The influence of Skam (2015-2017) after its astoundingly successful run has remained very relevant. Its memory is sustained through seven international remakes, both satisfying the loss left in the show’s loyal fandom (to a point), and gaining plenty of new fans along the way. 

This is the hard-earned result of production companies from various countries (mainly European), negotiating deals for the rights to produce their own versions of the hit web series for their respective audiences. Such agreements have created a Skam in France, Germany, Italy, the United States, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium. One cannot help but see such endeavours as admirable, given the achieved popularity of the original and its aim to speak for and to the youth of Norway, on themes such as mental health, sexuality, sexual assault and religion. In today’s society, which is so openly lived through media outlets, and with the multitude of problems that did not exist for prior generations, it is a necessity to facilitate such platforms from which teenagers can effectively relate to and learn from.

Some may view the existence of eight kindred shows to be excessive, but of course it is all about perspective. Skam authentically showcases a mirror image of the world we live in, providing its viewers with something recognisable. This similarity may be to ourselves, to a friend, a stranger, or perhaps a situation. It propagates ideas of empathy and acceptance, both in the analysis of our own identity and that of others, and for that alone it should be commended. But it is not a true representation of every society. For example, “russefeiring”, which is a major plot point in the show is a tradition that is exclusive to Norwegian culture. Replicating this aspect, in let’s say the French adaption, where it simply does not exist would be an example of utter negligence in writing. Therefore the remakes renounce such an approach and instead attempt to put their own spin on the show, while remaining faithful to the original storylines. Through this template, young people in each of the above countries have gained access to a form of representation in media that hopefully they see as a genuine reading. If one considers the remakes in isolation, and for the viewing pleasure they offer their corresponding regional/national audiences, they appear to be an amazing idea. 

The remakes, following in the footsteps of their predecessor, have likewise engaged an international fandom. As a self-proclaimed obsessive fan of the original series, I was thrilled to discover the news of the first few remakes, if not a tad sceptical of their potential. But I was impressed with what I was seeing and devotedly followed each one. You may ask yourself how, just  how I watched the same story play out repeatedly, but in all honesty they kept me entertained – the concept makes good tv and each remake brings with it a fresh take on things (or at least tries). It goes without saying that some were better received than others, but they all had one advantage over the original: these new writers had prior knowledge regarding what aspects of the storyline spawned negative feedback from audiences, with some making efforts to avoid such reactions, by omitting and changing certain points. Some of these decisions have proven to be sagacious, especially with regards to season 2’s focus on the relationship between “Noora” and “William” which many fans viewed as toxic. Writers have tried to adapt the character of “William” to be more likeable and empathetic, in turn creating a more favourable buzz for this significant relationship.

A fair number of the remakes have run into issues of representation, which is a major aspect of the arts today as creators are constantly aspiring to meet the ever growing expectations of viewers when it comes to casting. Skam Italia was met with heavy criticism due to their casting choice of the character “Sana”, as the actress is not actually muslim. Viewers believed that this reduced the show’s authentic impact and took away opportunities from a community that is already so rarely represented in the media. This issue remains contentious, but nonetheless stands to be a significant factor of consideration, looking at the success of the versions that stayed true to the original in this sense. Likewise Skam España initiated a lot of hate within and between fandoms of the various remakes, and towards actors of the show because of comments made on social media. In its season 2 they replicated season 3 of Skam, deciding  instead to portray a relationship between two girls rather than two boys. Problems arose when actors from the show, including the main of that season, made comments about how they did not recognise pansexuality as its own identity, saying it was basically the same as bisexuality. This caused uproar from fans all over, with many deciding this particular remake had lost any credibility as it is widely known that the character of “Even”, who was introduced in season 3, identified as pansexual. Therefore, even with the advantage of foreknowledge, the remakes still experience major setbacks.

The future of tv shows are always uncertain, and due to ratings, finance, and production problems two of the remakes – Skam Italia after three seasons and Skam Netherlands after just two – have already been cancelled. Some have been much more successful within their countries, like Skam France, which has been renewed for a fifth season, going beyond the four seasons of the original show. It is a disheartening situation as these two cancelled remakes were, in my opinion, two of the better ones, especially compared to the French adaption, but of course each country operates differently and international ratings only count for so much in comparison to domestic viewing. 

What once appeared as the constant emergence of remakes has become more stagnant, and I think that this is a good thing. Maybe there will be more in the future, perhaps even an Irish adaption? But if there are to be more, I definitely believe there should be some space and time between them and the ones currently airing. Moreover, it can be argued that the influence of Skam has led to much more than just its own remakes. It appears to have paved the way for the recent popularity of more international television, especially in the case of teenage content. This is evident with the Netflix series Elite (Spanish) and Baby (Italian). There have also been reports of Skam creator Julie Andem signing a deal with HBO to create and develop series for them for at least two years. Such developments have introduced a refreshing perspective on television as a whole, acknowledging the fact that there is an entire other world to be explored, that is not to be found only in the US or Great Britain.