'Secret Life of the American Teenager'

Verne Gay | Off Camera

July 1, 2008

Molly Ringwald stars in upcoming show "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" on ABC Family. (ABC Family)

Reason to watch For some familiar old friends, like Molly Ringwald and Ernie Hudson (the warden in "Oz") and some promising newbies, like Shailene Woodley. It also marks the return of producer-creator Brenda Hampton, who was show-runner for "7th Heaven," the family-friendliest series since "The Waltons."

What it's About Late one afternoon, Amy (Woodley) returns home from summer band camp, says hi to mom, Anne (Ringwald), and rushes to the bathroom, where she pulls out a pregnancy kit. Does what she has to do, and then - camera pans in close and hard - her petite teen face seems to age a dozen years. Yes, she's ... And so begin Amy's problems. She confides to school pals Lauren and Madison, but matters are further complicated because the guy who got her pregnant, Ricky (Daren Kagasoff), is a braggart with a history of conquests. His hypersexuality is a result of being abused by his father. Meanwhile, the hallways of Ulysses S. Grant High are seething with hormones, and even the nice Jewish kid, Ben (Kenny Baumann), seems to have lost his mind, wondering how he will get some action, too. He's attracted to Amy, but doesn't know her secret - yet. There's also the nice Christian kid, Jack (Greg Finley), who wants to honor his girlfriend Grace's (Megan Park) vow of chastity, but what he wants and what he does are two separate matters. Amy's parents? Clueless.

The bottom line I would like to say how "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" is a wonderful, heartwarming and edifying tale of modern life. But that would be a fib. The pilot was so uneven that the whole affair nearly veers into "Reefer Madness" territory -- the kind of over-the-top cautionary fable that subverts honorable intentions through hysteria or cliche. Despite its pedigree, "Teenager" doesn't appear to have ever stepped inside a high school, either. Unfortunately, TV has been so adept at selling sex to teens (thanks, MTV et al!), it can't quite figure out how to do the opposite. Hopefully, "Teenager" will find its legs and meet the challenge. The subject, after all, is so terribly important.