TCA Winter 2017: Heathers Given a Series Order at TV Land
Debi Moore
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We learned last fall that TV Land was working on a pilot for “Heathers,” an anthology version of the popular 1988 black comedy film, and now the network has announced during its presentation to the Television Critics Association that a 10-episode series has been officially ordered.
It’s not pure horror, but since we know a lot of our readers are fans of the film’s dark side, we thought we’d share the news. THR provided the below artwork along with a few more details…
The pilot was filmed as a single-camera comedy, but the final cut came in considerably darker and ran more than 40 minutes; as a result, TV Land decided to turn it into the network’s first hour-long original series. The 10-episode count was at the request of writer Jason Micallef in lieu of the 13 half-hour episodes originally planned.
Set to debut in the fall, the show is described as a “pitch black” comedic anthology featuring a new group of “Heathers” — no matter the setting. Much like with Spike TV’s upcoming “The Mist” series, comparisons are being made here to FX’s “Fargo” in that the source material is more of a jumping off point so don’t expect to see a classic remake/reboot.
Set in the present day, Season 1 features a new set of popular-yet-evil Heathers — only this time the outcasts have become high school royalty. Heather McNamara will be portrayed by Jasmine Mathews; Heather Duke (real name Heath), a male who identifies as gender-queer, will be played by Brendan Scannell; and Heather Chandler, who has a body like “Martha Dumptruck,” will be played by Melanie Field. Newcomers James Scully and Grace Victoria Cox star as J.D. and Veronica, respectively. Original Heathers star Shannen Doherty guest stars in the pilot, which was directed by Leslye Headland and written by Micallef.
“Our take on Heathers is a cinematic, surprising, and twisted comedy that gives a wonderful nod to the film while also creating something entirely its own,” Cox (“Under the Dome”), who is stepping into the role originally played by Winona Ryder, said. “We’re really passionate about this show and the satirical storytelling its provocative characters allow.”
“Heathers” is produced by Lakeshore Entertainment’s Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi.
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