'Insatiable' stars Alyssa Milano and Debby Ryan hope viewers give series a chance despite backlash

Alyssa Milano and Debby Ryan are responding to harsh reactions about the release of the trailer to their new Netflix show, "Insatiable," after viewers accused the series of body-shaming.

"I think the most important thing for us to do is to acknowledge it and say that the trailer actually hurt people and we understand that," Milano said today on 'Good Morning America.'

"But to also look at the show as a satirical look at what could happen if you are fat-shamed, if you are bullied -- and I really think that it's about appearances and what happens within our interactions with appearances."

"Insatiable," which is set to drop on August 10, stars Debby Ryan as "Fatty Patty," an overweight and bullied teen who, after having her jaw wired shut, undergoes a dramatic physical transformation and becomes instantly popular. However, rather than celebrate her newfound place in her school's social hierarchy, Patty is determined to exact revenge on those students who tortured her before she lost weight.

There appears to be a growing demanding that "Insatiable" be canceled before it's even aired with its trailer. A Change.org petition circulating has more than 200,000 signatures.

Actress Debby Ryan plays the main character Patty, who early on is ridiculed and bullied for being overweight. Ryan recently put a statement on Instagram saying she hopes fans will wait and watch "Insatiable" before passing judgment.

"I think once people watch the show and go on the journey with all of the characters, I really think there's going to be an entire spectrum of things," Ryan said on "GMA."

Milano plays the part of a beauty pageant coach who takes Debby Ryan's character under her wing. The star has said that she won't apologize for the show and that it's a conversation that should be had.

Milano explained that "the show I think is going to be a conversation instigator, it already has been and hasn't even aired and to me, these issues that we're dealing with are discussed rather than swept under the carpet I think it's really important because we really want to eradicate that shame."

Milano said that it was incredibly special shooting "Insatiable" and that the tweet which helped to ignite the #MeToo movement was shared while she was filming.

"The week that the Harvey Weinstein news broke, we were all working and sadly commiserating with our stories within the industry and how we've all been affected by whether it be sexual harassment or abuse," Milano said. "And just being around these strong women and hearing their stories and feeling so empathetic for all women, I decided to tweet the #MeToo tweet and simply just to shine a light on how prevalent this issue is and continues to be.

"By the way," she added, "it's certainly not over. We still have a lot of work to do."

As for "Insatiable's" controversial trailer, Milano said that's just "one minute and 28 seconds" of a 12-hour show.

"You could feel in the subject matter when you watch the show, the vulnerability that we were able to enact due to the fact that we all felt so comfortable with each other," she said. "And it was a very special experience and I think that's why the backlash hurt us so much."

"It killed me because it was such a magical experience and we want that magic to translate to people's living rooms."

ABC News' Lesley Messer contributed to this report.