
Skins is a teen TV series, adapted from a British TV series of the same name. The show, much like its British counterpart, throws light on a plethora of issues concerning teens, as they struggle to balance the mounting challenges of their personal lives, with a healthy family life and academic demands. The show premiered on January 17, 2011 on MTV. The credit for the show’s creation goes to the father-son duo of Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain. Akin to the parent series, the North American version also serves as a platform for amateur artists, who usually debut via the show.
The first season consisted of a total of 10 episodes, each named after a different character, focusing on all that was going on, in that character’s life. The premiere episode was a complete remake of the British version, and focused on Tony Snyder, played by James Newman. The rest of the episodes, though inspired by the original show, have a dash of novelty, specifically aimed at the target American audience.
Tony is initially depicted to be the leader of the group, who’s in a steady relationship with Michelle Richardson, played by Rachel Thevenard. However, Tony’s life and position in the group is seen to crumble down over the course of the season when he falls out with Michelle over her cheating ways.
As for Michelle, she’s a gorgeous girl who’s fed up of playing the role of a hot girlfriend. She finally sets her priorities right when she chooses Stanley Lucerne (Daniel Flaherty) over Tony, on realizing that he truly loves her, as opposed to Tony who uses her as a status symbol at school. Stanley struggles to step out of the shadow of his best friend, Tony, and find his own identity. All in all, Skins is an interesting mélange of stories of youngsters who are somehow interconnected to one another, despite each one fighting an individual battle.
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