"Secret Life of the American Teenager" Makes Sex a Family Affair

amp160amp160There is no other series quite like ABC Familyamp8217s The Secret Life of the American Teenager a genuinely entertaining family drama that is more heartwarming than just about anything else on television and yet so sexually supercharged that it borders on the surreal This show puts so many hormones in play it makes Gossip Girl feel like Gidgetamp160For example Secret Lifeamp8217s second season began with its main characters obsessing over breasts Much of this talk was centered on Amy Shailene Woodley the often bratty 15yearold who found herself pregnant at the start of the series gave birth seemingly without breaking a sweat in the Season One finale and is now struggling to care for her son while continuing in high school and her mother Anne who is pregnant by a male acquaintance or possibly by her estranged husband and Amyamp8217s father George Naturally Amy and Anne are both a little topheavy right now prompting a broad range of responses from their loved onesamp160As any loyal viewer will tell you the very likable characters on Secret Life never miss an opportunity to share their thoughts about wanting sex having sex or abstaining from sex In the season premiere the only breaks from talking about babymaking came when talking about babies themselves amp8211 especially Amyamp8217s twomonth old bundle of love John who has turned his badboy babydaddy Ricky Daran Kagasoff and Amyamp8217s toounderstandingtobebelieved boyfriend Ben Kenny Baumann into buckets of boymush One subplot veered from talk about sex to talk about abstinence to an actual act of intercourse that occurred offscreen as sensitive jock Jack Greg Finley bedded cheerful cheerleader Grace Megan Park a devout Christian who prayed for months before deciding to lose her virginity In a scene that I am almost certain was not intended to be amusing but was Grace couldnamp8217t stop complimenting Jack after they did amp8220itamp8221 sounding not for a second like a teenage firsttimer as she told him how amp8220skilledamp8221 he was at lovemakingamp160The only other time that the cloud of allconsuming sex talk parted was for the delivery of devastating news The sudden death of Graceamp8217s dad Marshall which happened at approximately the same time she was having sex with Jack This lead to a whole new kind of sex talk in the seasonamp8217s second episode for this somewhat singleminded show A devastated Grace put the blame for her fatheramp8217s death squarely on herself convinced that God struck him down because she committed a sin Everyone weighed in on Graceamp8217s crisis but none so movingly as Jack who after failing like everyone else to get through to her went off by himself guzzled a beer and broke downamp160I wonder why this series is titled The Secret Life of the American Teenager No matter how intimate or potentially embarrassing the kids on this show have no secrets from each other or the adults in their lives amp8211 none that last anyway Everything is in play with everyone all of the time just like it was in the best contemporaryfortheirtime family series of yesteryear from The Brady Bunch to Family to The Cosby Show That may be the most laudable of its many fine qualitiesamp160The many responsibilities that come with and consequences that may result from youthful sexual activity have always been the driving forces of Secret Life I have watched many episodes in the company of adults and young teenagers and while the old folks have been slackjawed at all the sex talk the kids just brushed it off and made clear to the adultsamp8217 collective relief that reallife is nothing like Secret Life a series they nevertheless love more than any otheramp160Although it is very often overthetop in its strident determination to explore all facets of teen sexuality there is something strangely comforting and quietly appealing about Secret Life Itamp8217s all about a community of ordinary people making their way through complicated challenges The characters screw up constantly but when one gets in too deep he or she is rescued and comforted by family and friends Teens and their parents are often at odds but they just as often find themselves connecting even when they donamp8217t expect to do soamp160In a recent scene that pretty much defines the tone of the show Benamp8217s dad Leo recently brought home goodtime girl Betty the invaluable Jennifer Coolidge in a recurring role after taking her to dinner and he had to rouse his son out of bed to borrow a few condomsamp160amp8220Iamp8217m optimisticamp8221 geeky Ben offered as his dad opened his overstocked condom draweramp160amp8220So am Iamp8221 Leo smiled as he grabbed a fistfulamp160Another reason that Secret Life resonates with viewers consistently bringing ABC Family some of the highest ratings in its history and often outperforming competing broadcast and basic cable fare in teen and young adult demos is that while the narrative focus is clearly on its multidimensional teen characters the adults on the show are similarly welldrawn For example there isnamp8217t another couple on television quite like everquarreling Anne and George played to comic perfection by onetime boxoffice teen queen Molly Ringwald and the always appealing Mark Derwin nor a single dad as genuinely grounded as Leo Steven Schirripa in a perfect turnaround from his role as hitman Bobby Baccala on The Sopranos These are just a few of the many grownups who add a good deal to this show and avoid every clichamp233 about TV moms and dads while doing so Theyamp8217re as much fun to watch as their mixedup millennials

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"Secret Life of the American Teenager" Makes Sex a Family Affair

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Ed Martin

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"Secret Life of the American Teenager" Makes Sex a Family Affair

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