I keep seeing skam stuff and can you explain skam?
(pulled from a previous ask and updated)
I’ll try to give you a high level break down of SKAM and its various iterations. For more information on where to watch, please feel free to reach out with a specific remake and I’ll try to point you in the right direction.
SKAM is a show that originated in Norway. Its format follows the day to day life of a teenager by providing real time daily updates which are generally comprised of clips, instagram posts or texts. The clips are compiled at the end of each week to create an episode. The original had 4 seasons, each season following the POV of a different character: Eva, Noora, Isak, and Sana. It deals with incredibly complex subjects like: bullying, social isolation, cheating, sexual abuse, violence, eating disorders, homosexuality, mental illness, prejudice and religion.
There are 7 remakes in production and airing to date: SKAM France, SKAM Italia, SKAM Spain, SKAM NL, Druck, WTFock, SKAM Austin
Current Timeline: Season 1 (Emma) Season 2 (Manon) Season 3 (Lucas) and Season 4 (Imane) are finished, the show has been renewed for Season 5 (Arthur) and Season 6 (TBD) which have recently finished filming and are set to begin airing in Jan 2020 (probably).
Strengths: everyone is stunningly beautiful, brand new content coming for season 5 and 6 so you will feel the way you did watching the OG, some of the characterization and acting is very well done, more POC than the original.
Opportunities: the most direct shot by shot remake of the original so far, some characters look significantly older than anyone else to the point of unbelievability, it can sometimes lack the genuine vulnerability that was a hallmark of the original
Current Timeline: Season 1 (Eva) Season 2 (Martino) and Season 3 (Elenora) are finished and it has been renewed by NETFLIX (ALL PREVIOUS SEASONS WILL BE ON NETFLIX AS WELL STARTING JAN 1 2020!!!!) for Season 4 (Sana) the announcement was unclear as to the timeline for S4 but hopefully it’ll be in Jan? idk
Strengths: CINEMATOGRAPHY, the only remake to change the order of the seasons/storylines so far which has served the story very well, most of the acting and characterization is very strong, the chemistry between characters is excellent.
Opportunities: not enough POC representation and in some cases outright POC erasure, their strongest season to date features a white character using a racial slur which is distasteful and a poor choice at best, the cast is slightly older which is noticeable
Current Timeline: Season 1 (Eva) and Season 2 (Cris) are finished and Season 3 (Nora) will begin airing in January. It has also been renewed for Season 4 (TBD)
Strengths: A longer first season and many changes to the original storyline kept everyone on their toes, delivers hugely in realism and vulnerability, cute friendships, characters realistically look their ages
Opportunities: I found myself at times either completely apathetic or actively disliking some of the main characters as a result of either storyline choices or underdeveloped characterization/acting, the suffering portion of the season went on too long, the pacing felt odd at times, I find the chemistry off at times
Current Timeline: Season 1 (Isa) and Season 2 (Liv) are finished. The show was cancelled by the network after this. Cast and crew are currently trying to appeal to Netflix for a pick up (and I want it so badly)
Strengths: My personal favourite, very strong characterization and acting, stays close to the original but has its own vibe, the only POC Noora and William characters, feels realistic, beautiful scenery
Opportunities: some characters have been spotty in the timeline which is likely due to scheduling but it can be confusing at times, predictable, clips felt rushed at times, CANCELLED (pls respect my privacy)
Current Timeline: Season 1 (Hanna) Season 2 (Mia) Season 3 (Matteo) and Season 4 (Amira) are finished. No further news.
Strengths/Opportunities: Druck is a difficult one for me to break down, it’s a complete dichotomy – the acting/characterization is either very strong or very poor, it contains both some of the most loveable character versions and some of the most unbearable, it’s very close to the original in terms of storyline but also feels much more authentic than some other remakes
Current Timeline: Season 1 (Jana) Season 2 (Zoe) and Season 3 (Robbe) have all finished airing. They have been casting for Season 4 (TBD - likely Yasmina) and we have no airing dates or information
Strengths: New scenes and lots of differentiation from the original, frequent updates, some excellent characterization choices, some of the best and most emotionally impactful choices
Opportunities: Some weaker acting/characterization for more minor characters, spotty character appearances due to scheduling, odd chemistry feels at times, few text updates, nightmarish pacing
Current Timeline: Season 1 (Megan) and Season 2 (Grace) have finished. No clue what else is going on.
Strengths: the introduction of a WLW central character made the dynamics and storyline of season 1 which did follow very closely to the OG that much more powerful, likeable girl squad
Opportunities: some weak acting and characterization, predictable, some poor cinematography choices at times, feels the most disjointed
