Skins: UK vs. US

There are so many reasons why the British series Skins is so innovative and entertaining. It is a show that breaks barriers and explores taboo subjects such as sex, drugs, and mental illness in adolescents. It is a teen drama that focuses on different “generations” of students that are all struggling with the hardships of life. Upon the shows success in the United Kingdom, and seeing the large U.S. audience that it had attracted, it was soon adapted into an American series. Unfortunately it was ineffective and failed before the end of its first season. For some reason, it did not capture audiences like its U.K. predecessor.

I believe that the reason the show failed in the United States was because of the censorship and an aversion to nudity that we have in this country. If our television industry was more open and honest about sexuality and other taboo subjects, then the show might not have been such a failure. Another reason that it was not a success was because the American series tried so hard to be almost identical to the U.K. series. The first few scenes of the U.S. pilot were almost word for word and shot for shot to the original series. Due to this lack of originality and creativity, along with the censorship issues, the show was dumbed down and did not translate well, especially to those who had been long time fans of the British series.

            There were other aspects of the American series that I found interesting. Because of their need to be so similar to the original, it was strange to me when I found out some of the character changes I made. For one thing, I thought it was interesting that they changed the gay male character in the British version to a lesbian cheerleader in the U.S. series. I am not sure what their reasoning behind this was, but my theory was that this was a way to bring more sex appeal to the show and entrap a male audience. If this is the case, it is yet another reason why I dislike the American series.

            The United Kingdom version of Skins was groundbreaking. Although it definitely may have crossed the line to some in multiple instances, it was a show that teens could watch and not feel as though they were being babied. It treated its audience like adults, which I think is one of the main reasons that it developed such a following. Skins is a great show and one that I definitely recommend. I will say that like most of the shows I watch, it is an acquired taste, but if you are into something different, I would totally check this out.