Tell Me Lies’ Alicia Crowder Says Fans Have Been ‘So Sweet’ About Pippa and Diana’s ‘Fun Surprise’ Romance

Warning: This post contains spoilers about season 2 of Tell Me Lies.

The second season of Tell Me Lies kicked off with a bang that was even a surprise to star Alicia Crowder.

The Hulu drama’s season 2 premiere ended with the major reveal that in 2015, after their time at Baird College, the 26-year-old actress’ character, Diana, is in a relationship with Pippa (Sonia Mena).

Crowder tells PEOPLE that the fan’s response to the unexpected romance has been “so sweet.”

“I think everyone really enjoyed it,” she says on the red carpet at InStyle’s 30th Birthday Event in New York City on Sept. 12. “It’s really nice.”

Crowder calls the relationship between the two characters, who previously were not even friends in the 2008 timeline of the show, a “really fun surprise.”

“Everyone seemed very happy,” she adds.

The reveal of Diana and Pippa’s relationship in 2015 — the story takes place over two timelines, while the group is in college in 2008 and in the future, ahead of Bree (Cat Missal) and Evan’s (Branden Cook) wedding in 2015 — is one that had higher-ups at Hulu surprised.

“I didn’t tell the network about this reveal when I sent the script to them. And as they were starting to read it that night, over several hours I was just getting all these text messages from our executives that were like, ‘What the f—?'” creator Meaghan Oppenheimer told PEOPLE ahead of the premiere. “They were like, ‘You’re sick. You’re a menace.'”

Oppenheimer admitted she tends to operate in the show with a “what is the thing that no one is going to see coming?” mindset — which serves up some major bomb drops.

Season 2 picks up after the dramatic end to season 1 that saw the breakdown of Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen’s (Jackson White) relationship — he got back together with Diana — and the major reveal that Stephen is engaged to Lucy’s childhood best friend Lydia (Natalee Linez) in 2015.

The new installment explores the stories of Lucy and Stephen’s friend group more than season 1 did, as Oppenheimer said, “I’m really excited that the rest of the ensemble gets to shine so much this season.”

“Season one, it was really important to be kind of suffocated with Lucy and Stephen in that intoxicating dynamic. But then my intention was always to broaden the world in season two.”

Oppenheimer added, “It’s definitely still Lucy and Stephen at the core. They’re definitely the through line of the show. But my going into this show, even from season one, was: What are the repercussions within a friend group from one central set of lies?”

New episodes of Tell Me Lies season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Hulu.