“Sweet/Vicious” might not have the runaway ratings that a big network show does, but it’s certainly gained attention during its first season. It’s been more than a month since the season finale, and there’s been no word from MTV on whether they plan to renew the series, which sees two university students acting out vigilante justice for their classmates. In fact, MTV announced the cancellation of their newest comedy series without announcing any news on the drama. If MTV is a smart network, they’ll give the show a second season.
Here’s why:
‘Sweet/Vicious’ is smart
MTV’s record with dramas is hit or miss. It does have season two of “The Shannara Chronicles” and season three of “Scream” on the way, but “Teen Wolf” is coming to an end, and there isn’t a lot of scripted programming in the pipeline. Instead, the network plans to focus on bringing more reality shows back to viewers. While reality TV is fun for MTV’s target audience of teens and twenty-somethings, it doesn’t always give them a story to watch unfold or material to engage in. “Sweet/Vicious” does just that.
It also plays to the strengths of the tech and pop culture savvy audience that millennials are. It doesn’t shoehorn in the use of apps that other shows might, and it doesn’t over explain things for those watching at home.
Instead, the “Sweet/Vicious” team trusts its audience to read between the lines and catch the dozen references thrown out every episode. Whether it’s nods to “Gilmore Girls,” Broadway musicals, or rock and roll, the writers know that they don’t just have to reference superheroes and teen television for their audience to get the joke.
Jenn Kaytin Robinson has big plans
Showrunner Jenn Kaytin Robinson has participated in many a question and answer session about what she hopes to do in the second season. While season one placed the focus solely on Jules (Eliza Bennet) and her story of survival, season two would expand beyond her tale of assault.
Fans have clamored to see diversity amongst the stories the show tackles - same sex couples, male survivors and female attackers, student-teacher relationships, racial implications on campus - and Robinson has assured both fans on social media chats and the press during interviews that there are tons of storylines she’d like to tackle.
She also wants to get into more family history as she initially wrote a sister for Harris (Brandon Mychal Smith) and conceived Ophelia (Taylor Dearden) as bisexual. The possibilities for rich storytelling are endless.
Donald Trump is in the White House
The sitting President of the United States might not seem like it has anything to do with a show about vigilantes on a university campus, but in this case, it does. Prior to being elected president, Donald Trump was the subject of a rape investigation and was recorded bragging about grabbing women without their consent. His election alone was a trigger for many survivors of sexual assault to slip back into depression.
Television networks don’t have to make a political statement, of course.
But providing a source of entertainment for those who feel pushed aside and deligitmized can only help the network gain favor with its audience.
The fans are speaking
The audience might not be in the multimillions, but the small following that “Sweet/Vicious” has is a strong one. Fans have been regularly speaking out on social media accounts about the importance of the show, even targeting MTV’s official accounts at the advice of those involved in the series.
The show regularly trended on twitter during its final episodes of season one and the hashtag RenewSweetVicious has been making the rounds as fans ask MTV via social media to make a decision regarding the series. One of the trends amongst major networks has been not to formally announce cancellations of shows, but to leave them in limbo until the traditional television season is done and new series are announced.
Fans don’t want to wait months to find out that their beloved series is canceled.
