How Social Media Drove This Norwegian TV Hit & Spawned An Upcoming American Remake

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Norway is invading America in the form of a popular scripted series aimed at teen girls. Skam, or Shame in English, is a weekly show that follows a group of high school kids dealing with social anxiety, drinking, religion, depression, and their sexuality, both in real life and online.

Simon Fuller, the producer who saw the potential in translating Pop Idol into American Idol, made the deal with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) to produce a version of Skam for U.S. audiences.

Fuller was reportedly drawn to the drama because of its unique release strategy — four to six short scenes are posted online each week, these scenes are available at the same time as they supposedly take place — if a character is seen in school on a Tuesday morning, the short video drops Tuesday morning. The same goes for a party on Saturday night. These are then included in the full episode released on Friday night. In addition, the characters have their own Instagram and Facebook pages that are updated consistently to reflect plot developments.

More than one million people stream the weekly episodes; in a country of five million, and roughly 19% of them being 14 or under, that makes Skam one of the most successful series in Norway’s history. This was all done without any television promotion, except for a single interview with two of the stars after the show was a hit. Advertising is all on social media to stay in line with the themes and release of the show.

The show’s creator, Julie Andem, even uses social media comments and fan pages to tweak the narrative. She reads comments left by fans and critics to redirect storylines and keep the world believable.

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Tell us what you think! Will you check out the American version of Shame? And what do you think of this unique release approach? Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.