BRITAIN GIVES BIRTH TO TWO MORE U.S. TV SHOWS

Two more audience-tested British TV series are jumping across the pond, this time into arms of MTV. Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported today (Monday) that MTV is planning to produce a U.S. version of Skins, about a group of teens dealing with their dysfunctional families, volatile relationships, and authority figures who would rather be their friends and, in some cases, lovers (teachers, in particular). Another show, The Inbetweeners, is sometimes described as a comedy version of Skins. (The Guardian says that an MTV deal is being “finalized;” ABC is also reported to be interested in the series.) “When there’s a great show there’s a history in America of adapting other countries’ formats,” David Janollari, MTV’s head of scripted development, told the newspaper. “A good show with a unique point of view and a distinctive voice is always what we’re looking for, wherever it comes from.” The shows represent a new direction — away from reality TV — for MTV, Tony DiSanto, the cable network’s president of programming, told the Guardian. “Reality shows tend to burn bright and then burn out. … Scripted shows have more legs.”