Skam (Shame) is a Norwegian teen drama streaming television series about the daily life of teenagers at the Hartvig Nissen School, a gymnasium in the wealthy borough of Frogner in West End Oslo. It was produced by NRK P3, which is part of the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
Skam follows a new main character each season. While airing, a new clip, conversation or social media post was published in real-time on the NRK website on a daily basis. Each season has focus on particular topics, ranging from relationship difficulties, identity, eating disorders, sexual assault, homosexuality, mental health issues, religion, and forbidden love.
Despite no promotion ahead of its 2015 launch, Skam broke viewership records. Its premiere episode is among the most-watched episodes in NRK's history, and by the middle of season two, it was responsible for half of NRK's traffic. With season three, it broke all streaming records in Norway, along with viewership records in neighbouring countries Denmark and Sweden, and attracted an active international fanbase on social media, where fans promoted translations. The show repeatedly made international headlines for its popularity surge across the world, and the show's actors became famous worldwide. However, the international popularity was not expected, with the music industry requiring geoblocking of NRK's website due to music license contracts only supporting the Norwegian public. The series ended after its fourth season in 2017, reportedly due to high production stress.
Skam received critical acclaim and significant recognition for its portrayal of sexual abuse in the second season and homosexuality in the third. The series was also praised for its contributions to promote Norwegian language and culture internationally, as well as for its unique distribution format, adopting a new strategy of real-time, high-engagement, snippet-based distribution rather than rigidity and television schedules. It received multiple Norwegian awards throughout its run, being honored for its dramatic narrative, innovative storytelling format, writing, directing, and actors' performances. The success of the series has spawned an American version led by Skam showrunner Julie Andem, as well as multiple European remakes, four books containing original scripts, and blooper reels.
Cast and characters[]
- Lisa Teige - Eva Kviig Mohn
- Josefine Frida Pettersen - Noora Amalie Sætre
- Tarjei Sandvik Moe - Isak Valtersen
- Iman Meskini - Sana Bakkoush
- Ina Svenningdal - Christina "Chris" Berg
- Ulrikke Falch - Vilde Hellerud Lien
- Marlon Langeland - Jonas Noah Vasquez
- Thomas Hayes - William Magnusson
- Carl Martin Eggesbø - Eskild Tryggvasson
- Henrik Holm - Even Bech Næsheim
- David Stakston - Magnus Fossbakken
- Sacha Kleber Nyiligira - Mahdi Disi
- Cengiz Al - Yousef Acar
- Herman Tømmeraas - Christoffer "Penetrator-Chris" Schistad
- Cecilie Martinsen - Ingrid Theis Gaupseth
- Kristina Ødegaard - Sara Nørstelien
- Rakel Øfsti Nesje - Linn Larsen Hansen
- Liv-Anne Trulsrud - Mari Aspeflaten
- Ruby Dagnall - Emma W. Larzen
- Yousef Hjelde Elmofty - Mikael Øverlie Boukhal
- Simo Mohamed Elhbabi - Elias Bakkoush
- Adam Ezzari - Adam Malik
- Mutasim Billah - Mutasim Tatouti
International versions[]
| Country | Local title | Network | Setting/Filming location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium (Dutch) | wtFOCK | Current: VIER/Play4, GoPlay Former: VIJF, Play More, Streamz |
Koninklijk Anteneum Berchem, Antwerp, Belgium (seasons 1–5) Kunstkaai Secondary School, Antwerp, Belgium (seasons 6–present) |
| Croatia | Sram | HRT 1, HRTi | Prirodoslovna škola Vladimira Preloga, Zagreb, Croatia |
| France | Skam France Skam Belgique |
France.tv Slash, France 4 | Lycée Dorian, Paris, France |
| Belgium (French) | RTBF Auvio, La Trois | ||
| Germany | Druck | funk, ZDFneo | Barnium-Gymnasium, Berlin, Germany |
| Italy | Skam Italia | TIMvision, Netflix | Liceo J. F. Kennedy, Rome, Italy |
| Netherlands | Skam NL | NPO 3 (NTR) | St-Gregorius College, Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Spain | Skam España | Movistar+ | Instituto Isabel la Católica, Madrid, Spain |
| United States | Skam Austin | Facebook Watch | Bouldin High School, Austin, Texas, U.S. (filmed at Crockett High School, Austin, Texas, U.S.) |
International broadcast[]
| Country | Network |
|---|---|
| Norway | p3.no, NRK TV, NRK3 |
| Denmark | DR TV, DR3 |
| Finland | Yle Areena |
| Iceland | RÚV |
| Sweden | SVT Play |