Review: “SKAM”

Cover+image+for+Norwegian+drama+SKAM%2C+pronounced+shame+in+English.

Cover image for Norwegian drama “SKAM,” pronounced “shame” in English.

“SKAM,” a Norwegian teen drama, is a show about a group of teenagers and their time at their school, Hartivg Nissen. The show features the different characters and their struggles but also how different their friend group is. The Norwegian TV show “SKAM” does a good job of demonstrating different teenage struggles that people from different countries can relate to.

“SKAM” was produced by NRK P3 and was developed, written, and directed by Julie Andem. The show first aired in 2015 and ended in 2017. It won 16 awards during that time. “SKAM” is rated 4.2/5 stars and is recommended for viewers 13+.

The group of teenagers in the show, Noora, Eva, Sana, Vilde, Isak, Chris, Jonas, William, and Even, all go to Hartvig Nissen’s upper secondary school. The 4 seasons that the show produced are in Eva’s, Noora’s, Isak’s, and Sana’s point of view and how they all live very different lives, while still being friends.

The show “SKAM” is not meant to be just a TV show; it’s meant to be something for the Gen Z generation to identify with. Because of that, it has several different avenues you are meant to receive information from. The TV show aired every week, but during the week on their websites, there were “text messages” between the different characters so you know what’s going on. People who watched “SKAM” could also look at the characters’ Instagram accounts that are run by the actual actors who play them. These messages and posts from the website are timed in a certain way so you could see it as if the characters are real people. This means that new watchers are not truly into the show the way that people who watched it from the beginning are.

I rate this show 4.5/5 because in my opinion, it’s a great show that is taking a whole new direction for TV watching for this generation. The show had such a big impact in Norway for teens that it has 7 different remakes of the show in different countries. Young people identified so much with the characters because it was so realistic. People actually believed that the actors were real people and the actors had to convince people that they weren’t actually teenagers. This show brings up conversation and topics that are relevant to people our ages. Their are topics of sexual assault, LGBTQ+, mental illness, religion, and race. It helps people talk about these topics and also represent people that are not always talked about in media.