Lifetime will be able to broadcast Romeo Killer: The Christopher Porco Story on Saturday as scheduled, a judge ruled today. NY Supreme Court Associate Justice Elizabeth Garry stayed all injunctive relief in a two-page order (read it here). The network had its emergency appeal granted after filling it Wednesday in the New York State Appellate Division, Third Department. The victory overturns the jailhouse injunction that
another NY Supreme Court Judge, Robert Muller, granted Porco on Tuesday to prevent the depiction of his case airing this weekend. Porco claimed the TV movie was a violation of his rights to his image and name. Porco is currently serving 46 years to life in prison for killing his father and trying to kill his mother. Lifetime now intends to show a documentary Beyond The Headlines: The Real Romeo Killer after the movie Saturday.
This week’s injunction not only pulled the plug on airing the film but also stopped Lifetime from promoting it, meaning the network would have had to pull its online ads and TV spots immediately — something Lifetime said was damaging to its reputation. “A preliminary injunction will have a devastating financial and reputational impact on Lifetime, with millions of dollars in investment, lost revenues, and untold harm to its brand,” Lifetime stated in its appeal Wednesday, adding, “Lifetime has spent over two million dollars acquiring the United States and International rights to the movie, and nearly one million dollars promoting the premiere of the movie on March 23, 2013,” the network noted. A hearing on the matter in which Porco has to show cause is scheduled for April 10.
Deadline's Dominic Patten - tip him here.


Well that was fast, how come — appeals take months not a day…
Lifetime doesn’t need this legal action to ruin their reputation they’ve done that themselves years ago by becoming known as the network of the “victim of the week” movies. They haven’t done themselves any favors by being a home for idiotic reality shows but they’re lazy and don’t want to put out that much money for actual scripted dramas. Plus when they did have decent shows on they cancelled them. Haven’t watched them for years and will continue to NOT watch them.
Any network that makes a movie that makes a movie about Casey Anthony doesn’t deserve viewers. It was painful to watch when it was actually happening and it certainly wouldn’t have been any less painful to watch it in a movie. The point they missed is that a little girl lost her life, but then what do they care, it’s all about money and viewers.
Silly axe murderer! Haven’t you ever heard of the first amendment?
The guy in the movie is waaaaaaay hotter than the real Porco, btw.
Sanity prevails! Praise the Lord.
I have to admit, i watch these Lifetime crime shows. Not sure why some are on their high horse that these films get made. Maybe when. HBO does Phil Specter it seems fancier somehow? Law and Order does the exact same “ripped from today’s headlines” stories Lifetime does, as does CSI. Lifetime just makes their movies as they played out in the courts with the actual names and Events. People are just fascinated with murder, whether it’s Cain killing Abel, Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood,” or a howling entertaining Rob Lowe in a fright wig and mustache in Drew Peterson. I. LOVE. THAT. MOVIE.
Lifetime is far from perfect, but who doesn’t like to watch these movies even as a guilty pleasure? There’s worse ways to spend a Sunday Afternoon, and often its like holy shit, is that Harvey Keitel in this one? Or the guy from Ed? Or Eric McCormack as some nut job conman in shifty looking glasses? All I can say is haters gonna hate, and keep ‘em coming, Lifetime!