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EXCLUSIVE: I hear MTV has picked up Skins to series. The cable network has ordered 10 episodes for a U.S. version of the raunchy U.K. teen series, which has been a passion project of MTV’s senior vp series development Liz Gateley. The series is being eyed for a January launch. MTV ordered a pilot for Skins in August after Gateley pursued the rights to the British format for almost two years. Bryan Elsley, co-creator of the original series, wrote the pilot. He is executive producing the project with Charlie Pattinson and George Faber. E1 is producing the series with Company Pictures and Stormdog, the companies behind the original series.
Skins, which like the original will be written largely by teenagers, is one of two high-profile scripted pilots MTV ordered, along with Teen Wolf. A series pickup for Teen Wolf is still pending, contingent on closing the deal with rights holder MGM.
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As a fan of the original 4 seasons in the U.K., there is no way that MTV will air the type of episode content here in the U.S.
So why bother with a watered-down version if you a fan of the original. Listen, this isn’t “The Office” we’re talking about here…
Even if they didn’t plan to water it down, I wonder why bring it over. It simply wasn’t a good show to start with.
how far do the teens go to make it so raunchy?
i completely agree i don’t think MTV would be able to come even close to Skins from the UK….I think they Would just be wasting money and time filming here in the states..why ruin a great show by watering it down
Why not Glee type shows?
Shelly, Glee is one kind of fantasy of teen life, Skins is another, very different view of teen life. All have a place on the schedule, though I also doubt MTV will come through with a version that matches E4′s outstanding show.
Skins isn’t fantasy? the kids are invited to all the cool parties, never pay for a drink, they are the most popular kids in the school. It’s like gossip girl with upper middle class British kids.
and the series two kids were horrible, except for Panda of course.
Are you serious? Skins dealt with some serious issues (sexuality, diviorce, suicide, disease, etc), and all of the kids seemed to have humble roots and wentt to some grotty parties. Also, they barely spent any time in school?! There was no mention at all of their popularity – save for the one suicidal lesbian girl.
I feel like one of the reasons that Skins is so popular worldwide is because its mixture of an ideal fun-filled life and raw gross reality. Anyone can relate
Glee is a shitty show. There’s no continuous plot. It’s just a bunch of songs mashed together as a show. Back to the original discussion, an American version of Skins would obviously be inferior to the British original. Come up with something original, MTV.
If teenagers will write the majority of this, does anyone know how they will be signed? I don’t know too many 17 year olds with representation…
Anyone have any idea where they’re going to find the kids to write the show? unknown teenage actors, sure, but teenage tv writers?
hey i know some pretty talented teenage writers.
lmfao ok bro
interesting Mtv is even going ahead with the show since they would have to water it down due to the censors from the original BK version . and also this way they avoid trying to import the original version which would wind up censored .wonder who mtv will find brave enough in the teen age range to write the show.
Teen Wolf? Really? I know it sounds like a cliche but have things gotten so bad that we’re now recycling friggin’ disposable 80s flicks in order to pander to the Twilight Generation? What’s next, “Mannequin”? Ironic that MTV is now waiting for rights to get squared away, because they had the balls to do an original show it wouldn’t be an issue. And it’s not like their ritalin-popping tween audience has “pre-awareness” of the Teen Wolf “brand”. You could call it whatever you want and you’d get the same blank stare if they look up long enough from their phones to make eye contact. C’mon guys, at least TRY to be original. Remember that word?
you thought Teen Wolf was disposable?
Farley is in the house! Smartest man in Hollywood. What successful company are you running since you are so hyper aware and divinely insightful? Do share what you are doing so we can judge you and your projects.
Of course they do. “We’re MTV how can we seem edgy… I got an idead lets copy some other show and pretend like we made it up. Done and done.”
Brilliant. I think this is just what MTV needs to get out of the ridiculous reality show turmoil. Teen scripted series work if they are did with a little more edge than normal; MTV should be the one to get it right… hopefully.
yeah so i’m from the US and i’m a fan of the UKs Skins, and i can tell you now it’s the worst idea. It’s going to suck very much. MTV can’t show half the stuff that the UK can and they are going to do the SAME thing has season 1 and it’s the stupidest idea i’ve ever herd of. It’ll fail. thank god.
This sounds like a big disappointment right from the start. Aside from the fact that the original UK series is AMAZING and has the BAFTA nominations to prove it, most of the key story they aired would NEVER be allowed on television in the US. Canada maybe but never in the US. Here’s just a few that I would LOVE to see the US series try and pull off and I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible:
- under age male lead character buys marjuana from a drug dealing pimp while in the company of a nearly naked hooker waiting to service a client.
- underage male lead performs oral sex on another underage male lead while underage girlfriend secretly watches.
- underage male lead hides drugs in his rectum on a class trip to Russia.
- the show depicts youths aged 16-18 in scenes of graphic nudity, sexuality, violence and drug use.
I have absolutley no idea how MTV and Liz Gately are going to pull this
off for American television.
“Skins” 1-2-3 was terrific; series 4 seemed aware of its notoriety and wallowed in teen angst, but was still aces better than that contrived “reality” crap that MTV puts out. Yet even BBC America had to censor it when they aired the originals, so it’s anybody’s guess what will happen when Viacom — ever eager to keep the Feds at bay after Janet Jackson’s flap — goes to work on it. For starters, they probably won’t even say what skins means. On the other hand, the experience killing his own darlings will provide Brian Elsley with fodder for a satire of US TV called “Arses.”
Liz Gateley is running point? Not DJ?
Me sees a little turf war a’brewing?
DJ is too hammered to notice!!!
This is like the British invasion all over again…We seem to get the best shows from them. I am dubious about the adaptation, but curious to see how it works out…Remember when Queer as Folk was imported? Not as good, but it did get an audience. I imagine this will work the same. I might even venture that the US version of The Office is better than the UK version was…
Hey I worked on the pilot and let me assure you it is very much like the uk series, fans will not be disappointed.
no shit sherlock! Its going to follow the plot of the UK Skins series!
Uhm..no. I mean, I love Skins and it would be really kickass for it to be shown on tv in America, but having it on MTV is gonna take away the raunchy factor, which is very key to the show. It would be weird if there was less cursing and if the scenes were cut shorter for commercial breaks. They wouldn’t be able to show half of this show because of the fact that its just so out there and straight forward about this generation. In my opinion, it would be highly irritating to see it on MTV. Watching it on Showtime or something would be better because they wouldn’t cut anything out.
I think that showtime should buy the contract from mtv as they are more concerned with everything but the music anyways. The concepts and the overall viewers watching the show would benefit more from the on demand first and the fact that showtime always has a show like weeds on its network which is pretty much a knock off of previous shows on the network but still with interesting and unique plots. Im confused about what the laws are in the U.S. about cinematography as in children’s movies have nudity and documentaries have profanity. In my opinion they should keep fun shows either in the U.K. or on showtime as everywhere else seems to murder good shows if they involve mature content.
Once again, MTV promotes and encourages the de-moralization of American Society. Why not do a series (fictional or reality) about people’s lives that are destroyed by infedelity or contracting an STD. That is the true “reality” that your shows overlook!!!
Alright, here it goes I think we should atleast give “American Skins” a try. Yeah the trailer might be really raunchy in a way. But, we haven’t seen the first episode. I will say that Skins is an amazing show! No matter what. It might not be all ironic but, it’s still deals with real issues.
I can’t wait! Loved the UK version, hope MTV can improve on it. The reverse party montage promo ad has got me really really hopeful (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_1N9VDWwhA). Also, I LOVE that it has that Sleigh Bells songs “Kids” – really fits that clip so well