Save Sweet/Vicious

By: Brittany Dailey

We’re living in an age of television where ratings aren’t everything. It used to be that networks have sole control over the future of a show and ratings dictated what would happen. We are living in the digital media age and that means the rules have changed. The audience has a say in what can happen to their favorite show. And as we just saw recently, NBC ‘uncancelled’ “Timeless” after fans took to social media to let them know that they wanted their show back.

Enter “Sweet/Vicious,” a story centered around a college sorority student, Jules, who becomes a vigilante after being raped by her best friend’s boyfriend. Her path crosses with Ophelia (Taylor Dearden), a weed-smoking, sarcastic hacker with a good heart that teams up with Jules (Eliza Bennett) to deliver an unorthodox brand of justice to rapists on their campus. The show couldn’t have come at a much more needed time. Premiering in the wake of the election of the current president, who’s infamous motto is “grab them by their p***y.” The show received great reviews throughout its run and found it’s fanbase through social media – reaching viewers, not only by shedding a light on rape culture, but ultimately helping sexual assault survivors know that they were not alone and that they matter. Yet that wasn’t enough of a resume for MTV to push that renew button. That doesn’t mean the final curtain has closed on this much-needed show.

Creator Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and stars Eliza Bennett, Taylor Dearden and Aisha Dee along with executive producer Stacey Sher and writer and producer Amanda Lasher were welcomed to ATX earlier this month for a “family reunion” to discuss the short-lived show. The panel was moderated by Maureen Ryan from Variety. To say that the panel was emotional would be an understatement. Eliza Bennett, who plays Jules, broke down when she revealed the impact of preparing for her role and talking to survivors. She elaborated that she found out that half of her friends had been raped and had never told anyone. She went on to say, “It’s everywhere and we have no idea. That’s why I’m so sad this show has been canceled.” Executive producer, Stacey Sher, shared that MTV killed them slowly and not so kindly, but said that if they could find a studio to partner with then they would move forward. They found four studios. But MTV did not move forward as they had said. Sher went on to say that while the network was very proud of the show, changes in regime made things challenging, but they are hopeful that the network will make it easy for them. Robinson put the cancellation in a more direct way: “The disconnect between the business and the heart sucks.” She went on to talk about how cancellations happen and for reasons that have nothing to do with the show. But Robinson wanted to make sure that no one, especially survivors. felt that this cancellation invalidated them in any way. “Your stories matter so much and’ Sweet/Vicious’ or not, I’m not going to stop telling those stories and I’m not going to stop fighting to tell those stories and neither is any woman on this stage.”

There’s something empowering about a panel and a stage that is set with all women and an audience made up of women. Sher brought up how she has been in the industry for thirty years and going to work where every decision being made by a woman was nothing she had ever experienced before. While it was an all-female production team that worked so meticulously to bring this show to life, that does not to say that men aren’t important to this narrative. Robinson set the record straight by ensuring that the show was not “man-bashing” and the message was not that men are evil, but more so exploring ‘Why are men like this? Why do they just think that they can take what they want?’ At its core, Robinson was able to take something so violent and, in its wake, show the detrimental and irrevocable emotional trauma that Jules is faced with yet allow her come out the other side where she is able to not only able to regain her own power and work to take back her own life while helping other survivors to take back their lives, as well.  Just because you’re broken, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t brave. You can be both. And you can do both.

Where does this leave the future of “Sweet/Vicious?” And what is your part? With Amazon and iTunes being the only platforms that have Season One available and they aren’t free, that makes drumming up people’s attention to this show a bit tricky. But Robinson and company have vowed to not stop fighting to find a new home for their show. I can honestly say, I believe that. I believe that every single person involved with this show will continue to fight to tell these stories. Robinson has discussed that if given more seasons she would want to explore sexual assault story lines that involved LGBTQ victims, as well as different ethnicities.

With various studios that are on board to back them, all they need now is a home network. Ratings aren’t everything and the tides have shifted to reflect that the audience can and does have a say in the future of a show. So, stay vocal. Tweet at the networks. Use the hashtag #SaveSweetVicious. Spam the Netflix page requesting they add “Sweet/Vicious.” If nothing else, this show needs to be seen. Even if it is only 10 episodes.

In no way have I given up hope that this show will find a second home and be able to reach more people than it already has. I believe in Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. And I stand behind her and everyone that has been involved in the making of this show. This show matters. Survivors matter. These stories desperately need to be told. The landscape in the future of television shows has changed and it is changing. Your voice does matter.

Suit up vigilantes. The fight isn’t over.