Assignment 3-1 Weekly Written Analysis 3

Skins TV show is a North American adaptation of the British teen drama of the same name. The show premiered January 17, 2011 on MTV in the U.S. and on Movie Central and The Movie Network in Canada. The original show was created by father-and-son television writers Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain for Company Pictures, and premiered on UK digital channel on January 25, 2007. As with the UK series, the North American version features a cast of amateur actors and young writers.

The show has been criticized for its "racy" teenage depictions of casual sex and drug use, especially in regard to underage actors. However In the USA, viewers and commentators are very quickly realizing that although there are some sensational aspects to the show, Skins is actually a very serious attempt to get to the roots of young people’s lives in today’s America. It deals with relationships between teens , parents, death, illness, mental health issues, It also shows how easy parents are pushing their kids to doctors so they can be over medicated, the show also show the audience the consequences of drug use and sexual activity. It is just that these are characterized from the point of view of the many young people who write the show and has a very straightforward approach to their experiences; it tries to tell the truth. Sometimes that truth can be a little painful to adults and parents.

That is why when viewers such as parents and other teens have taken the time to watch the show in a little more depth, they are less concerned about the behavior of the characters but more what is going on the lives of their own children. Teenagers can be loyal, supportive, dedicated, focused, and capable of making informed value judgments about their lives. In the pilot episode of Skins, it’s possibly easy to overlook the story wherein a young boy sets off to a party to sell drugs and have sex, but in fact, does neither of these things, because, he senses that he has been manipulated by friends and does not feel ready to have sex with someone he does not know properly.

Finally Elsey says what I’ve been trying to. The series is about the core of teen lives, not the drugs or the sex. It’s about their problems. When I was 17 and watched Skins, for one hour I felt like someone actually understood teenagers without talking down to us. It had nothing to do with sex, booze, and drugs and everything to do with the message…something PTC and parents seem to have forgotten. He also explains that as he calls the show a “rather old fashioned television series,” and adamantly defends its content as “a very serious attempt to get to the roots of young people’s lives. It tries to tell the truth. Sometimes that truth can be a little painful to adults and parents.”

Reference:
Vary, A. B. (n.d.). 'Skins' creator on controversy: 'Skins is in fact rather old fashioned' | Inside TV | EW.com. Exclusive TV News and Scoop | Inside TV | EW.com. Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/24/skins-creator-statement/