NBC is reviving Kathryn Merteuil — the evil heroine of Cruel Intentions. Now, TV Land wants to bring the equally sadistic Heather Chandler back from the dead. Long live your favorite nasty teens.
TV Land announced Wednesday that it's working on a reboot of Heathers, transforming the beloved 1989 comedy with an acid heart into an anthology series. The network has ordered a pilot script for the show, which will take place in the present day.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news, the first installment would feature a twist on the original plot so the Heathers are not the cool girls, but actually the type of people the Heathers from the movie would torment. As THR explains: "Heather McNamara (originally played by Lisanne Falk) is a Black lesbian; Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty) is a male who identifies as gender-queer whose real name is Heath; and Heather Chandler (Kim Walker) has a body like Martha Dumptruck." That's a provocative concept, but a risky one that could be highly offensive if executed poorly.
If it sounds like something Ryan Murphy might cook up, well, he sort of already has. When promoting Scream Queens — also an anthology series — Murphy described the show as "Halloween meets Heathers." He wasn't wrong. Scream Queens even features a girl gang called The Chanels.
Unfortunately, in 2016, a Heathers TV series could wind up seeming less like an homage to the movie and more like an attempt to jump on Murphy's bandwagon. Not to mention that a Heathers TV show has already been attempted multiple times to no avail, as THR notes.
So, color us wary. That is, unless the creators follow the example of the Cruel Intentions TV reboot, and bring back the lead actress to revive her role. Wino forever.
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