‘Heathers’ Reboot Scrapped by Paramount Network
The Heathers reboot that was originally set to premier on March 7 on the Paramount Network has been scrapped. The move comes after Keith Cox, Paramount Network president of development and production, said the network didn't feel comfortable airing the show following all of the high school shootings that have been happening across the nation.
"This is a high school show, we're blowing up the school, there are guns in the school, it's a satire and there are moments of teachers having guns. It's hitting on so many hot topics," Cox told The Hollywood Reporter. "This company can't be speaking out of both sides of its mouth, saying the youth movement is important for us and we've done all these wonderful things to support that and at the same time, we're putting on a show that we're not comfortable with."
While the series is now dead at Paramount Network, Cox and Viacom are still trying to shop the show around for another network to pick up. "We're talking to everyone: [streaming video on demand], premium cable and we may have even spoken to a broadcast network," he said. "There's a few in the mix and they've shown interest."
Production of the first season of Heathers has long been completed, as the series was originally set to premiere on TV Land in 2016. Like the original movie, the Heathers TV series was to feature a number of suicides and would have taken place in high school. A second season of the series was already in the works and would have reportedly taken place in the 1700s.