‘Heathers,’ postponed after Parkland, will finally air

Memorably negative reviews of Paramount Network’s “Heathers” reboot first rolled out in late February, a couple of weeks ahead of the TV show’s scheduled premiere. The Hollywood Reporter claimed that while the show attempts the black humor Daniel Waters brought to the original script, the result is “the stuff of a hastily composed tweet, not rapier-like wit.” The Daily Beast called it an “LGBT-bashing nightmare.”

After a seven-month delay, viewers will finally get a chance to evaluate the dark comedy for themselves. Paramount Network announced last week that it will marathon what it has deemed “TV’s most controversial series” from Oct. 25-29, airing two hours each night. The 10 episodes have been condensed into nine, according to the Hollywood Reporter, as a scene involving a video-game shooting rampage and an entire story line in which the school gets blown up were both edited out.

“I am beyond excited that American audiences will finally get to see ‘Heathers,’ ” showrunner Jason Micallef told the trade publication. “Obviously, I wish fans could see the 10th episode, but the producers and I felt strongly about not changing anything in it, and so, it’s been considered too controversial for U.S. audiences. Still, every day at this job is a delightful dream, so it’s hard to complain. Plus, what matters most is fans will now get to see the satire we all love so much.”

The reported cuts make sense, given what delayed the series in the first place. Paramount Network decided in February to postpone the “Heathers” premiere in wake of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14: “While we stand firmly behind the show, in light of the recent tragic events in Florida and out of respect for the victims, their families and loved ones, we feel the right thing to do is delay the premiere until later this year,” the network wrote in a statement.

In May, several outlets reported that “Heathers” would premiere July 10. But a month later, the Hollywood Reporter broke the news that the network had scrapped the show. It didn’t fit with what Paramount Network, the rebranded Spike TV, stood for, according to Keith Cox, the network’s president of development and production.

“This is a high school show, we’re blowing up the school, there are guns in the school, it’s a satire and there are moments of teachers having guns. It’s hitting on so many hot topics,” Cox said. “This company can’t be speaking out of both sides of its mouth, saying the youth movement is important for us and we’ve done all these wonderful things to support that, and at the same time, we’re putting on a show that we’re not comfortable with.”

After Netflix and Freeform passed on it, the edited “Heathers” landed back at Paramount Network, which has experienced a rocky first year. Two of the series it inherited from fellow Viacom property TV Land — “American Woman” and “Nobodies” — were canceled. The already popular TV Land series “Younger” will soon make the same jump, though, so there is hope yet.