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What a horrible timing for ABC Family’s drama pilot Socio. The pilot had been gaining momentum and just started making if-come deals to writers — a promising sign that a series order may follow. But in light of today’s tragic killings in a Connecticut elementary school, will the project make it to the air?
Socio is already darker than the typical ABC Family fare. Referred to as “Dexter in high school”, it centers on a charismatic 16-year-old alleged sociopath who returns to his hometown after serving time for murdering his aunt to re-join his childhood friends, now in high school. He becomes the prime suspect when a fellow student is murdered. Socio is one of two ABC Family drama pilots that have been delivered, along with family comedy-drama The Fosters. (The third of the network’s current batch, Terminales, is wrapping post-production). I hear ABC Family brass have been high on Socio, thus the permission to start making offers to writers as the net nears greenlight decisions. But will a U.S. TV network (Disney-owned no less) proceed with a series order to a project about school violence and a young killer in the immediate aftermath of today’s massacre? (The real-life killer in Newtown, Conn., who murdered 27 people, including 20 children, was 20).
If Socio goes to series, it will join A&E’s upcoming Psycho prequel Bates Motel, about the teen years of series killer-to-be Norman Bates, which, also in unfortunate timing, released its first trailer this morning.
TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.
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The answer is: no go!
And good, it’s time to end series with murders and teen sociopaths in the lead and turn our backs creatively on those who create them. Do you not see the damage were doing to our children in this country??
No! Please, I don’t want a world where every tv program and movie has a happy ending, no sex, no violence, no tension and breaks the fourth wall to explicitly state its morals. That kind of society would be ridiculously censored, American tv is already some of the most censored in the world. No more!
I think you never saw Russian TV…it’s not only a big piece of shit, but also our channels even scare of words like sex.
Happy endings are one thing, but putting “dexter at a high school” on Disney Family is just REALLY poor taste. I don’t care how good the script is. USA or A&E or AMC, fine. Those channels aren’t geared toward children.
And no, I don’t believe in censorship. But I believe in common sense and corporate responsibility. Inherent in the name is the idea that the network is safe for children to watch without being overexposed to adult things. That show is NOT it. Children are being desensitized to violence earlier and earlier. And that’s NOT a good thing. To air something like that on a family channel is almost like endorsing it and that is deplorable.
Amen.
I second that amen.
You make a fair point but I still disagree with the first commenter.
‘black chick’ brings up an interesting point. When it is bankers, CEOs, medical centers, or the town Walmart, the objections are always based on ‘corporate responsibilty’ and what you owe to your community and to the public. Does the entertainment media complex really owe us another ‘hero’ who happens to be a teen murderer/sociopath? Do they really have that little empathy, taste, sense and compassion – all values that they demand of the rest of the corporate world and the public at large.
If every show has a happy ending i don’t see in anyway that would be a good thing you would be saying nothing ever bad happens.
Agreed. What an offensive article. Horrible timing for ABC’s pilot? Are you serious? Wow, so little consideration for those poor families who lost their children. Is’nt this supposed to be ABC family? I think this title is so misleading and misrepresents most of what is actually shown on this channel. I could not be more disappointed.
Nellie,it’s interesting how you mentioned this being a case of bad timing. I tend to agree with you. However, I think there are two distinct issues at play here-both important in their own ways. First of all-based on the mass shootings which occured today-should a program of this nature even be discussed today?(in light of the heartache happening in Connecticut). Second of all-what the hell’s going on with abc”family” channel? Lately,their programming choices are becoming less & less family oriented. What “family” are they supposedly programming for? A family of serial killers perhaps?
The ONLY reason “Family” stays in ABC Family is because Pat Robertson dictated that the word remain in any channel branding when he sold it to Fox/Saban (that carried over to when Disney acquired it).
If Disney were to successfully rename the network, all existing cable carriage deals would be null and void, and the station would cease to exist.
So!? Then there would be new cable carriage deals to be made. Trust me, any network that makes hand over fist money like D.F. would always have a home on cable.
They could drop the “family” name if they wanted to. They just don’t want to. It’s a lucrative niche market.
Agreed. Feels completely heartless. Also agree with the less than family oriented programming on this channel. I am to the point that I cannot even allow my children to watch an appropriate movie (Toy Story for example) because the commercials are so inappropriate.
I hope ABC Fam stays away from this one.
The words “Dexter in high school” should not be put together in a sentence to begin with.
Completely agree. What a terrible concept for a show. I don’t watch shows that glorify murder and murderers, but I accept some people like that and want to watch it, so I would never protest the right to show programming for adults in that vein. But anything on this topic for children or young adults, who are still developing their sense of morality and right and wrong, is harmful and shameful.
Boom.
Nailed it.
They never should have considered this at all. I know because of the Columbine high school shootings that’s why they thought “this is worth doing it’s an important subject that needs to be dramatized and examined.” Wrong. This show would only spawn more copycat killers.
It’s ridiculous to blame the media for creating monsters like the Columbine killers or the respective Aurora or Newton killers.
They’d just find some other inspiration. They are crazy after all.
TV doesn’t help… and should not remain blameless nor wash its hands of its influence on viewers. Isn’t that why every show has a token gay in it, to “change minds and hearts?” So what do you suppose other programming does, especially the increasingly graphic and demonic “Criminal MInds” type shows? You are not innocent.
Most shows don’t purport to teach anyone a lesson; only to entertain. TV shouldn’t be raising our kids.
That’s the same cop out that’s been used forever. TV doesn’t raise kids, parents do, but if you think TV does not influence kids, you are in denial.
The media fetishizes killing and violence through its movies television shows and video games. While the perpetrators of these heinous crimes likely are crazy, the barrage of pro-violence media accessible to young sick minds, cannot not have a validating effect on their own impulses and perhaps even in their desire for fame/attention as a byproduct of their actions. If the left media is going to point the blame for these horrible crimes on the availability of guns (to which there must be some validity), then they must also accept culpability for the damage their product inevitably contributes to these incidents.
It kills me when people say “left media.” Because the media is all owned by like 4 or 5 multi-conglamorate entities all tied into the very 1%ish conservative ga-jillionaires.
With that being said, however, I do agree with you. Both are to blame and both need changes.
You can blame just about anything for a crazy person snapping.
TV never was and still can’t be blamed for what some wackos do.
You couldn’t be more wrong, and any study or manual on adolescent psychology will tell you so. As adolescents, children are far more susceptible to peer and media influence than adults are. In fact, those are the primary influences on adolescent behavior in the teen years, more so than family or other adult authority figures.
Then their PARENTS should do a better job raising their kids instead of letting the TV do it for them.
I really hope ABC Family is smart enough NOT to pick up this series. It isn’t always about money or ratings. This Country just had a huge loss of innocent lives today and we don’t need to see it every week on TV. I know the show won’t be completely like the CT shootings but why even put something on the air that is similar. If ABC Family has 2 other great pilots in the works, then please do all of us a favor and pick up those pilots first and give us time to mourn.
I was really excited for this series. And as sad and tragic and horrible today has been. I don’t think it’s anything to not put this show forward. While the show deals with a young killer. It doesn’t have anything to do with a school shooting. Are we gonna cancel every network tv show that deals with murder? What about all the crime dramas on television and law and order?
So while I think today’s massacre is horrific and terribly and my heart goes out to all the families and victims living and dead. I don’t think that should affect this show’s prospects.
Why is our storyteller imagination so focused on tragedy, death, greed, darkness? It’s easier, way easier, massively easier than making something positive that isn’t corny. There is plenty of talent nowadays to make something amazing for the greater good. Not every story needs a bag of cash, a dope addict and a gun.
Sounds like a stupid show to begin with.
Even though I agree that ABC FAMILY is not family friendly, I really want this to go to series because it sounds soo great & because I love Maddie Hasson & anything she’s in
And here A&E just yesterday started releasing their promos for Bates Motel and their resident little high-school sociopath. Guess it’s too late for them to back out, but will be curious to see how they proceed.
In two days, America will forget about this tragedy and will go back to watching their favorite serial killer Dexter, this show is still going, don’t even worry about it!
You are an idiot. I flew to CT last night to unspeakable grief. I have friends still waiting for the bodies of their five-year old babies, who were brutally murdered execution style in kindergarten. This tragedy is not going away and ABC Family/Disney is too responsible to put Socio on the air. Ann Sweeney is a mother first. And, yes, I’ve read the script.
I’d like to second what ‘Insider’ said – ‘Walter’ you are an idiot.
Walter is right on the money. An outpouring of hypocritical “grief,” bitter-clingers trot out the old “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” line, gun control gets ignored, and by Tuesday, America goes back to “Dexter” and “Criminal Minds” until the 24-hour news cycle gives us the next outrage.
If they decide the show is tasteless after the massacre, that would be understandable. But the comments claiming that this would cause copycat killings and insulting the morality of someone who would create something like this are just silly.
This wont harm the chances. This sounds like one of ABC Familys best pilots in years.
Disney should be ashamed to call this channel “ABC Family.” A company that basically lines its pockets via children should be held to a higher standard. Disgusting…and not just regarding this one show.
I like the sound of this but its too dark for ABC Family. Better at Showtime Or HBO.
No matter how depraved, if there’s money in it for leftist democRats, it’ll run in primetime.
What a fool you are. The racism and hatred inherent in the “Barry Hussein” moniker you used says it all. Educate yourself. The CEOs of the conglomerates that actually own these companies aren’t even in the political party you claim, not that politics has anything to do with this. This is about not glorifying violence in programs aimed at children.
Clearly nobody commenting here has read the script. This is NOT Dexter in high school. He’s not going around killing his classmates. The premise of the show is he might not actually be a sociopath.
Actually it was the network/studio that started using that descriptor. I’m sure at the time they thought that would bring in more adults and fans of Dexter and sound tantalizing. Epic fail on their part, not on the part of commenters here.
Thanks for pointing this out.
Kate and her bunch @ ABCF have really and truly lost their path, if they ever had one. Paul Lee made great strides w/the channel and Kate is giving it all back and then some. Dexter in High School? How clueless do you have to be to consider that acceptable programming on any net, and especially one with the ABCF demo. It’s sickeningly irresponsible and very bad business as well. That whole place needs a big broom.
You may not like ABC Family’s shows, but you can’t knock Kate’s record after almost a decade of astonishing growth. She’s nurtured PRETTY LITTLE LIARS into a buzzed-about show with great ratings, and SWITCHED AT BIRTH set records when it debuted last year. Even when the bets don’t pay off big, the shows can prove surprisingly good (e.g., the delightfully weird BUNHEADS). A decade ago, ABC Family was a little-watched, little-discussed channel better known for its outlandish purchase price when Disney acquired it. Now it’s a top cable channel expanding its brand beyond the American market. Kate continues to be a huge part of that story, and I’m sure Paul Lee would agree.
Kris–
You get loyalty points for defending Kate, but the fact is that Paul Lee turned ABCF around, as is universally acknowledged, not Kate. Since he left and handed her the wheel, she’s driven the thing in and out of the ditch with some very erratic development and programming moves–this appalling “Dexter in High School” business being just the latest example. It’s classic Peter Principle stuff–she’s a solid if unspectacular #2 who was promoted above her abilities to #1. As for “Bunheads,” you call it “delightfully weird.” I thought it was a sad attempt by Amy Sherman Palladino to recycle the one thing she’s ever done on TV that worked, “Gilmore Girls,” and in a way so astonishingly tepid and derivative that it felt like she was dictating the scripts into a cell phone on her morning jog. And, again, that’s Kate–putting her friendship w/Amy above sound programming moves. I watch ABCF, I have friends there, I wish it well. But it’s not going to have the success it deserves with Kate running things.
With all due respect, and I do not disagree with your points – Kate is not running the show. Paul Lee was replaced with Michael Riley. Not a brain surgeon by any account, but it is his show. Kate runs the creative, just as she did with Paul. Paul did a lot of nodding, but it was and is Kate’s tastes driving the channel, for better or worse.
Okay, I take your point. But it’s precisely the creative that’s the problem at the moment, w/dreck like “Bunheads,” and all the other misfires, and now this “Dexter in High School” abomination….and that’s all Kate. She’s a perfectly pleasant woman, but in her current job she’s in way over her head. And I do think that Paul Lee did way more than “nod,” as you put it, in his time at ABCF (though that may well be the story that Kate’s acolytes want to spread). Paul was the vital filter, running with Kate’s good stuff, killing the turkeys, and generally bringing taste and intelligence to the place. That’s why ABC network grabbed him–that, and the great respect he enjoyed in the creative community. Kate, not so much.
Regarding BUNHEADS, maybe “delightfully weird” was a little strong. I was just really surprised by how much I liked it. I missed the boat on the GILMORE GIRLS, so Sherman-Palladino’s style is fresh to me.
And for the record, I have no current affiliation with ABC Family, direct or indirect. I have no skin in this game beyond liking her and observing what she has done there as part of a team, from Paul Lee/Michael Riley on down.
If I’m not mistaken six months will pass till the show premiere so if it’s good why not pick it up? I’d like to see it. If I read it somewhere correctly it’s actually not about serial killer but a teen who’s accused of being one and might be innocent after all. Don’t blame TV and movies for every evil in the world. Some people are just bad and that’s it. Oh, and those conservative loonies who are saying what has happened to ABC Family are the same people who say “The Fosters” (show that hasn’t even aired yet) is not family-friendly because it’s about perverts. Yeah, they’re calling loving lesbian couple who’s raising kids together perverts. So I wouldn’t care about what they say.
This is so stupid. It must be nice to have TV shows, movies and video games to blame for these terrible tradigies, i wonder what people blamed before they even existed.
I hope the decision has less to do with the massacre than whether it is a good series. If it is good and the network believes in it, then they should give it the go ahead. However, “Dexter in highschool” sounds like a stupid tag line.
Bad timing for the show? How ’bout bad timing for the world? Do we REALLY want or need this show?
But when all young people see on tv and movies is violence,sex,drugs,ect they begin to think its cool or ok or they want to be like the character they see cause violence sex is glamorized.Im sad and worried for our country that young people think Nancy Botwin on Weeds,(a pot dealer),Tony Sporano(a mob boss),Dexter(a serial killer who kills other killers so hes just as bad as the guys hes stopping),The male gigalo on Hung, or Oliver Queen on Arrow(he kills the bad guys) are consierded heros and cool and root for them.Young People often copy the scenes or charcters they see and I personally believe some of these real life reccent mass murders do ideas on ways to kill people from movies and tv.If theyre already angry,depressed or mentally ill,then seeing stuff like this pushes them over the edge.Also, abcfamily has mostly teenagers watching,so its even worse than the shows I mentioned being on adult channels,aimed at adults.Yes parents are supposed to teach thier kids right and wrong,but many dont or use tv/video games(violent ones) as babysitters.Studies and Surveys have shown more exsposure to violence ect makes the person more violent.PLL is a little dark but Soccio and the other similar killer pilot they have are way more,way dsrk,depressing,disturbing,twisted and I hope neither makes it to air.Abcfamily is suppossed to be a family channel.I like and watch PLL but wont watch either of the new killer shows if they make it to air.
I am not one to make any correlation between violence on television (and in video games) and the psychologically unbalanced, schizophrenic or demented people who carry out these abominable killings. That said, I think popular culture’s fixation on violence (and the fact that teelvision has become progresively more violent, and relaxed – almost carefree – in its depiction of violence over the last 15 years) is its own kind of problem, hugely distressing, and one that needs to be curbed and corrected. I am sick of the gleeful pornography of violence on our screens, and he fact that our children are being desensitized to it. I am sick of all the serial killers wandering in and out of TV shows, and the way that TV quietly glorifies and even romanticizes them. Nothing good will ever come of this. Serial killers are not sexy and mysterious. They are just sick. Simple as that. And I’m sick of how violent the very language of television has become (when exactly did the word ‘bitch’ become ubiquitous on television?).
By the way, I am not a conservative. I am abotu as liberal as can be. But if we take a closer look at our popular culture in the days ahead, at least some small good can emerge from yesterday’s tragedy.
Completely agree, thanks for putting it so well.