When most of us think of mermaids, the character that comes to mind is probably a red-headed fish girl who likes to sing songs about being part of our world on the surface. Now, the Disney/ABC Television Group network Freeform has a series in the works about mermaids. Nobody really knows mermaids quite like Disney, but the new show will feature a much darker kind than we might expect. The Deep will follow the story of a group of mermaids that rises up to battle humans that are infringing on their territory.
The Deep will be a thriller that combines complex plots with some serious scares to keep viewers on the edge and maybe just a little bit nervous about going into the ocean. When a mysterious girl arrives in the coastal town of Bristol Cove, the mermaids of local myth prove to be very real. These mermaids are predatory creatures that do not take kindly to humans straying into their surf. They rise up against the people in a battle of man vs. sea. Each episode of the drama will run for one hour.
On the whole, The Deep doesn't sound like a show for the whole family. Something tells me that any songs sung by these sea creatures will be more like the deadly songs of the mythical sirens or battle cries or victory sea shanties about all the people that drowned in a given day. These mermaids sound like carnivores that deserve their own week on Discovery.
Freeform has actually been moving away from some of its roots as a network for all ages ever since the name change from ABC Family in January 2016. Teens and young adults are the target audience nowadays, and the channel has found great success with the Pretty Little Liars series that is certainly not meant for middle-schoolers. The Deep actually sounds like it could appeal to the Pretty Little Liars crowd; with that show ending after Season 7, a show about angry mermaids may be just the thing to keep those viewers around on Freeform.
A mermaid story that is distinctly darker than 1989's Little Mermaid isn't unique to Freeform at the moment; a live action remake of the classic animated film will be dark, mature, and have more in common with the original (and pretty grim) Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale that definitely didn't have a happy ending. The mermaids of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides weren't exactly whimsical friendly sea creatures, either.
The Deep is set to begin production in September in Vancouver, so it'll still be a while before we get to see Freeform's angry mermaids on the small screen. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to watch to pass the time until The Deep makes it to the airwaves.
