It was news that many feared was coming, news that came on the back of weeks and weeks of a push on social media to prevent this. Last week, MTV officially cancelled Sweet/Vicious, and creator Jennifer Kaityn Robinson broke the news to fans on Twitter with a heartbreaking message.
It is with a heavy heart that I write this note to the AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL #SweetVicious Fans. We all love you so much. pic.twitter.com/wrx7OZ6GGc
— Jenn Kaytin Robinson (@JennKaytin) April 28, 2017
While no one is particularly surprised by its cancellation (going strictly by numbers, Sweet/Vicious was never a best performer, but MTV can take part of the blame for that for their lack of promotion of the show), everyone is extremely disappointed and they had been holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, MTV would give the show a second chance, one where it was fully supported the way that it should have been in the first place. After all, not only had Sweet/Vicious garnered a loyal fanbase, but it was drawing in rave reviews from critics.
Unlike other shows on MTV, ones where CGI and myth combine to create spectacular tales, Sweet/Vicious was spinning a spectacular tale of its own, a tale that wasn’t only taking place within the universe of the show, but also in the real world. Focusing on the all too real epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses, the show was giving a voice to survivors and making their stories heard. It was unveiling something that is so little spoken about and so often swept under the rug, and it wasn’t attempting to romanticize anything – the story being told was brutally honest. In its own way, Sweet/Vicious was quickly becoming a superhero of its own, and it’s one of the many reasons that fans were pushing so hard for its renewal.
In the minutes and hours following the news, fans once again took to Twitter to voice their disappointment in MTV, a network that they thought had been pushing for positive change.
sweet vicious was one of the best, most understanding, most empowering, most validating explorations of sexual assault i’ve seen. god im mad
— sam (@korrasam) April 28, 2017
I’m heartbroken over the cancellation of #SweetVicious. This show was oh so very important and the cast and writing were impeccable ?
— M. (@thatmarsgirl) April 28, 2017
The fact that mtv cancelled a show as incredibly important and amazingly creative as Sweet/Vicious makes me so frustrated and angry
— Elisheva Breau (@wazz_up_Breau) April 28, 2017
Sexual assault is an issue and #SweetVicious addressed it and showed ppl who have been through it that They are NOT alone! They CAN overcome
— ? Remember ? (@baseball_bat24) April 28, 2017
We try to refrain from talking about other shows/networks, but #sweetvicious is pretty great, and deserves to continue its story. https://t.co/i5cjsdliua
— iZombie Writers Room (@iZombieWriters) April 28, 2017
But hope is not completely lost, and fans are just as feisty and determined as the show’s heroines, Jules and Ophelia. The hashtag #NetflixBuySweetVicious has been created in the hopes of attracting the attention of the streaming network and getting the critically acclaimed show picked up somewhere else so that story being told can continue. After all, it’s a story that shouldn’t so easily be silenced.
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