Episode Six is similar to its British equivalent only in odd and comical manners.  The British counterpart sends the group of friends to Russia, portraying it as a desolate and empty land – one in which the characters are isolated from the outside world and thus can further the inter-character development and plot.  The American series’ correspondent to Russia?  Canada.  Ha.  Ha.  And, as if it would be impossible to have an episode about a Muslim taking an international trip without a cavity search joke, Skins obliges in the most subtle of fashions.

Yet the themes of the two episodes diverge in a major way.  In the British Skins, Anwar, Abbud’s counterpart, is concerned with two major dilemmas, the first being his religion’s condemnation of his best friend Maxxie (Tea’s counterpart) and his gay lifestyle, and the second being his desperation to lose his virginity.  Skins Americana, however, found it more appropriate to make Maxxie a female, thus adding sexual tension to the relationship to the two characters.  But this is not what concern’s me.

What concerns me is how Skins seems to mitigate, perhaps even cheapen, the depths of teenage depravity.  When asked where the weed is, Stanley reveals he has hidden it in his anus.  While the British episode has plenty of quips about anal storage, what Sid is hiding are “drugs;” the ambiguity is sinister.  Furthermore, Tony, Chris, Abbud, and Stanley go out looking for Shrooms, and it is patently obvious that none of them knows what they are doing.  Unsure which fungus to eat, Tony takes charge:  “Nibble, and if you feel a buzz, say something.”  When this fails, they take to licking a toad they find.  Disgusting, yes, but it provides an opportunity for my favorite line of the episode:  “Every man, once or twice in his life, has to ask himself a question.  How much do I want to get high?”  Despite this clever witticism, it is very apparent that no one there knows what they are doing.  This presents a sharp disparity from the UK series.

In the British series, drugs are commonplace.  They provide neither drama nor plot.  They are just there.  The purpose behind their presence is only to demonstrate the reality behind teenagers and drug use.  There is never confusion, there is never a character that doesn’t know how to roll a neat and professional spliff, and no one hides weed in their ass.  Why?  Because the show isn’t about seventh graders.  It’s about seventeen and eighteen-year-olds with a wealth of drug knowledge.  The American Skins fails to recognize this, and I, for one, am offended.  A bunch of kids crowded around a toad, licking it, hoping to get high, is schoolyard shenanigans.  A bunch of kids crowded around a toad, licking it, knowing they’ll get high is another matter entirely.

This continues to support my previous thoughts that American television is taking the reality out of Skins.  Though I’m surprised at its tenacity at holding its place on the air, I am still relatively pessimistic about its future in America.

Stanley’s first episode was remarkably similar to his British counterpart’s.  However, it is once again the disparities between the two series that proves worthy of note.  Much like the pilot, Tony’s first episode, the adaptation is almost identical, save some script-tweaking to fit the American characters.  The chapter also follows the theme of teen absolution.  The British character, Sid, spends the episode screwing up his life by following the poor examples his friends set.  Yet, while there is parental disappointment and fatherly bellowing aplenty, it is apparent that it is Sidney alone who makes poor decisions.  One scene adeptly explains this point:  Anwar and Maxxie come upon Sid looking into his next class, deciding whether or not to go.  Anwar, dressed like an angel, comes up to his shoulder and encourages him to go to class, Maxxie, dressed like a devil, sidles up to him, “f*ck class, let’s go to the courtyard and get stoned.”  Anwar rebuts this, further encouraging Sid to do the right thing.  Sid looks to Maxxie:  “F*ck it.”  Sid looks at Anwar, “f*ck it?” and Anwar looks back and shrugs, “f*ck it.”  Arm-to-arm they stroll out to get high, Sid neglecting his classes like so many times before.

Stanley’s episode, however, absolves its lead character from any wrongdoing, despite his sloth and poor morals.  Instead, the episode seems to take his father to task.  From the first scene, Mark Lucerne is made to look the fool, wearing biking apparel sewn to look like a playing card (perhaps the card designation of Queen may be another jab at the character).  His parenting philosophy is explained fairly succinctly shortly thereafter:  “I treat him like an idiot.  He tries to prove me wrong.”  While he says this, Stanley is sneaking out behind him with the prized hatchback.

When Stanley visits Cadie, a scene I found to censure Stanley somewhat (what kind of person goes to their friend in the hospital to complain about their life?), the inclusion of her mother supplements the episode’s theme of parental fault.  When asked how Cadie ended up in the asylum, she responds simply:  She received a call when Cadie was in the third grade, and from then on she was in “the system.”  The evident lack of decision-making or concern on the part of Cadie’s mother during her daughter’s tribulations is recognized when Stanley counters:  “My Dad got a call like that once.  He just yelled at me to stop being so weird.”  Cadie’s mother says, with regret in her voice, that he must be a good Dad.  She seems to regret that parents will let the system take responsibility for their child’s wellbeing.  This is especially relevant to the next trial (literally) that Stanley faces:  being arraigned for Grand Theft Auto.

Stanley’s father, when presented with his son’s transgressions of the previous night:  breaking curfew, car theft, destruction of property, etc., refuses to deal with his son further and instead opts to have him criminally charged.  During the arraignment, the Judge calls Stanley to the bench and, in short, publicly declares his father a bastard.  The case is dismissed, and Mark Lucerne’s countenance of disbelief supports the theme of teen absolution.  The show continually demonstrates that it is the parents’ decision to allow their children to become products of their environment that creates the teenage crises.  Teens themselves are pardoned.

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American television has been attempting to imitate popular British programming for decades, from a failed remake of Fawlty Towers in 1978 (renamed Chateau Snavely and starring Harvey Korman and Betty White) to the more recent success of The Office in 2005. Though the list of transatlantic programs is rife with failures that didn’t resonate with the American public, there has been a recent string of successes, mostly in the form of game shows (such as the classic Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Weakest Link) and a motley of reality series, including Supernanny, Top Gear, Undercover Boss, and American Idol. However, the translation from British to American culture was relatively smooth for most of these shows, considering the lack of artistic license in contest and reality television. Drama, and specifically teen drama, is another story entirely.

Skins, a wildly popular British drama on E4, has made the Mayflower journey like so many before it, yet many are skeptical of its appeal to American audiences. Its attraction to British viewers came from not simply the story, but the reality, and consequently the relatability, of the characters and their lifestyles. Because of the watershed on British television, “adult” content can be shown at any time between 9:00 P.M. and 5:30 A.M. This includes nudity, “foul” language, drug use, etc. Such a policy allows for a more realistic portrayal of teenage life, as expletives and drug use are frequent occurrences among the young.

However, the F.C.C. still bans “obscene” material during the American Watershed that occurs after 10:00 p.m. This includes all nudity and any swear words like “f**k” or “c*nt,” etc. that might find its way through the character’s lips. As a result, there is a systemic problem with American television that would discourage the American viewership from enjoying Skins.

In the pilot episode, a seasoned Skins fan will notice from the outset that the show will be a shot-for-shot remake of the original series. This is not necessarily a bad thing; the original show is popular for a reason. It opens with the series’ main character and group ringleader, Tony, going through his morning routine, among which is a timed observation from his window into a neighbor’s bedroom. In the original series, he witnesses an older, perhaps forty-five or fifty year old woman in the nude. The scene is voyeuristic in nature; the woman is going through her own morning routine. However, the American pilot features Tony looking from his window to find an early thirties “bombshell” blond waiting expectantly at her window with her *ahem* “sensitive areas” strategically covered by the window panes. The difference in the series reveals the systemic habit in American television of injecting sex into culture to counteract censorship. Instead of suggesting that the character is a voyeur, it suggests sexuality. Nudity is not necessarily sexual, but producers continue to equate the two in this series.

Furthermore, the scene is unrealistic, and thus, unrelatable. Many teens could confess to perpetrating voyeurism at some time in their youth (but probably wouldn’t), but few could claim having the relationship that the American series insinuates.

The second difficulty that the American series faces is language censorship. Although the American watershed allows most expletives, they still bleep particular language. Nothing provides a more realistic teen conversation than a well-placed f**k, but instead of listening to a well-performed dialogue, the viewer’s ear is assaulted with censor bleeps. There is no evenness or reality to the dialogue, but we do know that they said something naughty.

The final problem with the series itself is that, like The Office, it is a near word-for-word remake. Save the second episode, where Maxxie’s American counterpart is presented as a snarky lesbian, nearly 90 percent of the script remains unchanged. Although natural and even clever in the mouths of British youth, the writing sounds awkward and improbable coming from their American counterparts. The general storyline may resonate with American audiences, but the script deserves to be re-written to better fit its characters.

With only three episodes yet aired, it will be interesting to see if any further Americanization of the series changes the dynamic between the characters, or if there are any story or script changes that are distinctly original to this reincarnation. However, it might be too late. Despite all the advertisement and anticipation over its jump to the American television, few believe that Skins will maintain the viewership to finish out the season.

MTV’s new drama “Skins” premiered last night, based off of the controversial UK hit with the same title. Like the name states, the show is filled with the flesh of the hedonistic teenagers it follows. These trucker-mouthed teens are drugged up booze hounds, that are addicted to sex, with major emotional issues. Basically, they are the more depressed version of “Jersey Shore.”

The first episode revolves around Tony (James Newman) on a quest to make sure his friend Stanley (Daniel Flaherty) finally loses his virginity one night. The way to achieve that goal is to get a girl so drunk that she won’t even care it’s Stanley she is having sex with. I mean, how else would you lose your virginity? The night ends in fist fights, excessive pill popping and a car at the bottom of a river. Just a typical night in the lives of American teens, my friends.

The show is purposely trying to be every parent’s worst nightmare, and it succeeds. While all the drugs, alcohol and sex may shock those living under a culture rock, most realize that teens usually experiment with these factors and sometimes even indulge. What is shocking is the lack of remorse or fear of the consequences these teens have. Their lives center around the next time they get laid or score some weed, and school just happens to be a back drop.

This show is so desperately trying to be edgy and raw that it comes off like it’s trying too hard. It was as if the writers of the show decided to put all the taboo activities teenagers are not suppose to partake in and see what happens. What happens is you get a bunch of hormonal teenagers with exaggerated issues no one cares about.

What made the UK version a hit was not the shocking behavior but how relatable the characters were. This is what is severely lacking from the MTV one. The show tries but fails to capture the essence of what it is like being a teen. While it is totally believable for teens to be sex crazed with serve mental issues, the teens that were scantily dressed on the TV were not believable. “Skins” is the over dramatic Hollywood version of what it is like to be a teen.

At one point when Stanley thinks he is going to get his cherry popped by the sexually alluring Michelle he says “I am going to park my Chevy in Michelle’s garage?” Now, I will admit that it has been awhile since I have been in high school but who the hell talks like that? No one, that’s who.

While “Skins” is filled plenty of shock and awe moments that will initially grab a viewer’s attentions, it lacks the substance to hold it.

MTV announced this week that it will develop a U.S. version of the British hit television series “Skins.”

The US version will retain one of the British show’s creators, Brian Elsley, as a writer and executive producer. But perhaps more importantly, MTV will maintain the unique writing and casting model that made “Skins” a success across the pond. This means MTV will select a group of unknown teenagers to be both the writers and stars of the show, which will be set in Baltimore.

“We intend to preserve the authenticity of the British version and are excited to collaborate with the original team to develop stories that will speak to American youth,” said Liz Gateley, Senior Vice President, MTV Series Development.

Like most teen dramas, “Skins” is about all the of the good and bad teenagers encounter growing up and looking for love. Since it’s premier in January 2007, it has made a major cultural impact on British teens, who are now sometimes referred to as the “Skins Generation.”

In the UK, “Skins” was the third highest-rated show of the year on the channel E4.‚  It also won a 2009 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Audience Award and Best Drama Series at the 2008 Broadcast Awards — the former of which is voted on by the public.