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Skins (US)
Skins US Logo
General Information
Country of
origin:
United States
Number of
seasons:
1
Number of
episodes:
10
Broadcast Information
Original
Channel:
MTV
Premiere: January 17, 2011
Finale: March 21, 2011
Chronology
Related
shows:
Skins (UK)

Skins was an American teen drama that premiered on January 17, 2011 on MTV in the United States. It was a remake of the original UK show of the same name and follows the lives of a group of teenagers in Toronto, Canada, through their final two years of high school. As with the UK series, the American version features a cast of amateur actors and young writers.

The series generated controversy in the United States over its sexual content, in which several advertisers withdrew and there were some accusations of child pornography since most of its cast members were under the age of 18. On June 9, 2011, MTV announced that they would not renew Skins for a second season, with a statement that "Skins is a global television phenomenon that, unfortunately, did not connect with a U.S. audience as much as we had hoped. We admire the work that the series creator Bryan Elsley did in adapting the show for MTV, and appreciate the core audience that embraced it."

Cast and Characters[]

The characters featured in the American adaption are based on those from the first generation of Skins (UK). Despite this, the names of the characters were either completely changed or featured a different surname, with the exception of Michelle Richardson. In addition to this, the character of Maxxie was changed to a lesbian female named Tea in the American version.

Character Actor UK Counterpart
Abbud Siddiqui Ron Mustafa Anwar Kharral
Cadie Campbell Britne Oldford Cassie Ainsworth
Chris Collins Jesse Carere Chris Miles
Daisy Valero Camille Crescencia-Mills Jal Fazer
Eura Snyder Eleanor Zichy Effy Stonem
Michelle Richardson Rachel Thevenard Michelle Richardson
Stanley Lucerne Daniel Flaherty Sid Jenkins
Tea Marvelli Sofia Black D'elia Maxxie Oliver
Tony Snyder James Newman Tony Stonem

Episodes[]

Production[]

Development[]

Elsley said he was first approached on making a U.S. adaptation by MTV's Liz Gateley and Tony DiSanto. Elsley said that at the time he didn't feel that a U.S. version would work. Several network and cable channels also approached Elsley about a North American adaptation. Elsley said "at that end of that time it seemed clear that MTV had the clearest vision." He added "[the other networks] were missing a commitment to the core values of the show. Which is to say that MTV is clearly taking a risk with this show and they were prepared to take that risk."

In early 2009, Elsley began finding writers for the North American version. Elsley said "We started at the top of the Hollywood tree and worked our way down, and it wasn't until we got to the bottom that we actually found writers we liked. We started saying to agents, 'Who have you just taken on? Who's got a great play on somewhere?' And that turned up just incredible writers that have never done anything." After reading 400 scripts around the clock, a team of six was formed.

Casting[]

link=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USkins.png|alt=|right|thumb|Skins cast; From left to right: Chris, Tea, Abbud, Tony, Michelle, Daisy, Stanley, Cadie and Eura. Open casting calls were held in New York City. Six of the nine main cast members had never acted before. Elsley said "It's very important to us that the kids are not seasoned professionals" in keeping with UK version where most had no prior acting experience.

James Newman, who plays Tony Snyder, was urged to audition for Skins by his older brother. Newman missed the audition but attended a later audition where he won the role. Ron Mustafaa, who plays Abbud Siddiqui, went to the open call for the show because his mother was a big fan of Dev Patel (who plays Abbud's UK Skinsequivalent), Anwar, and wanted Mustafaa to "be the next Slumdog."

Filming[]

The show production began in mid 2010 in Toronto, changed from the initially planned location of Baltimore.

Reception[]

Critical response[]

Metacritic gives the series a weighted average score of 57% based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

James Poniewozik of Time magazine concluded that the show is tamer than the British original, but believes if the controversial subject matter leaves parents reaching for antacid, then the show is doing its job. Although the show is raunchy, Poniewozik judges Skins to have "more sweetness than snarky teen soaps like Gossip Girl". He questions if this American remake of a British show will be able to find its American voice, but commends the strong source material. He calls the show "unsettling, flawed but ambitious" and credits it with the secret that "it wears its heart on its skin".

Troy Patterson of Slate describes the show as a "sporadically excellent adaption" that is "superior teensploitation, enabling youth to rejoice in the fantasy of their corruption". He admonishes those who call the show child pornography, scolding them for "trivializing terrible crimes with flabby language" and judges it to be more an indication of the show's success that it angers some parents and sets itself on the far side of a generation gap.

Controversy[]

The show has garnered controversy from various conservative groups for its teenage depictions of casual sex and drug use, especially with regard to underage actors. In the wake of a mounting scandal over a possible child pornography attack investigation of MTV as a result of the show's content, Yum! Brands (Taco Bell), Mars, Incorporated (Wrigley), General Motors, Doctor's Associates (Subway), Foot Locker, H&R Block, Schick, Guthy-Renker (Proactiv), L'Oréal, Reckitt Benckiser (Clearasil) and Kraft all opted to pull their advertising from the program.

Additionally, the conservative television activist group the Parents Television Council filed a letter to the Department of Justice, asking them to bring a child pornography charge against the series, alleging a violation of 18 USC 1466A.

Due to the controversy in the U.S. and because the show is made in Canada, Bob Tarantino, an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer, reviewed section 163.1 of the Canadian Criminal Code and found that "it would be exceedingly unlikely that Skins would be found to constitute 'child pornography' for purposes of Canadian criminal law."

In 2011, MTV rated the series "TV-MA", meaning that it is unsuitable for viewers under the age of 17. Nielsen reported that 1.2 million of the premiere episode's 3 million viewers were under the age of 18. MTV told advertisers, "Now is the time to influence their choices." They also defended the show, stating that it addresses "real-world issues" teenagers are confronted with on a daily basis, and in a "frank" way. "We are confident that the episodes of Skins will not only comply with all applicable legal requirements, but also with our responsibilities to our viewers," they said.

External Links[]

References[]

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