The post What’s the Story With the Problematic Portrayals in “Skins” appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>We have a lot of positive things to say about Skins and often praise it for its era-defining qualities. The trouble is, the show captures the era so successfully that it also relays some of the more problematic attitudes of the time. We have no intention of abandoning the show, but it is worth engaging critically with some of the more troubling portrayals of delicate issues on the show.
Let’s start with Cassie Ainsworth. Cassie is a ditzy yet adorable teenage girl suffering from an eating disorder. Her storyline has some powerful moments but overall, Cassie’s anorexia is glamorized to the extent that she became a “thinspiration” icon on Tumblr. This means that teenage girls have actually been known to quote Cassie to motivate themselves to lose weight. It’s difficult not to point some of the blame at the writers, who wrote Cassie as a character whose beauty was so bound up with her fragility.
Similarly, Effy’s mental health problems added to her “fit, mysterious” charm. The guys around her fell in love with her aloof attitude and her battle with mental health issues was too often treated as something exotic and exciting. Even during her manic episodes, the show portrayed her as a beautiful, romantic character who “loved too much” to have a steady handle on things.
Finally, let’s not forget Daniel Kaluuya’s appearance in season one. Kaluuya has since starred in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, a social thriller about racism in the U.S. This could not be further from his character in Skins, a cartoonish stereotype who wears a basketball t-shirt and uses ridiculous slang. How could a show that got so many things right get something so horribly wrong?
In many ways, Skins successfully portrays what it is like to be a middle-class teenager growing up in the south of the UK but if you are rewatching the show in 2020, be wary of the problematic portrayals of minorities and mental health.
The post What’s the Story With the Problematic Portrayals in “Skins” appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post 5 Worst American Remakes of British Series appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>When the television industry in the U.S. lacks an idea for an original TV series, they often look across the pond to get an idea from their British colleagues. Sometimes that turns out surprisingly well, and the American remake ends up being even better than the original (did someone say The Office and House of Cards?).
More often, however, the end result is a terrible television program that hardly manages to last more than few episodes. They last so little on TV that you probably forgot all about them, but here we are to remind you. So let’s immediately dig into our list of five worst American remakes of British series.
In Great Britain, Coupling was a beloved sitcom that critics often compared to Friends and Seinfeld. This got the attention of NBC, who immediately jumped to an opportunity to do a remake, hoping it would be a successor to Friends. Things didn’t turn out the way they expected, and only four episodes were aired before the series was canceled due to poor reception.
Original:
Remake:
Two grown men sharing an apartment and reliving their teenage years is a recipe for great comedy in Great Britain. In the United States, not so much. While the British original lived up enough to get six seasons and two specials, the American remake managed to get to season two before getting pulled off the air due to bad ratings. The fact that it starred young Rob Schneider didn’t help as well.
Original:
Remake:
BBC One’s Life on Mars had an interesting premise which revolves around a present-day police officer who gets hit by a car and ends up waking up in 1973 working the same job. The series ended up receiving praise from the critics and becoming a hit with the audience. The American remake, done by ABC, decided to go a bit more sci-fi than they should, which didn’t sit well with the U.S. viewers. The series ended up being canceled after one season.
Original:
Remake:
British teen drama Skins became a massive hit with the critics and the audience for its bold depiction of teenage life in Britain. This included incorporating lots of controversial scenes and plot lines which were mostly okay with the Britons but apparently not with the U.S. audience. When MTV decided to do an American remake, the network decided to tone it down on sex, drugs, and alcohol. This ended up still being too much, and series flopped big time, being canceled after one season.
Original:
Remake:
Finally, we have The Inbetweeners on our list of five worst American remakes of British series. It is a similar story like with the Skins. MTV once again decided to cut down on the controversial stuff from the original and try with the softer jokes, but that backfired as well. Like with Skins, The Inbetweeners also didn’t make it past season one.
Original:
Remake:
The post 5 Worst American Remakes of British Series appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 5-6 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>Rich watches Grace’s ballet
After the ‘Angel of Death’ rejects him and he loses his hearing while listening to his metal record too loud, Rich decides he might as well go and see Grace’s ballet after all. The silent scene is actually quite beautiful and Rich’s reaction to watching her is really sweet.
Grace and Rich’s “Almost Wedding”
Even though they don’t actually get married in the end, seeing the whole gang come together to help their friends stay a couple is a great ending to the season finale.
Liv meets Matty
When Liv meets Matty for the first time, he shows up out of nowhere, completely unaware that he is Nick’s brother. The two decide to have one great, consequence-free day together and it’s pretty fun to watch. Obviously in true Skins style, nothing is consequence free.
Minnie’s pregnancy
Minnie had a tough season with Grace’s death and her unwanted pregnancy, but there is a beautiful moment in episode 5 where she sees her unborn child for the first time on a scan. She is initially unwilling to look, unable to face the reality of the situation, but when she finally does she weeps and laughs with joy and it’s lovely.
Rich realizes Grace is dead
It’s not an enjoyable moment, but it is darkly memorable. Rich spends the episode believing that Grace survived the car crash and that her father is keeping her from him. After trashing his house at a party and making love to Grace in her bedroom, he receives a phone call from her telling him she loves him. Moments later her father shows up and tells him that she never woke up from the coma.
The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 5-6 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 3-4 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>“I’m Katie f***ing Fitch.”
This episode shows a more venerable side of Katie as she is pushed around by her mom and her mom’s clients, which she is looking after. It’s a brilliant moment when she takes the power back and shouts back at the girl who is giving her stick declaring: “I’m Katie f***ing Fitch, who the f*** are you?!”
Emily and Naomi hold hands through the catflap
Emily and Naomi are the first lesbian couple in the series and we were wishing from the start that they’d just get their act together and admit their feelings. When they finally do while holding hands through a cat flap, it’s a tear worthy moment.
Effy and Freddie kiss
What is it with Skins and no one being upfront about their feelings for each other? Another great moment is when Freddie sees Effy floating on a small island on the lake and the two swim over to each other to affirm their feelings with a kiss in a scene where the chemistry is enviable.
Pandora’s sleepover
Pandora’s sleepover looks like it will be tame compared to the parties the gang are used to. It was definitely heading that way until Effy spikes her mom’s homemade chocolate brownie mix with MDMA.
Pandora’s song to Effy
There is something really sweet about Pandora trying to cheer Effy up when she is in the mental hospital recovering from her breakdown. She knows that she can’t properly understand or take the pain away, but she does her best to put even a little smile on Effy’s face anyway.
The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 3-4 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 1-2 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>Jal and Chris make a deal that he will start trying harder if she stops saying no and starts saying yes. To hold up her end of the deal, we see a usually reserved Jal down a beer then jump on stage and steal the singer’s hat before kissing him and being pulled off by security.
Their relationship was rocky from the start but things really went wrong for the couple in season 2. The moment they make up after Cassie confesses to kicking a boy out for squashing her “slug named Sidley” is a triumphant relief.
The end of season finale closes with a montage of the group going through their individual pain. It’s a truly emotional sequence.
We didn’t really want it to happen because by this point we are rooting for Tony again, but the scene where Sid and Michelle hook up on the beach on her birthday is definitely a top moment.
Seeing the gang together for probably the last time before they go their separate ways as they gather round to say goodbye to their friend is one of the most moving and memorable moments of the entire series.
The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 1-2 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post What’s the Story With the Problematic Portrayals in “Skins” appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>We have a lot of positive things to say about Skins and often praise it for its era-defining qualities. The trouble is, the show captures the era so successfully that it also relays some of the more problematic attitudes of the time. We have no intention of abandoning the show, but it is worth engaging critically with some of the more troubling portrayals of delicate issues on the show.
Let’s start with Cassie Ainsworth. Cassie is a ditzy yet adorable teenage girl suffering from an eating disorder. Her storyline has some powerful moments but overall, Cassie’s anorexia is glamorized to the extent that she became a “thinspiration” icon on Tumblr. This means that teenage girls have actually been known to quote Cassie to motivate themselves to lose weight. It’s difficult not to point some of the blame at the writers, who wrote Cassie as a character whose beauty was so bound up with her fragility.
Similarly, Effy’s mental health problems added to her “fit, mysterious” charm. The guys around her fell in love with her aloof attitude and her battle with mental health issues was too often treated as something exotic and exciting. Even during her manic episodes, the show portrayed her as a beautiful, romantic character who “loved too much” to have a steady handle on things.
Finally, let’s not forget Daniel Kaluuya’s appearance in season one. Kaluuya has since starred in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, a social thriller about racism in the U.S. This could not be further from his character in Skins, a cartoonish stereotype who wears a basketball t-shirt and uses ridiculous slang. How could a show that got so many things right get something so horribly wrong?
In many ways, Skins successfully portrays what it is like to be a middle-class teenager growing up in the south of the UK but if you are rewatching the show in 2020, be wary of the problematic portrayals of minorities and mental health.
The post What’s the Story With the Problematic Portrayals in “Skins” appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post 5 Worst American Remakes of British Series appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>When the television industry in the U.S. lacks an idea for an original TV series, they often look across the pond to get an idea from their British colleagues. Sometimes that turns out surprisingly well, and the American remake ends up being even better than the original (did someone say The Office and House of Cards?).
More often, however, the end result is a terrible television program that hardly manages to last more than few episodes. They last so little on TV that you probably forgot all about them, but here we are to remind you. So let’s immediately dig into our list of five worst American remakes of British series.
In Great Britain, Coupling was a beloved sitcom that critics often compared to Friends and Seinfeld. This got the attention of NBC, who immediately jumped to an opportunity to do a remake, hoping it would be a successor to Friends. Things didn’t turn out the way they expected, and only four episodes were aired before the series was canceled due to poor reception.
Original:
Remake:
Two grown men sharing an apartment and reliving their teenage years is a recipe for great comedy in Great Britain. In the United States, not so much. While the British original lived up enough to get six seasons and two specials, the American remake managed to get to season two before getting pulled off the air due to bad ratings. The fact that it starred young Rob Schneider didn’t help as well.
Original:
Remake:
BBC One’s Life on Mars had an interesting premise which revolves around a present-day police officer who gets hit by a car and ends up waking up in 1973 working the same job. The series ended up receiving praise from the critics and becoming a hit with the audience. The American remake, done by ABC, decided to go a bit more sci-fi than they should, which didn’t sit well with the U.S. viewers. The series ended up being canceled after one season.
Original:
Remake:
British teen drama Skins became a massive hit with the critics and the audience for its bold depiction of teenage life in Britain. This included incorporating lots of controversial scenes and plot lines which were mostly okay with the Britons but apparently not with the U.S. audience. When MTV decided to do an American remake, the network decided to tone it down on sex, drugs, and alcohol. This ended up still being too much, and series flopped big time, being canceled after one season.
Original:
Remake:
Finally, we have The Inbetweeners on our list of five worst American remakes of British series. It is a similar story like with the Skins. MTV once again decided to cut down on the controversial stuff from the original and try with the softer jokes, but that backfired as well. Like with Skins, The Inbetweeners also didn’t make it past season one.
Original:
Remake:
The post 5 Worst American Remakes of British Series appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 5-6 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>Rich watches Grace’s ballet
After the ‘Angel of Death’ rejects him and he loses his hearing while listening to his metal record too loud, Rich decides he might as well go and see Grace’s ballet after all. The silent scene is actually quite beautiful and Rich’s reaction to watching her is really sweet.
Grace and Rich’s “Almost Wedding”
Even though they don’t actually get married in the end, seeing the whole gang come together to help their friends stay a couple is a great ending to the season finale.
Liv meets Matty
When Liv meets Matty for the first time, he shows up out of nowhere, completely unaware that he is Nick’s brother. The two decide to have one great, consequence-free day together and it’s pretty fun to watch. Obviously in true Skins style, nothing is consequence free.
Minnie’s pregnancy
Minnie had a tough season with Grace’s death and her unwanted pregnancy, but there is a beautiful moment in episode 5 where she sees her unborn child for the first time on a scan. She is initially unwilling to look, unable to face the reality of the situation, but when she finally does she weeps and laughs with joy and it’s lovely.
Rich realizes Grace is dead
It’s not an enjoyable moment, but it is darkly memorable. Rich spends the episode believing that Grace survived the car crash and that her father is keeping her from him. After trashing his house at a party and making love to Grace in her bedroom, he receives a phone call from her telling him she loves him. Moments later her father shows up and tells him that she never woke up from the coma.
The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 5-6 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 3-4 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>“I’m Katie f***ing Fitch.”
This episode shows a more venerable side of Katie as she is pushed around by her mom and her mom’s clients, which she is looking after. It’s a brilliant moment when she takes the power back and shouts back at the girl who is giving her stick declaring: “I’m Katie f***ing Fitch, who the f*** are you?!”
Emily and Naomi hold hands through the catflap
Emily and Naomi are the first lesbian couple in the series and we were wishing from the start that they’d just get their act together and admit their feelings. When they finally do while holding hands through a cat flap, it’s a tear worthy moment.
Effy and Freddie kiss
What is it with Skins and no one being upfront about their feelings for each other? Another great moment is when Freddie sees Effy floating on a small island on the lake and the two swim over to each other to affirm their feelings with a kiss in a scene where the chemistry is enviable.
Pandora’s sleepover
Pandora’s sleepover looks like it will be tame compared to the parties the gang are used to. It was definitely heading that way until Effy spikes her mom’s homemade chocolate brownie mix with MDMA.
Pandora’s song to Effy
There is something really sweet about Pandora trying to cheer Effy up when she is in the mental hospital recovering from her breakdown. She knows that she can’t properly understand or take the pain away, but she does her best to put even a little smile on Effy’s face anyway.
The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 3-4 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 1-2 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>Jal and Chris make a deal that he will start trying harder if she stops saying no and starts saying yes. To hold up her end of the deal, we see a usually reserved Jal down a beer then jump on stage and steal the singer’s hat before kissing him and being pulled off by security.
Their relationship was rocky from the start but things really went wrong for the couple in season 2. The moment they make up after Cassie confesses to kicking a boy out for squashing her “slug named Sidley” is a triumphant relief.
The end of season finale closes with a montage of the group going through their individual pain. It’s a truly emotional sequence.
We didn’t really want it to happen because by this point we are rooting for Tony again, but the scene where Sid and Michelle hook up on the beach on her birthday is definitely a top moment.
Seeing the gang together for probably the last time before they go their separate ways as they gather round to say goodbye to their friend is one of the most moving and memorable moments of the entire series.
The post Top 5 “Skins” Moments: Seasons 1-2 appeared first on Entertainment For Us.
]]>