Image Credit: MTVThe Parents Television Council is taking its anti-Skins campaign to the next level.
The lobbying group is urging members to contact their state attorneys general, urging them to investigate whether local cable and satellite providers violated child pornography laws by distributing the show.
The news comes as more advertisers have distanced themselves from the show and the third episode garnered only 1.5 million viewers on Monday night.
But an MTV spokesperson says all 10 episodes of the show will air, and despite rumors to the contrary, it will not cancel the show.
“It is unfortunate that we have reached the point of having to call for a criminal investigation into the production and distribution of an MTV show depicting minors in sexual situations,” said PTC President Tim Winter. “As if the blatant teen drug and alcohol abuse on Skins isn’t enough, the fact that MTV allegedly considered whether its program might have violated child pornography laws — and then went ahead and aired it anyway — is beyond repulsive.”
Winter is referring to a New York Times story that said MTV executives were concerned the show might have violated child porn laws.
Read more:
‘Skins’: MTV releases racy new teaser, GM places show on ‘do not buy’ list
MTV’s new teen hit ‘Skins’: Could it be flirting with child pornography?
Okay, I’m English, and the American version of Skins is pathetic … firstly the drinking age, and age of consent make this all much more likely in the UK, MTV didn’t even attempt to change the script! Two countries, two cultures, and British humour sorry guys but it’d be like you attempting to make an American version of the Inbetweeners (check it out!) + Overreaction from the parents much! CHILL OUT!
Sorry English person. Apparently we American’s are more uptight than we thought.
Yes, we are. And the PTC should be urged to p*ss up a rope and let people decide for themselves what they want to watch on TV.
Yeah, it would be like UK television trying to remake an American television institution like Law & Order. ‘Cos that would NEVER happen…
I think they are doing an American version of The Inbetweeners, actually.
Whether I agree or disagree, I just love MTV looking like fools and getting bad press.
Completely agree. Mtv sucks. There is absolutely nothing on their network I would want to watch. They should just give up pretending to be a music network…
Ugh, I don’t even watch this show (or really anything on MTV these days for that matter), but can the PTC just shut up already? We don’t need a stupid group like yours to parent the world.
Agreed. The funny thing is they just wont let it die. Tons of sponsors dropped out, they got their win and they’re still not happy. MTV is still going to air it no matter what the PTC says, why make yourselves look like idiots. I hate that groups like the PTC try to get shows canceled just because they don’t like them. If you don’t like a show, don’t watch, it’s that simple. The worst part is, Skins is getting all this press for being “edgy” when it should be getting press for being a crap show.
Best message board name ever.
This is giving me a headache.
Damn it now I have to start watching Skins because of my anti-dumbass-boycott policy (saw the Dilemma becausee GLAAD and Anderson Cooper—who is so far in the close he’s finding xmas presents—got their panties in a twist).
*oops closet
The Dilemma came out already?
PLEASE CANCEL THIS SHOW MTV! It is terrible. An epic fail at trying to replicate U.K.’s version. And it’s so watered down that, in my opinion, it’s just like any other teen show on television. This show would’ve done much better had it been on HBO. Their shows are known for “going there” and it would’ve been a perfect home for an American Skins. But no, MTV had to ruin it for everyone and mess it up. Just cancel it you losers! It had so much potential but MTV, you just ruined everything.
That is what I said from the beginning! I always thought HBO would’ve be a perfect place for a show like Skins, since the original had so much more to offer than simply being a “teen drama.”
This new version is too watered down. It just feels fake and stupid.
Why is the PTC still talking about this show, when no one else is?? Did they secretly invest money in the production and want to get the ratings up? It really seems like it.
The PTC is a group of uptight prudes who seem to think every TV show should be “Leave It To Beaver.” Oops, perhaps I shouldn’t have typed “Beaver” either.
For the hoopleheads in the PTC, here is how you cancel ANY show you don’t like: 1. Take careful note of the day, time, and channel of said show. 2. When that day and time arrive, ensure that your television is NOT tuned to that particular channel. This procedure is guaranteed to work for any show, any day, any time, any channel. In the meantime, DON’T TELL ME OR ANYONE ELSE WHAT THE HELL WE CAN AND CAN’T WATCH, OK???????
I dont get it are they saying the actors on the show are underage…or the fact that they are suppose to be teenagers…also if the PTC is so concerned then half the shows on mtv should go.
While i think this version of the show sucks the big one, the fact that the PTC is trying to get it canned makes me want to watch it just to annoy the frak out of them. I loathe the PTC.
I agree, the PTC is a not so much a guard dog, as a tiny little dog that yaps at everything. Skins is a decent show, I do want to watch the Uk version but have not yet, it does not offend me, I don’t think its appropriate for anyone under 15, but what the PTC need to understand is that PARENTS have the right to decide what is appropriate, not any one else. its also far to uptight, it lists The Big Bang Theory as a show inappropriate for children under 18….i mean come on
Mountain out of a mole hill. Tea is cute.
So wait, the PTC wants to take resources away from dealing with the actual abuse of children, and instead to be used to conduct a ludicrous investigation into a show on MTV just to further their agenda of opposing just about all of TV. What a bunch of offensive idiots.
I don’t agree with the PTCs campaign. However, MTV Skins is a horrible show. Terrible writing, even worse acting. If they do manage to get it canceled it’ll be no great loss.
If the writing is terrible, blame creators Bryan Elsley and Jamie Brittain, because from what I have read they chose to hire “green” (as in inexperienced) writers for the show. Eisley said in an interview with New York Magazine about hiring them, “We started at the top of the Hollywood tree and worked our way down, and it wasn’t until we got to the bottom that we actually found writers we liked. We started saying to agents, ‘Who have you just taken on? Who’s got a great play on somewhere?’ And that turned up just incredible writers that have never done anything.” Anyone making a TV series knows that you should hire both veteran and inexperienced writers, and if you’re gonna hire people from the latter field, make sure they can write a good product that people will like. Then again, not every show with that formula is an out-of-the gate, success as hiring inexperienced writers only could make the difference between whether it bombs or becomes a smash.
Sorry, I meant, “Then again, not every show with that formula is an out-of-the gate success, ‘and’ hiring inexperienced writers only could make the difference between whether it bombs or becomes a smash.”