Skins is a UK award winning television series running from 2007 and currently due its next series – five – this week. 37 episodes of controversial plot lines explore issues such as dysfunctional families, mental illness (including eating disorders), sexual orientation identity, substance abuse and death. Almost all of the children’s mothers have left home.
Its main attribute is that it introduces mostly new actors and young writers. The cast has been replaced twice as the teenagers leave school and a new form comes up a year.
The writing is quite brilliant. It’s quick, witty and real. It deserves awards. Now it’s been sold to the US, for better or for worse?
I watched episode one of the first series, the UK version and then the same episode from the US and compared them, constructively. This won’t work long term because the story lines will change considerably after just one episode, but for the first one they were supposed to be pretty much along the same script, just changed from UK English to US English. After all, they might think they speak the same language, but sometime after the American independence the US realized they wanted their own version of the Queen’s English.
Most have learned both sides of the pond that ‘trunk’ is ‘boot’; ‘bonnet’ is ‘lid’, ‘petrol’ is ‘gas’, the ‘u gets lost in color and ‘s’ gets replaced by ‘z’ in long characterized words.
Some changes are for changes sake only. In the UK edition Maxxie is a guy who is probably gay, but is also part of the straight group. In the US he’s been replaced by Tea, a lesbian cheerleader. This would work out okay if it weren’t for the other changes.
The US translation takes all the grit and stuffing out of the UK version. It’s like the soft porn version of a hardcore movie. It lacks, well, wood. It just doesn’t stand up so well. UK teenagers will recognise the characters but US teenagers will be thinking that the series lacks real strength of character. It’s been given too much moral backbone.
In the UK the full frontal nudity from both sexes is replaced by mild shots of people’s (previously) private parts well hidden.
The UK version uses real language. The US version has almost all swearing (cursing) removed. It’s not how some teenagers talk.
Many of the UK actors look like real people with poor skin (they are teenagers!) and slightly crooked teeth. In the US all actors are changed to picture perfect models. The UK actors are far better, but time will tell. Tea looks quality, but the others lack skills.
The story changes significantly; the US adaptation is so much weaker. In both scripts the story is both amusing and very dark. People get very high and very low, often within minutes. The character Mad Twatter gets changed to Mad Dong; so weak. Both manage to mix race, colour (color!) and faiths well, but the Far East may feel left out.
Unfortunately it’s the US viewers who will miss out. The answer will be found in buying the UK story on DVD and sharing it with your friends. Okay, some of the terms used may be a little hard to understand and that UK accent is a little difficult at times, but wade through it and you’ll watch a masterpiece, not an average television drama.
I hear that some US critics are slamming the US series for nudity, language and story lines. Get real; this is real life for many teenagers. I had to laugh to myself when I read a report of one leading US actress condemning the new series and admitting to not having watched it. Underage sex is reported as so bad in the US news surrounding the series. It’s a regular event to a large percentage of people so learn to live with it. Saying you’ve got to be eighteen first doesn’t shake the tree. Remember, in the UK the law is set at 16 so there’s nothing onscreen that would, if it were real (and it’s acting, man) break any laws. After all, many have tasted sex and drugs by 15, so what’s the deal? I’m not saying it’s good for society, but it’s no use adopting the ostrich ‘head in sand’ option.
There’s a film being made in the UK featuring all three sets of the cast: confusing or what? Going by the series differences, it’s just as well the movie isn’t being shot in the US.
The US version has been sanitised, or should I say sanitized? I’d like to know what UK teachers think of the series.
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January 26th, 2011 at 11:09 am
Having watched episode 2 of the US series, I will add that Tea makes a great addition to the character list. She’d fit right in with the UK cast.
PS I forgot; the UK edition has much fewer adverts (3) so is much more watchable! Less time with the remote skipping the US (9) adds. The 2nd US edition was by far much better than episode 1, but adding the cliché of trying to ‘straight’ the lesbian is so out of place.