TV

Tyler Posey Returns to MTV with ‘Scream’

Teen Wolf’s Derek Hale finds a new pack in another MTV scripted series.
By  · Published on September 25th, 2017

Teen Wolf‘s Scott McCall finds a new pack in another MTV scripted series.

Right as MTV sends off one of its hottest properties from the last few years — Teen Wolf — an alum stays behind. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Tyler Posey will be joining the third season of Scream. The newly anthologized series takes place away from its original setting, picking up in Atlanta with a brand new cast and crew.

Scream‘s first two seasons featured a group of teenagers based in Lakewood, hunted by an anonymous serial killer. Its meta approach and investment in its characters grounded its stereotypical teen show premise and the blatantly over-the-top horror tropes. It was also praised for its humor and pop culture references between stabbings and slashings. Late last year, MTV announced it was renewing the program for a shortened six-episode season after its second season brought in meager ratings. However, in a further shake-up to the series’ ever-turbulent production process, a later report confirmed a whole new reboot for Season 3, anthologizing the series in the style of American Horror/Crime Story.

Thus far, much of MTV’s scripted programming has broached 80s horror territory, not only tapping into the market but having an incisive grip on it. Drawing a good six season out of Teen Wolf, it makes sense to create a similar longevity for Scream despite a less enthusiastic response to the latter series. The anthology format lets them wipe the slate clean, but it remains frustrating for fans of the show left with certain cliffhangers that weren’t even tied up by the 2-hour Halloween special. There’s an opportunity to still address these issues in a new season, but with an all-new cast of characters, it might end up muddying the narrative. As it stands, the protagonist for Season 3 is a local celebrity with big plans for himself that are threatened by a resurfacing of his tragic past. It’s far different from the sleepy shenanigans of Lakewood.

The new season of Scream will be led by RJ Cyler (Power Rangers) and will also feature the likes to Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Giorgia Whigham (13 Reasons Why), Giullian Yao Gioiello (Julie’s Greenroom), and more. There are more familiar faces in this line-up than in the show’s first main cast, and this would hopefully draw new viewers in for what seems like a completely vibe in its setting.

As for Posey, he seems to be playing a character Teen Wolf fans would be familiar with — it just wouldn’t be his own. The description provided by THR sounds rather Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin) esque instead: “Shane, a high school dropout. The character is described as a drug dealer and party promoter who is always hustling in order to make money. But beneath that exterior, there’s more to Shane than anyone realizes.” The broody loner type is a huge turnaround for a more involved Scott McCall, who Posey played throughout all six seasons of Teen Wolf.

While this plays to a type that MTV is known for, at least Posey will have a bit of a challenge in tackling the role. Anyway, archetypes can be very entertaining when done right. It’s something that both Teen Wolf and Scream not only share; they embrace. The banding together of unlikely friends to fight against the forces of evil is obviously a universal story that’s milked for all its worth, but networks come back to it all the same. More than anything, it seems as though MTV is covering all its bases, bringing in fan favorites and shoring up for a killer (bad pun intended) return of one of its few scripted series.

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Sheryl Oh often finds herself fascinated (and let's be real, a little obsessed) with actors and their onscreen accomplishments, developing Film School Rejects' Filmographies column as a passion project. She's not very good at Twitter but find her at @sherhorowitz anyway. (She/Her)