Rypro 525

I have it on dvr, and was wondering what people thought of it, given how the British version does have a following here. According to one of my friends who watched it, it was indeed rated TV-MA-LS and muted out uses of the F word (and potentially the C word) and may have blurred nudity too.

Reportedly the first episode is word for word/shot for shot a remake of the british pilot, but it goes its own way from episode 2 on

Rypro 525

I had to laugh at this too
The following is the most urgent alert the PTC has ever sent to parents.

It is absolutely crucial that you be aware of the most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children!

Next Monday, January 17th, at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific (only 9:00 p.m. Central/Mountain), MTV will debut its new series Skins. Here’s why this program is so dangerous to your kids:

· Skins is filled with graphic content involving high-school children, including depictions of teens drinking, smoking marijuana, and using massive quantities of drugs, engaging in violent acts, and having irresponsible sex with each other, with their schoolteachers, and with other adults. Other TV shows, like Gossip Girl, have included some of these activities; but Skins’ depiction of such activities is on a scale never before seen on TV. Skins is so extreme that MTV is rating the program TV-MA – a rating cable has previously reserved for programs like FX’s ultra-violent and quasi-pornographic series Nip/Tuck, which was wholly unsuitable for all but those who crave explicit material.

· Skins is about high-school children. Mixed in with the graphic drug use and sex scenes are storylines about falling in love and problems at school – elements sure to generate interest from teens. The show is being written, in part, by teens. And the Skins cast is actually made up of teenagers, not adult actors playing teens. One cast member is only 15 years old.

· Skins has been extensively marketed to high-school children. Internet sites like Teen.com have carried dozens of promos and stories about the new show. Many of the Internet ad campaigns have shown how Skins blatantly urges children to lie to and defy their parents, and engage in risky and dangerous behavior. MTV may try to claim that this show is intended for adults – but the way the show has been peddled to kids reveals the truth. MTV WANTS your kids to see – and be influenced by -- this program!

MTV is deliberately aiming an explicit adult series – one the network itself rates as appropriate only for adults – at YOUR CHILDREN!

To see for yourself just how bad this show is, look at this video placed on YouTube -- the most popular online destination for millions of children and teens -- to promote the series. WARNING: The video contains graphic content.

The most important thing to us at the PTC is that parents and grandparents like you are aware of this program so you can protect your children and grandchildren.

But it is grossly unfair of MTV – a basic cable and satellite channel – to require parents to underwrite a show that encourages children to lie and turn against their parents.

About one dollar of your cable or satellite subscription fee goes to MTV each month. That’s more than $10 that subscribers like you pay to MTV every year. And there are 100 million cable and satellite subscribers in the U.S. That means that MTV is collecting a billion dollars a year from parents and families – and they are using the money to make programs that glorify children using drugs, having sex, and defying their parents!

If you are tired of the entertainment industry deliberately targeting your kids with their corrosive programming – and forcing you to pay for it -- you can TAKE ACTION!

With Cable Choice, you would be able to select – and pay for – only the channels you actually watch. You would no longer be forced to pay for hundreds of programs on dozens of channels you don’t want – including ones that target your kids!

To sign our Cable Choice petition – demanding that we as consumers must be given the choice over which cable networks we want to pay for – CLICK HERE.

And please consider assisting the PTC financially. Our mission is to help you protect your children from programs like Skins. Please help us to keep you informed!

Gunde

I hate the PTC. They always complain about shows that are on at 10 pm. Get your kids to bed at a reasonable hour and the problem is solved!

andicus

I thought it was pretty bad. I like the UK version, but this really seemed lacking.

A lot of it seemed like a bad dub because the language was so unnatural.

The obvious toning down of the show, in all areas, ruins it IMHO.

Rypro 525

yeah. It seemed like it tried too hard to be raunchy and raw, while still trying to tone down the fact that its still on basic cable.

rfduncan

Not to be a curmudgeon but this show really shouldn't be on MTV if you expect kids to NOT watch it. I'm only on episode 6 of the original and must admit I was shocked that MTV was remaking it.

I can see this and don't think the original should be tampered with. It is a pretty amazing show albeit not really for kids IMHO. I was especially wondering how some of the nudity could be eliminated successfully. While not crucial to the plots, it is a defining element of the show.

conscience

Horrible pilot. I'll give it another chance but things aren't looking too good because this was almost exactly like the original's pilot and that I loved. And the actors are really bad. This Tony sounds like his balls haven't dropped and it just doesn't flow right. I don't care that they have to obscure the nudity or not use certain language, at least make the show good.

Everyone should probably just watch the first two series of the original. They're amazing.

raven56706

PTC must be living in a box... i hope they know this is happening... this is no dangerous than watching a bunch of teen moms being depicted as cool things..(sorry but MTV makes it seem cool to be a teen mom)

as for this show, i heard it sucked as compared to the original... will give it a try but would make me feel dirty watching it

islandclaws

I'm just glad it premiered so I can finally stop seeing a zillion ads for it during Jersey Shore.

wendersfan

There are these things called DVRs...

On the other hand, every DVR I've ever used had parental controls on them.

Finisher

Show is awful. They miscast that Tony kid and some others. They're just not credible actors.

SkullOrchard

I love the original British series, especially seasons one & two. Cassie was my favorite character, and she has been completely rewritten for the U.S./Canadian remake. The first episode was almost identical to the original.

I'll be curious to see how closely the second episode matches the original. The "Cassie" episode from season one is by far my favorite Skins episode ever. Hannah Murray was simply brilliant, giving a heart breaking performance.

I'll continue watching the remake for at least a few more episodes, if only out of curiosity. It just seems like every character has been miscast.

MikahC

Cassie was the anorexic who showed how she cleverly played with food so nobody noticed she never actually ate it? If that's her, agreed. The first season (the only one I've watched so far) was good, but that epiosde in particular was really good.

SkullOrchard

Yes, that's her. Hannah gives a wonderful performance throughout the episode. I especially like both of the scenes Cassie had with Alan, the taxi driver.

Rypro 525

oh come on

Skins needs to ease up on the skin.

Already one advertiser down, parent company Viacom has asked producers to tone down the sexy scenarios amid worries that the MTV series, about a group of rambunctious teens and their sexual exploits, was venturing into child-pornography territory, the New York Times reported Thursday.

And the argument that the actors are all adults (i.e. over 18) doesn't hold water in this case.

PHOTOS: Here's some celebrity skin

[b]The largely unknown actors playing high school kids in the show are between the ages of 15 and 19, a deliberate casting decision in order to lend authenticity to the scripted antics, which are based on a British series of the same name.

So, unlike the twentysomething Glee stars who posed for controversial GQ pics last year, some of the Skins stars really are minors in the eyes of the law.

MTV stands by the production, which is rated TV-MA and airs at the more adult-friendly hour of 10 p.m., and says careful consideration is given to every scene.

"Skins is a show that addresses real-world issues confronting teens in a frank way," MTV spokesman Jeannie Kedas said in a statement obtained by E! News.

"We review all of our shows and work with all of our producers on an ongoing basis to ensure our shows comply with laws and community standards. We are confident that the episodes of Skins will not only comply with all applicable legal requirements, but also with our responsibilities to our viewers. We also have taken numerous steps to alert viewers to the strong subject matter so that they can choose for themselves whether it is appropriate."

The Times said that Viacom execs were particularly worried about the upcoming third episode of Skins, which features a backside shot of a naked 17-year-old male running down the street.

But one episode, which aired Monday and attracted 3.3 million viewers, was apparently enough for Taco Bell, which has pulled all advertising from Skins' timeslot and plans to redirect it to other MTV programming.

"We advertise on a variety of MTV programs that reach our core demographic of 18 to 34 year olds, which included the premiere episode of Skins," a Taco Bell spokesman said. "Upon further review, we've decided that the show is not a fit for our brand and have moved our advertising to other MTV programming."

The trigger-happy Parents Television Council has taken it a step further, penning a letter to the U.S. Senate and House Judiciary Committees and the Department of Justice to immediately open an investigation into allegations of child pornography and exploitation on Skins.

"On January 17, the Viacom-owned cable network MTV aired a teenager-based drama, Skins," PTC President Tim Winter wrote in the letter. "The episode included all manner of foul language, illegal drug use, illegal activity as well as thoroughly pervasive sexual content. Moreover, future episodes promise much more of the same."

And with that, we predict twice the number of people tune into next week's episode.

Philly30

guaranteed some politician will try and pass some law to protect us all from this type of show

MrSmearkase

/\ We should be protected from this show... it is fucking awful.

RichC2

Man do I hate the PTC.

rfduncan

Yeah! We can't be expected to simple NOT tune in to a program! We have to get legislation involved to get it OFF THE AIR! It isn't like Congress or the Senate have anything more important to handle like the deficit, unemployment, healthcare, the war abroad or any of that, right? Christ...

MrSmearkase

Damn, where's the sarcasm font again?

Philly30

i got it

wm lopez

They can watch it on the internet or buy the dvds of the show. Like beer & drugs. If they sell it they can get.

wm lopez

It would have to the ones that said the Arizona shooter did it because of Palin,Rush and Hannity. Has to be.

zekeburger1979

Wrong. Liberals like sex. Conservatives don't. They like seeing people's heads blown off.

MikahC

This is why many forums make politics and religion off-topic. Rationality, commitment to truth-telling, open-mindedness, and consideration for others goes right out the window.