MTV has come down on Sweet/Vicious harder than Jules and Ophelia meeting a pussy grabber in a back alleyway. But we refuse to believe the story needs to end here.
Creator and executive producer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson seems to agree with us as well, telling EW that, “Whatever happens with Sweet/Vicious, we are actively going to try and find another home for it.”
So consider this our pitch to several different networks. AKA: Why we think Sweet/Vicious would work on your channel and be an asset to your brand.
MTV stresses that their decision to cancel Sweet/Vicious was based purely on the fact that the show couldn’t find its audience. Apparently the numbers weren’t sustainable and MTV wasn’t able to justify ordering another season.
Fair enough, I suppose. At the end of the day, television is a business and it has to be run as such. But here’s my proposed theory; Sweet/Vicious was never a good match for MTV anyway.
Although MTV claims it wants to make a real push for scripted drama, it seems like they continue to approach each project with so much apprehension that nothing gets a chance to really take off.
The frustrating part about this realization is that the content is there! It just needs to be nurtured in ways that I’m not sure MTV is capable (or willing) to do. Which is reason number one why I think Sweet/Vicious would do so much better on another network.
Netflix
Netflix is pretty much the top choice for where I’d like to see Sweet/Vicious wind up. And apparently I’m not the only one with the same idea. The internet has been conjuring up hashtags, actors Eliza Bennett and Taylor Dearden have low key endorsed this petition, and even Robinson has been sharing ways to contact Netflix about the show.
Not only is Netflix notoriously good about allowing showrunners creative control; standards and practices operate completely differently on the internet than they do on television. So all those F-Bombs Olivia has already been dropping? They wouldn’t have to be bleeped for sensitive ears. But more importantly than those superficial things, I suspect that existing on a streaming service is one of the essential ways Sweet/Vicious would find its audience.
I think MTV understands that their target audience doesn’t watch TV in the same way previous generations did. They get that streaming is taking over and that scheduled programming is just not a realistic viewing habit anymore. But actually incorporating those factors into their business model is where they seem to be struggling. Ultimately they have to cater to the almighty advertiser. Netflix obviously doesn’t have this problem because it’s their subscriber base that keeps them funded.
Do you know how many sorority girls, or even bored college guys, would find this show if it was just hanging out on Netflix waiting to be discovered? So many. I weep thinking about all the sorority sanctioned binge watching parties there would be if only Sweet/Vicious was more accessible to these girls. There’s no doubt in my mind that Sweet/Vicious would thrive at a place like Netflix. Simply because it would be accessible to an audience that MTV can barely reach these days.
The CW
The CW has become the de facto home of young superheroes and heroines. So to say that Sweet/Vicious would be a good fit here is a bit of an understatement. As we all know, season 1 of Sweet/Vicious was essentially Julia and Ophelia’s origin story. It’s where they found each other and discovered their vigilante calling.
I can’t think of another network more equipped to handle this specific kind of story. Besides, The CW already swooped in and rescued Supergirl and that seems to have worked out really well! Plus, The CW has done their best to embrace streaming as well. Which, as we covered earlier, will be a major factor in this show finding its audience.
The only slight concern I have is that Sweet/Vicious might be a bit grittier than The CW’s usual fair. But then I remember some of the recent plot lines on Supernatural, The 100, or even No Tomorrow and I remember that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows at that network. I have no trouble believing that there is room for a show like Sweet/Vicious on a network where girl (super) power has become second nature.
Though when you get to the heart of Sweet/Vicious it’s a show about so much more than dirty language or barf jokes. I have full faith in Robinson and her ability to make Sweet/Vicious work on The CW without losing the essence of the show or diminish the characters in any way.
Also, if an iZombie and Sweet/Vicious crossover episode doesn’t give you chills, really what are you doing with your life?
Freeform
Freeform has cornered its own market of the young adult viewing audience. Although this network has tended to focus on relationship dramas, they definitely don’t shy away from action adventure programs. Freeform has had a lot of success with Shadowhunters, they’ve recently picked up their first Marvel TV show, Cloak & Dagger and rumor has it they’re working to reboot the gritty superhero-ish show Misfits. So clearly they’re up for embracing action packed shows.
Another reason Freeform would be a good home for Sweet/Vicious is the fact that they don’t shy away from the controversial. The Fosters has done a spectacular job at breaking down barriers for same sex couples and multiethnic families alike. The love and respect that has gone into producing that show gives me so much hope for what Freeform could give to Sweet/Vicious.
And although Recovery Road didn’t last more than a season on the network, it does showcase that Freeform is interested in telling hard and important stories. Why let the fans of Sweet/Vicious wither and die if you can bring them into your network instead?
Somebody, anybody!
Listen, I’m not saying we’re desperate or anything but there are literally thousands of ways to view TV these days and you’re telling me Sweet/Vicious can’t find one interested buyer? That seems really hard to believe.
The overhead for a show like this can’t be that high can it? This isn’t a super flashy science fiction show that needs tons of CGI in every episode. This is a show about two college girls who live in the real world. They just happen to kick and punch a little more than ‘regular girls’ do.
Even Viceland is trying out scripted television these days! (Oh shit, do you think Viceland would want Sweet/Vicious by any chance? That would be a sick network to be on!)
Basically, I don’t know if there will ever be a better time for a show like Sweet/Vicious to be on the air. So if it can’t succeeded in this climate, under these conditions, what are we telling the other female superheroes out there?
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