statement against that message.” Levy finished with the hashtag: “#loveislove”.
You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between two men? This is a show about the power of inclusivity. The censorship of gay intimacy is making a harmful statement against that message. #loveislove https://t.co/3ouNbuetq1
— dan levy (@danjlevy) October 6, 2020
Related: Dan Levy praises billboard campaign for final season of Schitt’s Creek
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Levy included the video, which was shared by Comedy Central India. It’s a scene from season 5 that features a game of spin the bottle. Dustin Mulligan, who plays Alexis’ (Annie Murphy) boyfriend Ted, goes to kiss Levy’s character, but it is edited out.
Commenters were quick to chime in with the missing content:
@danjlevy maybe we should just help them out! pic.twitter.com/pjeoO1nGE6
— Mysti Dinger (@midid) October 6, 2020
It’s unclear whether the kiss was also cut from the episode’s full broadcast or just the promo material.
Related: 5 photos that mark the historic moment India legalized gay sex
Catholicslutbox
again?
Couldn’t they have demanded that they not edit their series?
Creamsicle
Homosexuality was only recently decriminalized in India. The culture remains extremely conservative, so this isn’t a surprise. Good on Levy for speaking out and taking a stand on his own creative vision for the show.
Vellala
Rather a clash of cultures – a deep dark well in India!? Anyway, thanks.
iminheatlikeacat
Six months before that tweet. I’m also confused as to why it’s been brought up now when it was posted in March 2019.
If I had a show I would simply not market it in any county that censored it (naive, I know, as it’s hardly ever the decision of the makers of it to make).
Texasholdem
S Creek just started playing in syndication on local over the air channels here in the US starting last week. Expect more censored scenes.
eeebee333
I’m sure he’ll still cash the check though.
TommyIL
What’s that supposed to mean? Are the show creators supposed to disavow any income from their work in protest?