There was trouble from the very beginning. Before a single episode of MTV’s version of the television series Skins aired this past January, both uneasy and excited whispers were flying in all directions about this racy new show that depicted teenagers in a less-than-flattering light. From the promos and media coverage, audiences were led to expect hard-partying, hard-living, out-of-control adolescence. Ferris Bueller, this was not. On that end, the show didn’t disappoint. Raging raves, drug-fueled misadventures, and destroying other people's vehicles were just part of an average day in the lives of these kids. On June 9, 2011, after just one season, Skins was canceled.
The day after Skins debuted, those who had watched the premiere told me enough about it to let me know that I had to see this show. This was around the same time that the advocacy group the Parents Television Council, of which Billy Ray Cyrus sits on the Advisory Board, was telling the world not to watch this show. Obviously, this made it all the more imperative that I saw what all the fuss was about.
What I saw, however, was not what I was told I would see. Sure, there were copious amounts of profanity, alcohol consumption, and sex. I was expecting that. But standing firmly beside the shock value was heart. This wasn’t profanity, alcohol, and sex simply for the sake of presenting profanity, alcohol, and sex; this was life. The characters were dealing with and reacting to life. They were not thinly-drawn stereotypes of “problem kids”; these were actual kids with actual problems. Each character, whose unique story was chronicled in his or her own hour-long episode, had his or her own circumstances to deal with – from struggling with questions of their sexuality to being abandoned by the only parent who cares. These characters were not wild and rambunctious just so MTV could reap the benefits of having the wildest shows on cable. These characters had actual stories to tell. And had we listened and paid attention, we might have actually learned a thing or two.
The show was said to have come to an end due to “low ratings” but a quick Google search reveals that I’m not the only one questioning whether or not that is the complete truth. The controversy was just too big of a factor here. After sticking up for their show through the entire first season, did MTV just suddenly decide that not enough people were tuning in for it to be worth it? Perhaps. It seems likely but I can’t honestly say for sure that’s what happened here. However, here’s what I do know happened for sure: the show came under immense public scrutiny right off the bat sparked by the Parents Television Council and their mission to “bring back responsibility and family values to the entertainment industry”. This is a great and noble cause for an advocacy group to have – in the right context. I’m not entirely sure Skins fits within their context. The group once famously declared that “Skins may well be the most dangerous show for children that we have ever seen”. Well, with all due respect, Skins wasn’t a children’s show.
Skins was rated TV-MA, a denotation that a program is deemed “unsuitable for audiences under 17”. Surely a program for mature audiences could not be expected to uphold family values? Unless, of course, the show features a predominately minor cast and is on one of the biggest networks aimed at minors on the planet. Aha….
That may have been their shot at getting their foot in the door but they had their sights set higher. The main accusation the PTC hurled is that the show depicted child pornography through sex scenes involving minors. Although I admit at times the show went too far in that department – the example of the character Chris walking unclothed and dejected up an avenue comes to mind – I honestly don’t believe anything shown could be construed as pornographic. The sex scenes were more hinted at than blatantly projected. With the above notable exception, if the actors were actually naked, the viewers didn’t know it. Shirts would go, pants would go, and then the camera would go the same as in countless other shows and movies. The issue here is that these actors, for the most part, were under the age of 18. Had they been just two or three years older, the firestorm of criticism wouldn't have been nearly as bad. The firestorm would still have existed, however, because the show was on MTV. In my opinion, parents – knowing this show was not intended for minors – had more to fear by letting their offspring watch the 2011 MTV Movie Awards.
In retrospect, it’s really no surprise that Skins was so abruptly canceled. It’s not often that a work of fiction holds a mirror up to our society to show us what we’ve become. Skins wasn’t a show that said “Hey! Look at what we’re doing!” It was a show that said “Hey. Look at what you are.” The British version of the show, which is reportedly more risqué , has lasted five seasons. It wins awards. Obviously, the show isn’t all bad. If individuals and groups like the PTC looked beyond what was shown in the promos, they might have glimpsed what I did: a coping mechanism. If a seventeen-year-old kid going through the same things as Tony and his friends thought that there was no way out, suddenly he saw that he was not alone. There were others, perhaps many others, going through and dealing with the exact same things.
I am not criticizing the Parents Television Council or any other advocacy group in any way. I think it's great what they do. I just think that their views are a little old-fashioned. These days, as in all days, life is hard. Kids deal with it any way they can. It may not be the best way but everyone makes mistakes. I can’t condone but I can’t condemn, either. If certain groups don’t think Skins provided an accurate portrayal of what the teenage experience is really like today – what, in fact, their own kids may actually be up to – then they are seriously deluding themselves. Just ask Billy Ray Cyrus.
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