Written by Gabrijela Jelenčić, XVIII. gimnazija, Zagreb

The new TV series Sram (Shame) has caught on with Croatian young people. Since October 27, 2024, when the first clip of this intense series was released, many have been waiting for new short spoilers every day, while those with more patience have been waiting for Sunday to watch a new episode of the series at 9 p.m. Why is it so and is the series actually as good as people say?

Sram is a Croatian TV series which is based on the original Norwegian series called Skam. The series was a huge success with the audience. The total number of views on Sram‘s official channels on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram has reached 27.7 million, according to HRT. Apart from Croatia, seven other countries have made their own version of the series. The first Croatian season, which has ten episodes, was broadcast at the exact time and day when things happened in the series on the YouTube channel, and the entire episode could be watched on HRT on Sundays at 9:00 p.m from the end of October to the end of December 2024.
All the actors from the series have social media accounts where they appear as the characters they play in the series, so all this makes the series more real and attractive and gives the impression that these are our peers, to whom everything shown in the series is actually happening. The series follows a love couple – Eva, played by Lucija Janković, and Jakov, played by Jagor Katičić, who are in a constant state of conflict.

Eva tries to find some friends and fit in while worrying about the hidden motives of her former best friend, who is also her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. Another central character is Lovro, played by Borna Šimunek, (a student of the 18. grammar school Zagreb), who is the third wheel and constantly sabotages the possible progress of Eva’s and Jakov’s relationship.
This series faithfully shows the life of young people, the problems they face and the conflicts they find themselves in. Since the story is so dynamic, the series is very intense and with each new clip you only think about what will happen next and where these actions will lead the characters that we love so much (or don’t love😊). Most characters are extremely interesting and likeable, and I believe that everyone watching the serices can find at least one character that they could relate to. The quality of the series is also acknowledged by the fact that it has been nominated for the Golden Studio Award of Jutarnji List, a Croatian national paper, in the category of the Best TV Series in 2024.
To conclude, everyone who decides to watch at least one episode will be thrilled and curious to see how the story continues. That’s how this journalist, due to the assignment, has watched one episode for the sake of a review, and along the way has become a big fan of the series.
