The fandom infighting appears to have gotten so bad that the series felt it necessary to release a PSA on social media ahead of the premiere. “Cousins is our safe place,” a post on TSITP‘s official X account reads, referring to the beach that serves as the story’s primary setting. “Everything good, everything magical. Let’s keep the conversation kind this summer.”
But that’s not all. A second “community guidelines” graphic hammers the point home by reiterating that the show has a “ZERO tolerance policy for bullying and hate speech.” It goes on to suggest that if fans “engage in any of the following [they] will be banned” (unclear from exactly where, but presumably the show’s social media accounts). Unacceptable behaviors include “hate speech or bullying,” “targeting our cast and crew,” and “harassing or doxxing members of the community.”
It’s unclear as of this writing whether the PSA is exclusively in response to some of the conversation that’s already been happening, or if it’s doing double duty as a preemptive strike against future plot-related anger. (Prime Video did not immediately respond to The A.V. Club‘s request for comment on this story.) Regardless, there has already been some nasty, homophobic and bigoted language thrown around, so it’s unsurprising—if pretty depressing—that the show felt the need to send a message like this. Hopefully, Cousins—and other shows that court this kind of intense fandom discourse—really can be a safe space for everyone moving forward.
