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They’ve created a safe space on TV, and in their own pocket of the otherwise savage internet.

Much has been said about the positive, non-judgemental world where Schitt’s Creek takes place, where parents and the community at large support their childrens’ lifestyles, sexuality, and general life choices. That they’ve created such a safe space, both in the fictional world of Schitt’s Creek and as an escape for viewers taking in the TV show, is wonderful on its own. But that these positive, feel-good vibes have transferred — and been put into practice! — on the internet as well, is nothing short of remarkable.

The optimism of Schitt’s Creek was on full blast this season, a collection of 14 episodes that culminated in Patrick (Noah Reid) and David’s (Dan Levy) engagement and the town’s excellent live production of Cabaret, events that were fully celebrated by the friends, family, and townspeople around them. The banding together, the joy, and the acceptance that was felt at a high jumped through screens and forced viewers to smile. It’s contagious and entertaining in all the best ways.

So much so, that even the internet caught on. The internet! The rudest, meanest, most savage place on Earth. And yet in the Schitt’s Creek pocket of the internet, viewers of the show are just as supportive, encouraging, and lovely as the characters they watch every week (and binge over and over again in the first four seasons available on Netflix). Actors on other shows have made the decision to leave social media behind, deactivating accounts when fans’ input became too much and frankly unhealthy for them to be taking in. And yet, Schitt’s Creek has managed to do the exact opposite.

Emily Hampshire, who plays Stevie on the show, noted that the fan reaction to Schitt’s Creek has been specifically unlike “any other show I’ve been on.” She continued to explain, “I’ve been in this show 12 Monkeys where we had a rabid fanbase because it’s sci-fi. You go to Comic-Con and it’s insane. But [Schitt’s Creek is] a different kind of fandom and it’s different than anything I’ve, or I think that we’ve all, experienced.”

Part of that has been the IRL interactions as well, not just the viewing of the show and commenting on social media, all done through screens. As the Schitt’s Creek cast embarked on live tour stops across the US, fans got to breathe the same air as the actors that portray the characters they hold so dear. “We’ll go on tour and get this pure love from the audience,” Hampshire said. “And not just the audience towards us but also the audience towards each other. It is a very strange thing, you feel like you’re in a cult, but a cult you want to be in.”

And those cult members everywhere. “I go into Bed Bath & Beyond and it’s like nothing I’ve experienced,” Hampshire shared. “I think what is coming back at us with the signs and social media and just in life, is what the show puts out. I really do think because, and Dan made it this way, in Schitt’s Creek there is no judgement, there is not all the stuff that we deal with everyday. Everyone’s kind and nice.”

“So when we put all that out there, you really get it back,” she continued. “It’s inspiring to people, especially during this time in the States. To just be given a safe space — and not a cheesy one. The show’s really funny and it’s really smart, and it doesn’t have to sacrifice any of that stuff to have the most wonderful heart.”

“A lot of it is on social media and I think as a cast we receive a lot of love which obviously feels incredible,” Reid told me when we spoke last month about Patrick’s big coming out episode where he reveals to his parents that he’s not just business partners with David. “I’ve received personal messages from a lot of people saying, ‘We’ve been going through a tough time and we’ve really relied on this show to get us through.’ Or parents watching with their kids and growing their scope of how the world is possible to be viewed.”

He echoed the sentiment that the in-person reaction has also been overwhelming in the best way. “To go on tour and feel that in person, it was absolute waves of positivity coming at us. As an actor it’s very rare to be on a show that hits in this way for so many people. Particularly people who haven’t seen themselves on television in this way. It’s incredibly meaningful. I didn’t expect this when I joined the show. It’s been wild to see people coming out and dressing up as characters from the show or making fan art or giving us personalized gifts and stuff. It really is incredible so I feel very lucky to be a part of something like that.”

When Reid tweeted the link to the chat we had about that specific episode, he was sure to tag me, which is a nice gesture (and one I’ve noticed many of the other SC cast members subscribe to) to give a lil’ shoutout to the writer behind the piece. And then the nerves pop up. The mentions of a celebrity can get…dicey, to say the least. Passionate fans launch their opinions freely, fiercely, and frequently on Twitter, seemingly unaware that they could be (and likely are) read by another human being. But in this case the replies were…incredible. People weighed in on how much they loved the episode, shared heartfelt messages about personal experiences, described how the show is meaningful to them, and reflected on how much they enjoyed or identified or learned or felt watching that particular episode. It was like some kind of alternate universe Twitter feed.

And this wasn’t the only example of the online love. When the show dropped a full-length version of Alexis’s (Annie Murphy) theme song to her fictional former reality show, the reaction to the pop tune (modeled on the type of single a Paris Hilton or Britney Spears would release about a decade ago) enthusiastically treated it as the jam/bop/hit that it actually is. In fact, and often with the help of gifs, there wasn’t an episode this season that wasn’t met with an online cheering section. This is also due in part to the show’s own (recently Webby award-nominated!) official Twitter account that helps to promote, in a thorough and fun way, much of what the episodes have to offer.

But perhaps the biggest surprise of all was last week, after the show’s penultimate episode of Season 5 aired. A MAJOR event occurred: David and Patrick got engaged! And in the most David and Patrick way possible, in that it was filled with both feelings and funny moments and was impossible not to feel the happy tears bubble up. And yet there was no evidence of this event on the internet. You know, the very place people go to brag about their new rings? Once the show aired on Tuesday night in Canada, fans kept their responses to cryptic crying face emojis and “OMG”s without spoiling what had just taken place. Well, that can just be chalked up to Canadians, I thought. And then the episode aired here on Wednesday night. And now, a week later, I’ve seen exactly one article where the engagement was mentioned in the headline. That’s it. Again, recaps most leaned into the feelings — including my own. I didn’t want to be the one to spoil this moment, especially after knowing how special it felt to witness it when I had no idea it was coming. The respect level there for letting other Twitter dwelling fans have the opportunity to watch with fresh eyes is significant, because, come on, engagements are the hardest secrets to keep! But ultimately, this is a clear sign that the show has created not only a community on-screen that cares about those around them, but that the show’s social media fans have followed suit.

The only real harshness I have witnessed from fans of this show is that of them simply shaming those who have yet to watch the show (which is basically justified). Though simply refraining from spoiling the show, and keeping their typing fingers in control, is not the only way fans have created a positive environment online. They’ve also been proactive in continuing the efforts of equality and supporting LGBTQ members of their own communities by donating to charities that accomplish this exact work. That’s putting your money where your heart is, and that’s a lesson even the broke Rose family could agree with.

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