SKAM Austin
| SKAM Austin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Teen drama |
| Based on |
Skam by Julie Andem |
| Developed by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Julie Andem |
| Starring |
|
| Theme music composer | Christian Wibe |
| Composer(s) | Sleep Good |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Hans Graffunder |
| Production location(s) | Austin, Texas |
| Cinematography | Daniel McStay |
| Editor(s) |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 26–50 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Release | |
| Original network | Facebook Watch |
| Original release | April 27, 2018 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
SKAM Austin is an American teen drama web television series, based on the Norwegian web series Skam, created by Julie Andem. It premiered with its first full episode on April 27, 2018 on Facebook Watch.
Employing the same distribution method and overall storylines as the original Norwegian production, SKAM Austin is shown in real-time through short clips on a daily basis on Facebook Watch, supplemented with screenshots of messages between the characters and compiled clips into full episodes on weekends. Real social media accounts created for the fictional characters allow viewers greater insight into the show beyond its clips. The first of these short clips was released on April 24, 2018.
The series premiere had an audience of over 10 million, with subsequent drops in ratings as more episodes aired; this decline sparked a debate within Norwegian media about whether the show was a "flop" or not. On July 25, 2018, it was announced that Facebook had renewed the series for a second season.
Premise
SKAM Austin follows sophomore Megan and her fellow classmates at Bouldin High School in Austin, Texas as they go through adolescent trials of self-discovery, acceptance, romance, revenge, friendship, and heartache.
Cast and characters
Main
- Julie Rocha as Megan Flores, a lonely girl who was formerly friends with Abigail Heyward, the captain of Bouldin High School's dance team "The Kittens". Their friendship was ruined when Megan began seeing Abby's ex-boyfriend, Marlon. She joins Kelsey's newly formed dance team, while dealing with complications in her relationship with Marlon.
- Till Simon as Marlon Frazier, Megan's current boyfriend and an aspiring musician. He is best friends with Shay and Tyler and is Abby's ex-boyfriend.
- Kennedy Hermansen as Grace Olsen, a new girl from Dallas, Texas who befriends Megan after witnessing Abby bullying her at Talent Night. She is mature and outspoken and usually serves as the voice of reason among the girls on the dance team.
- Austin Terry as Daniel Williamson, Bouldin High School's most popular football player.
- Shelby Surdam as Kelsey Russell, an awkward and insecure girl who forms her own dance team after being rejected by "The Kittens".
- La'Keisha Slade as Shay Dixon, Marlon's closest friend and bandmate, as well as a confidante of Megan.
- Valeria Vera as Josefina Valencia, an audacious and eccentric girl and Kelsey's best friend.
- Aaliyah Muhammad as Zoya Ali, a no-nonsense girl who joins Kelsey's dance team.
- Pedro Castenada as Jordan Diaz, a football player and Daniel's best friend. He pursues Megan romantically, but is revealed to have a girlfriend named Cleo.
- Giovanni Niubo as Tyler Nunez, Marlon's other best friend and bandmate.
- Sophia Hopkins as Abigail Heyward, Megan's former best friend and captain of "The Kittens", Bouldin High School's resident dance team. She is also Marlon's ex-girlfriend.
Recurring
- Sandra Avila as Megan's Mom, who is constantly seen arguing with her husband over finances and the well-being of their daughter.
- Praveena Javvadi as Poonam, an overachieving girl who convinces Megan to attend Talent Night.
- Sydney Cope as Cleo, Jordan's girlfriend.
- Ray Perez as Megan's Dad, who wants Megan to pursue her dreams, contrasting with his wife's more grounded worldview.
Guest
- Julia Blackmon as Eliza W ("Week 1")
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Week 1" | Julie Andem | Julie Andem & Sarah Heyward | April 27, 2018 |
| 2 | "Week 2" | Julie Andem | Julie Andem & Sarah Heyward | May 4, 2018 |
| 3 | "Week 3" | Julie Andem | Julie Andem & Sarah Heyward | May 11, 2018 |
| 4 | "Week 4" | Julie Andem | Julie Andem & Sarah Heyward | May 18, 2018 |
| 5 | "Week 5" | Julie Andem | Julie Andem & Sarah Heyward | May 25, 2018 |
| 6 | "Week 6" | Julie Andem | Julie Andem & Sarah Heyward | June 1, 2018 |
| 7 | "Week 7" | Julie Andem | Julie Andem & Sarah Heyward | June 8, 2018 |
| 8 | "Week 8" | Julie Andem | Julie Andem & Sarah Heyward | June 15, 2018 |
Production
Background
In the third quarter of 2016, the Norwegian teen drama series Skam gained significant momentum and an active fanbase outside its Norwegian borders.[1][2][3][4] The series became particularly notable for its unique distribution model of individual short clips uploaded daily to the broadcast network's website in real-time as events unfolded in the show's narrative, with the clips shown during a week combined into one episode. On the website, the clips were supplemented with screenshots of text messages between the characters, while real social media accounts were created for the fictional characters to interact with each other.[2] Through its four-season, 43-episode run, Skam explored themes including loneliness, identity, eating disorders, sexual assault, homosexuality, mental health, religion and forbidden love.
Development
In December 2016, Simon Fuller's production company XIX Entertainment signed a deal with NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, to produce an English-speaking adaptation of the Norwegian series. Fuller told The Guardian that "Skam is an important show. [...] There is precious little content created primarily for a teen audience and Skam provides this with great honesty and integrity. The show packs a punch and is leading the way in exploring multiplatform storytelling."[5] The New York Times wrote that the American version will introduce new characters and actors, but retain the original storytelling format, with consultation from NRK. Fuller told the Times that "We are exploring all content outlets. [...] Shame works across all platforms and that is what gives it a point of difference. We are looking to innovate and push the boundaries of how modern content is viewed and experienced".[6] Swedish news publication Svenska Dagbladet reported that principal photography would take place between the third and fourth quarters of 2017, with location scouting in progress to find an American city "most American youths can relate to", and with an expected premiere in late 2018.[7]
In October 2017, during the MIPCOM annual trade show, it was announced that Facebook had acquired the rights to air then-titled Shame on its "Facebook Watch" original video platform. Facebook's head of creative global strategy Ricky Van Veen said that "When I first heard about Skam, it felt like I was seeing the future of storytelling. We're incredibly enthusiastic about bringing it to global audiences on Facebook Watch".[8][9] At the time of the MIPCOM announcement, it was incorrectly reported that Julie Andem, the creator, writer and director of the original Skam series, would also produce the U.S. version,[10] a message later retracted in Norwegian media, with a clarification of a misunderstanding due to a "busy morning" and that such a job "has been and is a dialogue between Julie Andem, Facebook and XIX Entertainment".[11] In November 2017, Andem announced on her Instagram account that she would take the part as showrunner and director of Shame, writing that she "didn't want to give it to somebody else" despite the obstacles of a foreign country with different cultures than the original series.[12][13]
On July 25, 2018, it was announced during the annual Television Critics Association's summer press tour that Facebook had renewed the series for a second season.[14]
Casting
In November 2017, Andem's Instagram featured a poster for a casting call for teenagers in Austin, Texas, with casting bureau Vicky Boone confirming to Norwegian media publication Aftenposten that filming of the series would take place in the city of Austin.[13]
Release
Marketing
On April 19, 2018, the first short clips of the series were released, announcing April 24 as the official start of the series' daily releases.[15] Social media accounts for some of the fictional characters had started posting content earlier, sometimes as far back as April 2017.[16]
Reception
Solfrid Skaret of Norwegian news publication TV 2 opined that SKAM Austin was a "flop". She cited viewership figures, showing an initial premiere-episode audience of 11.9 million viewers, with substantial drops in subsequent episodes, down to approximately 771.800 viewers for the fifth episode, although acknowledging an uptick in ratings for the sixth episode. Commenting on the developments, John Magnus Dahl, a Skam researcher at the University of Bergen, told TV 2 that it was an "incredibly sad development". He further stated that SKAM Austin is "a good series that has reached a lot of people, but the problem is that they haven't been able to keep people's attention", and reasoned that the lack of interest may be caused by the story. "That the story is identical to the Norwegian success is probably disappointing to some people. There are no surprise moments."[17] Christopher Pahle of Norwegian press publication Dagbladet objected to Skaret's article and specifically its negative outlook of the show's performance. Pahle explained that, while the viewership numbers were objective and factual, SKAM Austin could not accurately be compared to the rest of the television industry due to its distribution on Facebook's new video platform, where Austin's audience numbers might be within expectations and the initial premiere rating could be heavily inflated due to a high volume of one-time viewers tempted to test the new service rather than dedicated viewers. The reporter also wrote that the original Norwegian production's success had also become its own worst enemy, elaborating that Skam itself did not have high ratings in its first season, was released stealthily to avoid older generations, and that the high expectations set forth by the Norwegian series' popularity meant news media might unfairly consider anything short of a total success a failure.[18]
Slate's Inkoo Kang described the series' heavy use of Facebook services as a questionable action, dubbing the series "both innovative teen drama" and an "advertisement for Facebook". The report noted that while Skam also employed social media actively in its plot, Austin's characters have constant presence and common interactions through Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram, all owned by Facebook, while competing social networks Snapchat and YouTube are only mentioned, never shown. The article also noted that Snapchat, Facebook's "rival for the hearts and thumbs of America’s youth", was used as the platform of choice for a storyline involving the potential dissemination of a graphic image of blood on sheets, and that the distinctive sounds of instant messages through Facebook's Messenger service served as an "unofficial soundtrack". The article described the show's situation as "vaguely alarming", a "glamorization" of Facebook, as a contribution to the "normalization of the company’s grip on high-schoolers’ social lives", and that "content has seldom felt so indistinguishable from marketing".[19]
References
- ↑ McDermott, Patrick D. (April 10, 2017). "Why The Whole Planet Is Obsessed With This Norwegian Teen Drama". The Fader. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- 1 2 McHenry, Jackson (December 19, 2016). "A Beginner's Guide to Skam, Your New Teen-Drama Obsession". Vulture. New York. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Haugan, Bjørn; Sandvær, Hilde (April 10, 2017). ""Skam" tar av i Kina". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Schibsted. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Taylor, Trey (October 6, 2017). "How Skam's Isak and Even revolutionized teen TV". Interview. Brant Publications. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Sweney, Mark (December 9, 2016). "Norwegian teen TV hit Shame to be remade for US viewers". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Donadio, Rachel (December 9, 2016). "Will 'Skam,' a Norwegian Hit, Translate?". The New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ ""Skam" blir "Shame" i amerikansk version". Svenska Dagbladet. Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved October 20, 2017. (subscription required)
- ↑ Vlessing, Etan (October 18, 2017). "MIPCOM: Facebook Nabs Simon Fuller-Produced Version of Norwegian Teen Drama 'Skam'". The Hollywood Reporter. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Tiffany, Kaitlyn (October 18, 2017). "Facebook is remaking the viral Norwegian teen drama Skam". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (October 18, 2017). "'Skam': Facebook Watch Orders U.S. Version Of Norwegian Teen Hit – Mipcom". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Dahl, Ingvill Dybfest (October 18, 2017). "Facebook har kjøpt "Skam" - Andem i dialog om produsentjobb". Verdens Gang. Schibsted. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ↑ Pettersen, Jørn; Holvik, Martin (November 10, 2017). "Julie Andem tar kontroll over amerikanske "Skam"". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Schibsted. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- 1 2 Aanstad, Kristine Hellem; Husøy, Eirik (November 10, 2017). "Andem skal regissere amerikanske Skam". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Schibsted. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ↑ Chmielewski, Dawn C. (July 25, 2018). "Facebook Renews Teen Drama 'Skam Austin' For A Second Season". Deadline. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ↑ Ali, Intisaar; Olsson, Svein (April 19, 2018). "Se de første klippene fra amerikanske "Skam"". NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ↑ Bartleet, Larry (April 19, 2018). "Why SKAM Austin could be the biggest show of 2018". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
- ↑ Skaret, Solfrid (June 9, 2018). "– Derfor flopper «SKAM» i USA". TV 2 (in Norwegian). Egmont Group. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ↑ Pahle, Christopher (June 16, 2018). "Er amerikanske «Skam» egentlig en flopp?". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ↑ Kang, Inkoo (May 22, 2018). "Is Skam Austin an Innovative Teen Drama or an Advertisement for Facebook?". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved August 18, 2018.