We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the original Norwegian SKAM is one of the best TV shows about high school ever made. The Oslo-set teen drama became a global phenomenon thanks to extremely ship-able couples, a real-time release schedule, and actually believable social media posts from its characters. It added a new dimension to what we know as television, blurring fiction and reality in a non-annoying way.
Today, we got the first taste of the American version, SKAM Austin, written and produced in part by the SKAM OG and creator, Julie Andem. Based on the clips we’ve seen so far, which are housed on the show’s Facebook Watch page, this one seems to be following the original format, giving us looks into the characters’ lives through Instagram vids and selfies.
Though we’ve been admittedly skeptical since the remake was announced, the teaser bits we’ve seen show promise. The Texas-ization is already apparent; the original's Russ buses seem to have been turned into sports teams and catty high school cliques, for example. Overall, the rollout proves that lots of careful, meticulous planning went into this. (There's what looks like a back-dated Instagram post of a Mannequin Challenge video from February 2016, and at least one character from the show follows The FADER on Instagram.)
SKAM Austin clips will start airing next Tuesday, April 24 on Facebook Watch, seemingly in real-time, just like the original. Whether or not the show will rule remains to be seen, but we have faith in Julie Andem's vision, so here’s to hoping. For more on SKAM, read this in-depth story about the original Norwegian hit, and follow SKAM Austin's Facebook page for all updates.