... NO. ... NO. MTV. DEFINITELY NOT. MTV IS WILD, BUT IT JUICES, AND DUMBS DOWN THE .... OUT OF EVERYTHING. I'VE ONLY SEEN 2 EPISODES OF SKINS SO FAR, AND I'M MORE THAN IMPRESSED. NO WAY MTV WILL GET PASSED STANDARDS AND PRACTICES TO MAKE SKINS LIKE THE ORIGINAL. MTV JUST NEEDS SOMETHING TO SAVE THEIR ASSES. THEIR ... DESPARATE. MTV'S SISTER NETWORK, VH1, JUST GOT ITS' FACE BASHED IN WITH THE MEGAN WANTS A MILLIONAIRE DRAMA. SHOWTIME, MTV'S SISTER NETWORK, ALSO OWNED BY VIACOM WILL BE MORE THAN A PERFECT FIT FOR THE AMERICAN VERSION OF SKINS. IT'S NOT TOO LATE. CONTRACTS CAN BE RENEGOTIATED. OTHERWISE, IS THIS WHAT MTV WANTS TO DO WITH THE MONEY IT SAVES FROM SELLING TIMES SQUARE STUDIO? IT WON'T WORK. GIVE UP, MTV. SKINS IS NOT DEGRASSI. SKINS IS NOT THE HILLS, OR LAGUNA BEACH. IF NOT SHOWTIME, HBO'S ANOTHER OPTION. OR EVEN BBC AMERICA, WHERE ORIGINAL SKINS AIRS NOW.

Hello Daniel, I had to edit for language a bit. I think your point is still quite powerfuily made. But what standards and practices are you referring to? This is a cable channel, which means it does not have any FCC concerns. This isn't old-time network TV where the censors have to police FCC standards. I believe American TV always waters down and messes up the best Brit shows from Cold Feet to, yes, The Office. The darkness gets excised. But it will be fascinating to see what is done with the graphic nudity and such. Thanks. Z

I agree, a US Skins version will most likely fail. What I loved about Skins in the BBC format is that it showed a real grit, no glamor, no fake laughtrack, real gays, real drama without "drama'. I think it will be interesting to watch, but would have preferred they said the show is from the same production team as Skins as opposed to a US version of Skins.

I'll give it a chance and if it doesn't work, I will break into a house, steal all of the fixtures, do drugs, hook up with strangers, and then later on maybe go be a boring muslim.

One fact: It is the same production company that will be making it - except the producers will be using U.S. teens. Thanks. Z

With so many lackluster shows mtv produces like House of Jazmin and the failing Real World, do we really want to put this show in their hands. It could make the brand deplete. I don't trust MTV with this show.
I do like the show, but with MTV?

I agree with the previous poster, not as strong though, lol. I will be giving MTV the side-eye til it airs.

The "side-eye" -- good expression, Goldie. Thanks. Z

This American version can either go incredibly well, or HORRIBLY wrong. As an American teen, I was turned onto the show by it's realistic portrayals of teenage life (something we don't really have here in the US)

I want MTV to take the time to make this show great. It could really be a breakthrough in American television if it's done right. Which is why I've chosen to have an optimistic view of the entire ordeal.

Another plus is Mr. Eisley will be involved in the show directly. He wouldn't let them change his baby too much, would he?

I think the key is the extent to which the UK producer is involved. I just cannot get my head around the US version of The Office, but I loved UK version by Ricky Gervais. Sometimes, a creator of a series will take an executive producer title when the series is bought in another country, and just take the tiotle and money and do nothing. I have the feeling Gervais is not very involved with NBC'sversion of office. Let's hope Eisley is involved. I'd vote for optimism if he's involved. Z

All you have to see about MTV/Viacom's influence on other shows is how their teen network The N (soon to be TeenNick) placed heavy influence on "Degrassi TNG", a program produced by Canada's CTV network, which in it's early years was about the most realistic teen drama in North America.

However when it airs on The N (and then subsequently in extremely dumbed-down reruns in American broadcast syndication to make it "educational"), many of the more realistic plotlines were either edited out or censored by MTV and The N. It took them three years to air an episode about a school shooting for instance. Finally after awhile it seemed like CTV gave up and gave in to The N and made the show in their image just so the producers didn't have to create a chopped up show for "delicate" American teenagers and their own vision which would only be seen north of the 49th.

This is what's going to happen to "Skins" if MTV gets it. They're going to start with this awesome vision, but by the time it gets to MTV it's just going to turn into a show designed to tick off the Parent's Television Council just enough, but with everything that made the English original stripped out and replaced with the same well-worn American soap cliches "The OC", "One Tree Hill", and the original "90210" already trotted out years ago. Plus MTV's record with (fictional) drama series is already incredibly awful, filled with awful one-season non-wonders which were barely promoted and barely produced at all ("Kaya" and "Live Through This"? "Spyder Games"? I had to Wiki those to remember them).

I don't see this working out well at all. It's sad that MTVN/MTV/Nick/Viacom pretty much have a market on the young audience and that there is no one else that could take this series. There has to be an AMC, FX or TNT that would enjoy taking this risk and airing an American version of "Skins" with very few notes rather than a network which will likely treat it awfully

I'm scared as hell... i love skins... i just hope they make a 4th generation thing... cuz i would hate to see an American Effy or an American Tony... noooo, hope they're just new storyline... but...
Does anyone remember As If? The American version was a big failure...
Hope it doesn't ends as some Degrassi Next and American Generation.

Nat.
Potential Screenwriter.
From Chile and very scared for this.

I am actually really exciting about this new reboot of Skins. The one thing that you can always count on MTV for is there beautifully architectural designed shots. Even for reality shows like The Hills, the ariel shots are all well produced and edited. I think it is awesome that they are using the same creator to kick-off this remake. I am also pleased with the American teen focus groups. Is there any casting information yet?

It's something set in Baltimore that doesn't involve guns, drugs or cakes. I think we should all be happy. Hopefully they decide to film here.

Hi Tyler, Yes, it would be great if it films here. I think there might be some drugs, but you are probably right, I don't think any of the kids will be opening a bakery. (Ha.) PS Your larger point about Baltimore's TV image is taken. Maybe Anthony Bourdain can come back to the city and eat where the kids from "Skins" would eat. Z

Hi Nate!

I appreciate your well supported 'historically'-grounded argument re/ the adaption of Brit and Canadian teen-based dramatic T.V. fare for the U.S. market, and your air of skepticism that imbues your insightful commentary.

You beat me to the punch in bringing up the whole "Degrassi High" scenario, which immediately came to mind in first reading Z.'s "Skins" article. (Kind of a no-brainer, eh?)

I've seen several of the raw, very real, unexpurgated early episodes that aired in Canada (usually while visiting back home in Toronto over Xmas) that tackled straight-on, the emotional, difficult, teen social issues of the day, and then later the dumbed-down (well, politically-corrected) versions that aired originally on PBS in the U.S. I 'Wiki-ed' the show, and basically they covered the whole "the N" channel vs FCC hassles, and how the essence of the original "Degrassi High"s raison d' etre was pretty much eviscerated in the later spin-off episodes due to heavy censorship of 'delicate issues' (read teen abortion).

I respectfully disagree w/ our eminent blogmeister, Z., on "The Office" U.S. adaptation from Ricky Gervais's British original. I was a huge fan for the first few seasons of the American version, where I believe Gervais still had quite a bit of input into the writing of the episodes, however when Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left Dunder Mifflin to branch out on his own, taking sweet Pam w/ him, I thought the show started to literally lose it's edge, and maybe a lot of loyal viewers, like moi. As Z. speculated in one of his blog responses, Gervais, whose star is definitely rising rapidly in the U.S.(and rightly so), may have pulled back in his writing contributions to this last season's shows, and they have sorely suffered in his absence. I can't even bear to watch it anymore. Sad.

(I admit that I've never seen any of the Ricky Gervais "The Office" Brit episodes, so I can't really make a judgment as to which side of 'the Pond', the U.S., or the U.K. has the best, most quality show.)

When I look back at one of the classic T.V. dramatic series of all time "Twin Peaks", I recall how I was so disappointed in the sudden introduction of the extraterrestial (ET) element into the story-line. After we pretty much knew who killed Laura Palmer, it seemed like the show kind of lost its, at least plausible, narrative thread, and went off to cuckoo-ville. Granted it was a bizzare show, by-and-large, from the outset, but the denouement of the series , for me went right off the deep-end.

It's cool that Baltimore has been picked as the backdrop for the U.S. version of "Skins". My hometown of Toronto was the setting for "Degrassi High", and the earlier "Kids of Degrassi Street", plus "Degrassi Junior High". Didn't seem to send TO into rack-and ruin, and I believe it can only be a big plus to have the Americanized "Skins" play in Baltimore.

Could even be a whole new spike in the sale of potato skins in Baltimore. So much so that foodie-critic/ writer/ chef Tony Bourdain might do a reprise of his earlier visit, but just stick to strictly the 'meat and potato' stuff. What do you think, Z.?

Nate, thanks again for your input.

ALEX

HI ALEX: Don't get me started on Bourdain. You are a troublemaker (kidding). Z

Whatever brings money and jobs to Baltimore, I'm cool with, even if the show sounds stupid.

WHY???
i mean skins is already freaking amazing, but re-making it in america is just going to ruin its complete reputation. It's pretty much like ripping the original off, in terms that its apart of the british, its theirs. even people that don't live in britain or america, solely enjoy it because of its british background (accents, slang, landscape) and i don't think that americans will do it any justice. You can't have an american effy or tony because they wouldn't have the same complexities and interesting personality like the originals. There are many MTV shows that lack drive and substance already...why bring skins down as well?!

(Can you please use this comment instead of the first one submitted? For some reason some of it got deleted when I pressed post. Thank you!)

I think it'd be an ambitious attempt to try and recreate Skins in the US, being from the US myself. I wish, however, that they'd do so on the IFC channel, perhaps, since, from what I've seen, most satellite companies at least have that channel even if the subscribers don't have any movie channels. It'd be a nice start on there at least, I think. And those doing the marketing can make mention of it on the normal local channels everywhere to try and build up an audience before it starts.

I hope they don't plan to call it 'skins' though. Since the word usage doesn't even really apply to the US (as far as I know), but I've not seen any info talking about the title yet.

Hoping that they also end up using a cast that's a little older than 16-18, however. I think the maturity level may be beneficial if they're older, and parents/audience members won't complain too much about 'portraying such young teenagers doing such horrible things'. In all actuality, the fact that middle schoolers are doing alot of the things they do on Skins anyway (that would be considered 'bad') is bad enough. But parents seem to worry more about what's on tv than what their own kids do sometimes, so I imagine the censors might try to make it moralistic.

All of that said, I think they'd do well with the older cast, even if they kept with the tradition of changing every two years (I guess that'd make sense if they used the older cast to play high schoolers? Since it seems, from the looks of it, that 'college' in the UK is just the equivalent of 11th and 12th grade in the US). Depending on how they do it, alot of talent could emerge from those 'unknown' stars, and I look forward to seeing the result. I think regardless of how many people dislike the idea of them making it, they're going to do it anyway. I just...REALLY REALLY wish MTV wasn't doing it -_- I have a feeling it won't end up living up to its true potential because of that. But...we'll see, eh?

But instead of 'remaking' Skins in the US, why can't they just work with each other to do an extension of it? A spinoff-type situation for where they go back and revisit the old cast, and open up the option for the visitation of Cassie and Sid in the US, since...well, they ARE in NY, lol.

I don't understand the need for an entirely new remake right now when the 'working together' idea could open up many opportunities. Especially if you were to go into a spinoff of those they meet in NY and THEN use that as a basis for an American version of Skins in a way. To me, that'd be far easier and far more easily accepted by the current fans.

I think that'd be readily accepted by new fans as well, since many Americans like accents, and might like watching a hybrid show that has both American and British actors. Just a thought.

Problem is, of course, still trying to find the correct channel to put it on so that the edgy, provocative nature of Skins will still be allowed

But I'm all for it! And I'm excited and optimistic. For all of my analytical thinking regarding this, I accept it with an open mind.

Maybe they'll allow people all over the US to audition (I hope!) because, if they stick to just Baltimore, they're going to have quite an angry group of teenagers on their hands.

NOOO. Aw I know anything I say won't matter but I really wish you wouldn't have made Skins into an American show. Especially on MTV!? MTV is the worst channel ever, it's full of fake conformist audiences and they're mindless and easily influenced. America has NOTHING on England, and you need to keep the show's significance, not try and make more publicity off it. I was proud of Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, but the fact that they are stooping down to this level, to make the show a ... American show, which sucks.. well wow. I'm sorry for being so opinionated, but Skins should stick to its British roots.

will this SKINS version in the U.S. be diverse? i dont think so! America dumbs down every british show...america already has gossip girl

...NO. I THINK MTV WOULD BE BETTER OF DOING ANOTHER SEASON OF ROAD RULES OF SOME CRAP LIKE THAT. THIS IS GOING TO FAIL AND MTV IS GOING TO LOSE SO MUCH MONEY. I REALLY DON'T THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA THAT AMERICA TAKES SOMETHING COMPLETELY BRILLIANT FROM BRITAIN AND TURN INTO SOMETHING THAT JUST WON'T BE THE SAME. IT'S LIKE A KNOCKOFF...IT'S NOT THE SAME.

The only good American version of a British show is The Office

If MTV gets there dirty, low quality hands on this, it'll be like Gossip Girl + OC + Laguna Beach in Baltimore.

They already broadcast the original show on BBC America on Thursdays, anyway.

Plus, should this abomination ever air, it will be completely watered down and censored beyond belief to fit comfortably under a PG-13 rating. The characters, especially Maxxie, Sid, and Michelle, will probably end up becoming two dimensional versions of themselves: Gay Kid, Virgin Kid who is the sidekick of his uber cool Best Friend, and Pretty Girl with Mean Boyfriend & on and off relationship. The things that made Skins special will be whited-out.

MTV should just stick to their guns and crank out reality shows or something along those lines.