(CNN) "Heathers" is hardly the first 30-year-old movie to receive a modern reboot, but it's hard to think of a more misguided re-conception, one that has updated the premise -- in a clumsy attempt to be provocative -- in wholly muddled and off-putting ways.

The off-screen story of "Heathers," at this point, is far more interesting than the show, which the Paramount Network will essentially burn off, airing back-to-back episodes over successive nights.

Originally scheduled for last March, the cable network delayed the premiere in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. Paramount subsequently announced that it would seek another buyer , clearly came up empty, and finally opted to play it, albeit without much fanfare.

As with the original "Heathers," which starred Winona Ryder, the show features Veronica (Grace Victoria Cox), a high school student who has her misgivings about fitting in with the popular kids, not being 100 percent on board with their judgmental cruelty. And again, she becomes involving with a mysterious boy, JD (James Scully), who has a dark and violent streak.

"I hate all my friends. That doesn't mean I want them all dead," Veronica tells him.

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