This insanely popular Norwegian teen TV show is being remade for America and we’re 100% onboard
Get ready for your next TV obsession as insanely popular Norwegian teen TV drama Skam is getting an American remake.
Skam is the risqué and revolutionary TV show that is currently sweeping across Norway (and, it seems, the rest of the the world via the internet) as one of the most talked about shows currently on air. The show focuses on the lives of a bunch of teenagers living in a suburb of Oslo and the dramas that surround their lives. Skam is distinctive, however, for its heavy reliance on social media. In fact, all the show’s characters have dedicated (and very active) social media accounts that update in real time as if the events occurring on screen are happening IRL. Exciting stuff, we think you’ll agree.
What’s more, the show isn’t traditional in its methodology either. While a compilation episode airs at the end of each week, clips from the episode are uploaded online, again, in real time. For example, if a party is happening in the show at 2am, the clip is uploaded at 2am.
So far, each of the show’s 12-episode seasons have focused on specific characters, with the third season currently airing on Norwegian channel NRK.
“The idea for Skam came out of a project called Girls 16 and our team did research on teenagers for half a year to find out about their dreams, fears, passions and what they need,” Håkon Moslet, head of youth TV at NRK told The Guardian. “What’s happening at the moment is kind of unique. There are young people from all over the world following a Norwegian-speaking show on NRK’s platforms and forming communities to help each other translate it into English and other languages.”
Well, now Skam appears to be getting a U.S. remake and we can’t wait to watch it.
The rights to the show have been picked up by media mogul Simon Fuller (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance and the former manager of the Spice Girls).
“Skam has the potential to be a very influential series in North American where we don’t have anything like it,” he explained. “It shows that Norway and Scandinavia are at the forefront of innovation and creativity and I am proud to be part of making Skam available to a much bigger audience than it is today.”
More recently, the show’s popularity has increased due to the LGBTQ+ storyline involving Isak and Evan. While Skam has always tackled real and pertinent issues affecting teenagers, the blossoming relationship between the two teen boys has inspired a plethora of new fans and catapulted Skam to stratospheric popularity.
“The show is very willing to tackle ignorance among Norwegian teens – you see a lot of it and you also see the part where they get educated,” Lise Ovesen, a 23-year-old student from Tromsø, Norway, told The Guardian. “And it educates the audience as well – for example there’s a lot of prejudice in this country when it comes to Muslims and I love that the show tackles that in the episodes [through the character of Sana, a smart, sharp Muslim girl]. It’s a very real issue and I hope featuring it helps educate Norwegian teens.”
For the U.S., Fuller plans to rename the show after it’s English translation, Shame. “There is precious little content created primarily for a teen audience and Shame provides this with great honesty and integrity,” Fuller said. “The show packs a punch and is leading the way in exploring multiplatform storytelling.”
While no network is currently attached to the upcoming TV show, Fuller has assured fans that the American remake will have the “essence” of the Norwegian original. Basically, this show is about to become the biggest thing on the planet and we can’t wait to become 100% embroiled in the lives of the characters.
While we wait for the American remake, Skam season 3 currently airs on NRK. Season 4 begins in spring 2017. You can find English subtitled episodes online.
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