Credit for the humour goes to creators Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, a father and son duo. Elsley quickly decided that if he was going to work on a teen series, he needed some young writers to help find their voices. So in addition to his 22-year-old son Brittain, he filled the rest of the writing staff with people in their twenties, while inviting even younger people to help brainstorm and break down stories. The result is a television anomaly: a teen show starring actors who are teens, who act like teens, and SOUND like teens. These kids do and say stupid things because, well, teens do and say stupid things. Their brains aren't developed enough to appreciate long term consequences, and they lack the maturity to always understand that which should be clear to them, and, god help them, they just say some stupid shit. And it's hilarious.
Funny, smart, poignant, and addicting, Skins is basically everything you'd want from a teen drama, managing the interesting trick of seeming saucy, but ultimately being sweet in nature. Even though I'm very much not the target demographic, I have to say that I'm hooked, especially after the sudden impact of the season finale. So if you are the type of viewer who does appreciate teen dramas, even those of a more cerebral nature like Freaks and Geeks or My So-Called Life, you owe it to yourself to see how they do it across the pond.
DVD Review: The first thing that needs to be said about the region one DVD release of the series is that they didn't get the musical releases for the songs that played in the original airing of the series. Since I've only seen it this way, I can't judge how much of an effect it has on the series, but from what I've read, it's a big negative, as music is supposed to be an integral part of the show. So be forewarned. From the back of the DVD: "We regret that due to music clearance issues, the final scene of episode 9 has been edited for DVD release". That said, I've seen the original ending of the season on YouTube, and I have to say that I prefer the edited version on the DVD.
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