Misfits & Skins series 1

MISFITS

Does this TV show challenge or reaffirm stereotypes?

At first, Misfits seems to reaffirm British stereotypes, especially of the lower class, but as the programme progresses and the characters develop, the stereotypes are challenged, for example, we get an insight into Alisha and Simon's characters as they develop in series 2.

Is this TV show conventional of a teen programme?

Yes, in some ways. The type of humour used is common among other teenage programmes, but the occasional violent sections are shocking and unexpected. The audience being aimed at seems to be older than teens due to the strong sexual content, but the humour is mostly aimed at a teen audience.

Is the fact that they are criminals a harsh truth of today’s society? Or is it in order to shock the audience?

The fact that the main protagonists in Misfits are criminals does reflect on the society of some places, but cannot be taken to be entirely true. For example, programmes like Inbetweeners reflect the behaviour of some teenagers in Britain, but not all. Featuring the protagonists as criminals however is unexpected and could shock the audience as they are used to watching 'good' main characters. This unique selling point could have been a main contributor to the programme's success.

MISFITS AND SKINS

How are the collective groups in these two TV shows defined through their attitudes to sex?

Misfits presents Simon as the 'loner', who struggles with social interactions, and we are told that he is a virgin. He is made fun of throughout the series by the character of Nathan because of this, and it is made a significant event in series 2 when he loses his virginity. However the character of Alisha, mostly in series 1 is presented as a girl who sleeps around, therefore her 'power' is to make everyone who touches her want to have sex with her.

Comparatively, in Skins series 1; in the very first episode, the character of Sid is talking to Tony about losing his virginity. Again, this is made a big deal and he is also portrayed as the slightly odd one. Both programmes tend to put a lot of emphasis on whether a character has had sex, however Skins does not present sex so graphically as Misfits, possibly because of the slightly younger target audience.