Jamie Brittain and Bryan Elsley’s teen drama series, “Skins,” might have been ahead of its time back in the aughts, or maybe those times weren’t as progressive as they should’ve been when it came to the representation of teenagers on television. Despite primarily targeting a British audience, “Skins” truly felt universal and accessible for a lot of youngsters around the world.
The ensemble cast of “Skins” (featuring future Hollywood stars like Nicholas Hoult, Daniel Kaluuya, Jack O’Connell, Dev Patel, and Kaya Scodelario) was charmingly colorful, fun, and most importantly, relatable for a generation that often felt misunderstood and mistreated. Following the interpersonal lives of these people who were on the brink of adulthood, “Skins” understood how to portray such delicate themes as substance abuse, mental health issues, dysfunctional family dynamics, and sexuality without being didactic or judgmental.
Sure, the show featured a lot of hardcore debauchery that defined most of its characters’ everyday lives (after all, they were in sixth form), but it also allowed the viewer to resonate with them and their problems in a profound way, which often brought on a healthy introspection. It’s no surprise then that the British program was a trailblazer (winning numerous awards, including two BAFTAs) that ended up influencing a ton of movies and TV shows (including this overlooked British superhero series) that delved into thematically similar subjects. One of those was the 10-episode Israeli miniseries “Euphoria” in 2012, of which Sam Levinson’s mega-hit American version with the same name (starring Zendaya, whose upcoming 2026 sci-fi movie needs to be on your radar) is actually based on.
Skins walked so Euphoria could run
“Skins” ran from 2007 to 2013 for seven seasons, completely changing its cast every two years due to its initial concept and structure — except for the final installment that brought back three main characters (Hannah Murray’s Cassie, Kaya Scodelario’s Effy, and Jack O’Connell’s Cook) from previous seasons and gave them separate stories that focused on their lives in their early 20s. While opinions about the two-season “eras” widely vary (personally, we think the first two were superior to anything that came after by a mile), it’s undeniable that “Skins,” as a whole, did a lot for how the depiction of teenagers on the small screen has evolved over the years.
All the excessive and often over-the-top drug abuse and explicit sexuality that Sam Levinson was empowered to do more than a decade later in “Euphoria” may not have been possible if it weren’t for “Skins.” That also goes for the more delicate subject matters the HBO show explored both in style and depth, such as depression, bipolar disorder, toxic relationships, suicidal ideation, and personal trauma. We’ll soon see whether the upcoming third and final season can live up to that high quality, or if it will fizzle out completely. But even if it does, that won’t diminish the greatness of the first two seasons, just like the latter seasons of “Skins” couldn’t lessen the show’s lasting impact.
If you’re in the U.S., “Skins” is currently available to stream on Hulu. Be aware, though, that Disney just raised the price of a Hulu subscription in late 2025, so you’ll need to shell out at least $11.99 to stream it, and that’s for the ad-supported tier.
