I can’t decide how I feel about the MTV show Skins (Mondays 10 p.m.).  The show is frank in its depiction of teenage angst (much of it focused on sexuality), but I don’t have a problem with that aspect of the series even though I understand why some of the pervasive and destructive behaviors presented, such as excessive and illicit drug use, make people (especially parents) uncomfortable.

From what I’ve seen in the first two episodes, however, the claims by some groups that Skins is exploitative and crosses into the area of child pornography (because teenage actors are scantily clad and simulating sex acts) seem overstated.

On the other hand, I’m not a cheerleader for Skins because for every scene that seems authentic and revelatory in some way, there is another that is sloppily produced or silly.  For now, I’ll continue to watch and see how the series develops.

But, I can’t help but compare it to Shameless, the new Showtime series I’ve written about before and continue to enjoy more and more as it progresses.

Shameless deals with some of the same issues confronting teens in Skins and does so in a similarly straightforward way but with a great deal more emotional depth in the characterizations and with better storytelling and production values.  I’m excited to see each new episode and hope the series continues to entertain at a consistently high level (Showtime, Sundays 10 p.m.).