Skins is a British teen comedy drama that follows the lives and experiences of six-year-olds in Bristol, South West England. The controversial stories have dealt with issues such as dysfunctional families and mental illness (such depression, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder), adolescent gender, sexuality, substance abuse, suicide, and bullying.
The episodes are named after the characters featured in each episode and focus on one or more characters. Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, father-and-son television producers, created the show for Company Pictures. It premiered on E4 25 January 2007.
Skins was a critical and ratings success, with a loyal following. Since then, Skins has been hailed as a revolutionary series. It continues to be praised for its portrayal of British youth's problems, which is not often seen on TV. Skins also replaced its main cast every two years, which is unusual among ongoing drama series. In 2009, plans for a film spinoff were discussed. However, they never came to fruition. Instead, a specially-commissioned seventh and final series of the show was broadcast in 2013, featuring some of the cast from its 2007-2010 run.
Another venture to grow the brand was a brief American remake that aired on MTV in 2011. However, it was cancelled after just one season because advertisers had abandoned the series due to low ratings.
