ABC Family's "Secret Life of the American Teenager" Tells It Like It Is (Or Does It?)
By Ed Martin TV / Video Download Archives
Critics these days don’t seem to be paying a whole lot of attention to ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager, choosing instead to fawn over its primary time period competitor, The CW’s high-profile Gossip Girl, which also revolves around teen tumult and turmoil. Tellingly, the media is drawn more to the outsize fantasy of Gossip Girl than the underscored reality of Secret Life. The fact that the latter often attracts more total viewers than the former – even in such crucial demographics as viewers 12-34, women 18-34 and adults 18-49 – seems to be of little interest. It’s an odd disconnect, not simply because Secret Life is the most successful original series in the history of ABC Family, but because with its straightforward exploration of teen sexuality and pregnancy it is arguably the most controversial show on television. Or it would be, if the real-life problems of the suburban kids on Secret Life were as interesting to myopic media mavens as the otherworldly crises of the obscenely wealthy brats on Gossip Girl.
Before I proceed, please understand that the comments above are not meant as slams against Gossip Girl, which can be grandly entertaining in its own right, even if its characters seem so utterly alien during our deepening economic crisis. While it may be damn near impossible to muster up sympathy of any kind for S and B and the rest of their toxic pals ‘n gals, it is great fun watching them suffer. Conversely, it is easy to care about the kids on Secret Life, most of them a year or three younger than the Gossip gang, and all of them considerably less flush with cash.
What is the secret to Secret’s success? I have a few thoughts on the subject, but I am not in the demos that ABC Family is handily targeting with this show. I will say that the best scene this season was the one in which Amy, the pregnant 15-year-old high school student at the center of the story, blithely told her mother Anne that she expected her to care for the baby after it arrived, so that Amy could continue going to school. When Anne informed her daughter that if she wanted to keep the baby she would have to take care of it herself or get a job to help defray child-care costs, the look on Amy’s face was priceless.
For more relevant insights, I’ll defer to JackMyers.com teen media critic Maya Motavalli, a 14-year-old who has been obsessed with Secret Life since it premiered in 2008. For the record, Maya prefers to watch each new episode when it is first telecast, or the following day via her DVR. She doesn’t mind watching episodes of this show (or any other) online, but her first choice is to enjoy television on her TV. Also, Maya is really angry with ABC Family for cancelling her other favorite show, Kyle XY. But that hasn’t compromised her appreciation of Secret Life.
Maya says:
Any teenager can easily explain why The Secret Life of the American Teenager is so great. It has a fantastic cast of young actors, it is filled with interesting characters that can’t be found in other television shows and it has a plot that thickens with each episode. Throw in one unforgettable night at band camp (when the main character had sex for the first time and became pregnant) and you’ve got one of the best shows about teenagers in TV history.
There are so many things to love about this show. ABC Family does a great job with its plot twists, just like it does in all of its series – especially Kyle XY! Each week on Secret Life something spectacular usually happens that I can’t wait to see. Will Amy and her boyfriend Ben’s relationship stay strong? What’s going to happen to the baby? What about Amy’s parents? Will they get a divorce or will they get back together? Will Ricky (Amy’s baby daddy) and Grace be together happily ever after? Will Ricky’s evil father cause any more trouble?
I can’t get enough of these characters. When I watch the show I scream at Ricky, cry out at Amy and Grace, and cheer on Anne. I can’t help it: The characters are so messed up and so real. I know people who are just like each and every one, though none of them are pregnant. Amy, Ben, Grace and the others have become much more than characters. They’re like my friends, only we talk one-way. ABC Family has managed to capture all the clichés of high school kids and then mix them around in a new way. Who’s ever heard of a smart slut or a “nice” cheerleader? Any way you slice it, I couldn’t love these characters more.
I also love the messages of this show, and how it explores topics many other series would not dare to show to a “young” audience. Not long ago, teenage pregnancy was non-existent in television and movies. Teens got pregnant in real life but they never did in television’s happy and perfect world. But after the incredible success of Fox Searchlight’s Juno, teen pregnancy suddenly made its way into a show quicker than you can say “oops.” Secret Life shows the millions who watch it the dangers and responsibilities of teenage sex and young pregnancy, and it definitely shows girls what can happen if they follow Amy’s early bad choices. With Ricky, it also explores child abuse and rape. Ricky was sexually abused as a child, and Secret Life reveals how screwed up he’s become in his adolescence. That hasn’t been explored in TV either, at least not in shows made for younger viewers.
I do have some problems with Secret Life. Like Amy I just started high school in the fall, but in no way am I even thinking about having sex with anyone, even if I do go to band camp! In my school, there aren’t even that many people dating, let alone taking their relationships to the next level like that. At least Juno was sixteen and a junior, which is a little older. In my opinion, fifteen is way too young to be having sex, or to be continuously talking about it the way the kids on the show do, or to even be thinking about it all that much.
Another thing that bugs me is Ben and Amy’s actual relationship. Really, they go on one or two dates and suddenly they’re in love and ready to get married? That’s just odd. The way Ben stares into Amy’s eyes and gives her anything she wants – the way he is pretty much willing to die for her – well, I just don’t like it. Some may call it cute, but I just call it creepy. If Ben was my boyfriend, I probably would’ve dumped him weeks ago. It goes right back to their age: They are high school freshmen! You don’t find your soul mate in your freshman year of high school, and chances are the first person you date is definitely not going to be “the one.”
But I still love it. All in all, I can say that The Secret Life of the American Teenager is one of the best shows on television for teens ever. If you’re in the mood to laugh, or cry, or see things you never expected to see, look no further. Parents should watch it, too. Amy’s mom is very cool.
Ed Martin
Ed Martin is the chief television and content critic for MediaVillage. He has written about television and internet programming for several Myers publications since 2000, including The Myers Report, The Myers Programming Report, MediaBizBloggers a…
