A few years out of the teen pool myself, I’ve rekindled my love for all things adolescent in an attempt at forestalling a pending quarter-life crisis. I’ve graduated from the cheese of Bayside High to the more revealing, truer-to-life Degrassi and Gossip Girl, so when I heard about ABC Family’s Secret Life of the American Teenager, I thought, "Yes! Real teen drama! With true teen issues! And if anyone can do it, the producers of 7th Heaven and Molly Ringwald can!"
So to the show. We open with Ringwald as the oblivious mom (is pot roast really anyone’s favorite meal??) and the ol’ pregnancy-test-in-the-French-horn trick. Even before we hear an Avril Lavigne song, we know what the "secret" is. Cut to the next day at school and an intro for the show’s top teens — and their sex lives…
Amy: Secret‘s star (Shailene Woody) is no doubt up the stick. No morning sickness yet, but her nerves are palpable even before she tells her friends, "Dude, I’m totes K Heigl in that movie!" Was anyone else bothered by the way she described her first time? Not sure it was sex?!? The baby growing in your uterus might be a good indicator. But more than that, it’s just disappointing to see young women always portrayed as sexually passive and all teen boys a la Superbad, just excited to lose their V-card.
More ‘Secrets’ after the jump…
Ricky: I don’t think I’m buying that this kid gets girls pregnant, has an overactive sex life andgoes to band camp. I do believe however that he would use the "blueballs" excuse with girlfriend(ish) Adrian — not so sure that thisbaton twirler (love the phallic symbolism) would buy it though.
Ben: Just the right amount of sweet to swoop in and be the shining nerd for our preggers protagonist. I hope this doesn’t turn into She’s All Thatsyndrome, where she eventually finds out that his love for her bloomedout of a bet. At least according to the season teaser, he’ll graduateto boyfriend status in no time.
Grace: "She’s not a goddess, she’s a Christian," says thesnarky female friend (who also tells Ben not to "objectify" Amy –little Women’s Studies major in the making!) to her horny male friends.The bubbly blonde cheerleader is dating Jack, who is "the guywho’s not having sex with his girlfriend" (but is later enjoying the"temptations of the flesh" with Adrian). The abstinent adolescent comesfrom the perfect seeming family, while Amy seems stuck with parents onthe brink of divorce and an angsty younger sis Ashley.
The first episode relied too heavily on stereotypes — girls rebelby wearing sexy clothes and eyeliner! Teenage boys have to have sex tosurvive! But wait, maybe all of that really was true in high school…What do you guys think? How well did Secret Life represent theAmerican teen? Did anything make you blush and go "yeah, me too" orwere you stuck rolling your eyes and wishing for more Ringwald?
interested enough to keep watching but not impressed at all. the whole “christian” thing was WAY too much (though that is how the “good little christian kids” seem to act around their peers. maybe that was realistic yet overblown.)
I was very disappointed in this series. I thought it was going to be Juno+Gossip Girl, not 7th Heaven with plot points changed. The stereotypes were embarassing, as was the acting. I’ve come to expect more from you, Ms. Ringwald!
Random aside: I was just with about 70 Christian teenagers last week, and almost none of them were as annoying as the blonde on this show. Give us a break writers, not all Christians are that perky and overbearing!
Are they trying to rip off Saved? I really think Molly Ringwald deserves better than this show.
As someone who never watched ’7th Heaven’, I am reaffirmed in my decision. This was dreck. Molly Ringwald definitely deserves better, and this whole concept could make a really awesome TV show. Unfortunately, this isn’t it.
I really enjoyed the show, I thought that it really did illustrate what some American teens are going through and that it shows what high school is really about, having the school whore, goody-goody, as well as the “geek” no one expects to end up pregnanat.
I thought that the plot had the potential of making a great T.V. show that reflects the lives of some teens… however.. the perky CHristian is a tad over the top. As a Christian I would stay true to my faith, but i wouldn’t discuss it that way with my friends. And the whole “everybodies having sex” thing: they even made the point to work in the factual percentage of how many hs students are sexually active. They way they really portrayed it on the show didn’t seem to have any relation with that data. 10th grade and only 1 of my friends have gone there. On the bright side… Ricky is kinda hot?
Yo Lisa watch the incredibly better SKINS (U.K. Channel 4 original). It shows it like it is without all the annoying stereotypes. Always at the top of my top list…yet never gets chosen. My teen agnst does return! Someone find me a nirvana t-shirt and some Cranberries.
yeah i thought it did pretty will protraying high school teens (like me)
we all started talking about sex like it was no big deal in like 6th grade but we dont actually start talking about actually “doing it” until high school
&& but yeah Christian thing is WAY over the top
like i am not a christian or religious at all but i do have a friend that is christian and she is not like that at all. so thats the only thing
but yeah
teens have sex on their mind 95% of the time
the other 5% of the time were thinking of boys.
i am soo happy that there is finally a show that shows what high schoolers are really thinkg about
not like that disney channel crap that makes high schoolers seem like they think about little elementary 1st grade stuff.
i think parents want to believe that thats what there child has on their mind
but if you watch secret life that is way more accurate so i reccomend parents to watch to see what their child/teen goes through
Horrible, trite, stereotypes. I wasn’t expecting anything better from ABC Family, but as anyone who watched the original Degrassi Jr. High knows, the teens years can be handled with sympathy and bald accuracy. Plus, I apologize, but I was there in the 80s. Molly Ringwald may have beautifully pegged the John Hughes teen zeitgeist, but she was never a great actress (Fresh Horses anyone?!?).
Absolutely horrible! All these writers trying to portray high school age kids are failing immensely. None of them have obviously been to high school in the past 5 years.
I’ve only seen commercials for this, but based on the commercials, I won’t be tuning in. It seems like it has a definite agenda along the lines of the sex ed teacher in Mean Girls- if you have sex, you will get pregnant and die. Especially the way Amy describes sex- “it wasn’t fun and definitely not like in the movies.” This seems to be sending an equally unhealthy message about sex as the Lolita-like hypersexualization of teens; that sex is always a bad idea and will not be fulfilling or enjoyable. I’m only two years removed from my teens, so I doubt that much has changed since I was in high school. Unfortunately, TV continues to stereotype and flatten out its teenage characters.
This is disguistingly depressing. It seems that everything in the media is trying to “encourage” teenage girls to get knocked up in high school so they can screw up their lives. I expected a lot more from ABC Family. Never would I thought they’d broadcast something of this type of so-called entertainment. These writers have realize that REAL teenage life isn’t like this, nor should it be. What ever happened to those shows like Boy Meets World? Wherever they went, they’re not coming back. Screw you writers!
This is disguistingly depressing. It seems that everything in the media is trying to “encourage” teenage girls to get knocked up in high school so they can screw up their lives. I expected a lot more from ABC Family. Never would I thought they’d broadcast something of this type of so-called entertainment. These writers have realize that REAL teenage life isn’t like this, nor should it be. What ever happened to those shows like Boy Meets World? Wherever they went, they’re not coming back. Screw you writers!
This is disguistingly depressing. It seems that everything in the media is trying to “encourage” teenage girls to get knocked up in high school so they can screw up their lives. I expected a lot more from ABC Family. Never would I thought they’d broadcast something of this type of so-called entertainment. These writers have realize that REAL teenage life isn’t like this, nor should it be. What ever happened to those shows like Boy Meets World? Wherever they went, they’re not coming back. Screw you writers!
ok i am really mad at what i am reading in the comments that people have to say about this show. It is my new favorite show. i love it. its a way for teenagers to conect with other troubles that kids are having their age to. and it can teach you a good lesson. so dont say crap about this show if you have never saw it.