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?
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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.
how could you even say that Jackie? this is showing girls not to get knocked up. It is showing what would happen if you did. And girls are getting knocked up anyway and its just showing real life. Besides who are you to say what can and can’t be on television?
ok people. if you dont have anything nice to say, dont say it at all.
by the way i love this show!
I have no idea what you all are talking about. I just graduated from HS and I could relate every single one of those characters to a personality in our class…even the perky religious girl. I think that this show has alot of potential to really show teens, like myself, the dangers of sex and what could happen if you do it. All in all I think ABC did well with this show. Bravo!
I love the show, and I’m a teenager myself and I’m disapointed to see people say that this is nothing like real teen lives. I’m currently finishing my last year of high school with 15 girls pregnant in the school right now. Teens do have sex. and sometimes consequences occur. Even if they aren’t having sex, their thinking about it. and you wouldnt beleive how many pregnancy scares and rumors come up in a week. Instead of complaining about it, or before you judge, get teens point of views first. “jackie” you need to rememebr way back to your teen years…what was widley talked about amonst you and your friends…I guarantee it was either boys or sex. so dont say the show is “encouraging” teens to get pregnant. it’s show the hard decisions girls have to make when something goes wrong.
way to go Pamela! i completly agree.
Uh, don’t know too many teenagers that act this way! Just finished 1st yr college & can tell you band kids are not popular, no offense but they’re geeks; the Christian kids were way over the top; not all 15 yr old boys are that obsessed w/sex (most of them are still goofy & into videogames); those girls talked so loudly about being pregnant it’s a shock the adults on the show didn’t hear this. Can you feel the “7th Heaven” influence??? Do we know where this show supposedly takes place – Little Hicksville, Middle America?
I can’t believe I even read this article. Why is anyone trying to compare this TV SHOW to real life? This is why I don’t watch much TV, get a life people.
It is funny to read teenagers’ comments though, I can remember being that obsessed with my ‘insignificant to the real world’ life.
For all the people who are complaining about this show, you must have never been a teenager. As a 15 year old girl I see these types of people everyday. Everything that is said is true in that show. I’m not out haveing sex, but with 3 girls in my grade preg-o I see were they get the material for this show. If you dont think this type of stuff is happening at your kids school your only kidding yourself
I really love this show. I think the character Amy is very well portrayed as a shy,smart,nice innocent girl. She isn’t the typical pregnant high school slut. I go to a catholic high school and I can point out all of these stereo types at my school also but not quite so extreme. Overall I think it is a very good show and does a nice job of portraying American teenagers.
I love this show…but it is nothing like my high school experience. We weren’t all obsessed with having sex, nobody joined band to get the girl, and they certainly did not hand out condoms (even though the school joke was not to drink from the choir fountain, as nearly half the choir got pregnant every year). Or maybe I just hung out with the squares, lol. But sex was never as important in my high school as it is in this show. Still love it, tho and adore Ben and Amy together!
well i would like to see someone who is not having sex portrayed as normal, or popular, or fine…or emphasized in some way. just to show that perspective. rather than always seeing a girl get pregnant and guy wanting to have sex. In high school, I, for one, didn’t constantly want to have sex with someone (or anyone as is displayed) even if I was thinking about it to these percentages.
Sadly, it seems as though many of you don’t get the point of this show. This show is meant to encourrage parents and teens to be comfortable enough to speak about sex. Obviously, many parents in this country are not speaking to their kids, that is why there is such a high teen pregnancy rate. I am 30 years old, I have been out of high school for 12 years and I can tell you right now, the high school I went to had all of this stuff going on!! It is not exagerated at all; pregnancy was glamorous in our high school and girls who wanted to wait till they were married were made fun of horribly, there isn’t just peer pressure about drugs and alcohol sex it a big pressure as well. So for those of you who are in denial; until you open your eyes and admit there is a problem the cycle will continue. And to those teenagers and parents reading this….TALK about sex, and being responsible. Wait till marriage!
I love this show, a lot of it is true in high school, except for all of the religious things. In high school if a cheerleader were that religious it would be ignored not glorified and made popular. It is nice to see that religion still exists in this high school, but I dont think that it is like that in real life.
I think that its sad but How can a guy like that and her have sex in camp if there are coaches everywere and i dont think they just did it in front of them and any ways she dosnt even look 15,Her younger sister looks older than her
Yea I agree the chrisianity is WAY over done, I think that if the writers got rid of all of the religious things or at least minimize it the show would be amazing.