'Heathers' TV Show Pulled After Santa Fe Shooting: 'This Was a Very Difficult Decision'

Maria Pasquini
Updated

Months after the new Heathers TV show’s premiere date was pushed back following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the series will no longer have a home at Paramount Network.

Explaining the reasoning behind the decision, Paramount Network president of development and production Keith Cox told The Hollywood Reporter, “We were going to air in March and hit pause and then had Santa Fe,” referencing the mass shooting in Texas last month, during which 10 people died and 13 more were injured when a 17-year-old student opened fire at the Santa Fe High School.

“This was a very difficult decision. We had multiple meetings, and in the end, we didn’t feel comfortable right now airing the series and I’m not sure when there might be a time that we as a youthful brand at Viacom would feel comfortable,” he told the outlet. “This is a bold move and we stand behind it.”

The Heathers
The Heathers

The new Heathers series was based on the cult-classic 1998 film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, but featured an entirely new cast of characters.

The updated series was going to feature a body-positive Heather Chandler with short, dyed hair, chokers and gold rings. Additionally, one of the Heathers is gender non-binary.

“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,” Cox explained to THR. “It’s hitting on so many hot topics. 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 THR noted that this iteration of Heathers will not air on a Viacom-owned channel or platform, the show is reportedly being shopped elsewhere.