Born In The UK: Another Day, Another Import

Skins is to be adapted for American television by MTV

This is horrifying for a number of reasons. First of all, Skins is all about drinking, drugs, and sex. Sex with real nudity! Okay, so it's also about friendship and growing up and all of that stuff, but for the most part, it's about teenagers doing and saying things that can't be shown on American television. Once all of that is removed, there is pretty much no show left. I'm not asking for non-stop nakedness, but it would be nice if the script could involve a realistic amount of swearing. Additionally, on American television, debauchery always leads to severe repercussions. While some Skins characters did have to suffer for their actions, i.e. Jal's unplanned pregnancy, it remains that the biggest partier of the bunch died of a hereditary defect rather than a drug overdose.

Another aspect that contributes significantly to the essence of Skins is its Britishness. Obviously, this is something that cannot be replicated, but it's something that permeates the attitude and the style of Skins. It's impossible to quantify, but it's undeniable. The approach to music and the emphasis on showcasing new artists lends a refreshing sense of realism to the show. While Gossip Girl is all about style, there are times where the costumes look a little too much like costumes and the people in charge are obviously trying a bit too hard to seem hip and fresh. Skins with a layer of American gloss is not Skins at all.

Also, the American television track record is not particularly good. It's probably going to turn out to be heteronormative with an all-white cast of 23-year-olds who obviously don't look like high schoolers. If we're lucky, we'll get a token racial minority, but I'm not going to bother keeping my fingers crossed.

British shows adapted for the US tend to not make it very far, with The Office being the only prominent success. It is possible that, similarly to The Office US, it could become a decent show on its own merit. Still, I'm not sure as to how promising this is.