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The Secret Life of the American Teenager

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The Secret Life of the American Teenager
File:Secret life of the american teenager.jpg
The Secret Life of the American Teenager title card
Created byBrenda Hampton
StarringShailene Woodley
Molly Ringwald
Mark Derwin
India Eisley
Francia Raisa
Kenny Baumann
Daren Kagasoff
Megan Park
Greg Finley
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes1
Production
Executive producerBrenda Hampton
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running timeapprox. 43 minutes
Original release
NetworkABC Family
ReleaseJuly 1, 2008 –
present

The Secret Life of the American Teenager is an American television series that debuted on ABC Family on July 1, 2008. [1] The plot of the show focuses on the unplanned pregnancy of teenage Amy Juergens, and the effect that it has on her and her family. The show also explores the relationships of her classmates, like Ricky, the troubled drummer who fathered her baby at band camp; Adrian, the "bad girl", who wants Ricky for herself; Ben, who wants to win Amy's heart but doesn't know her secret; Grace, the ambitious cheerleader who is saving herself for marriage; and Jack, Grace's boyfriend, who is not sure he can wait until she finishes Medical school.

Cast

A freshman at Ulysses S. Grant High School and a French horn player in the school marching band. While at band camp, she has sex with Ricky, the drummer, and becomes pregnant. She doesn't want to tell her parents, but knows they will find out eventually. Her best friends Lauren and Madison are the only ones initially told about her pregnancy. After learning she is pregnant with Ricky's child, Amy meets and develops a crush on Ben Boykewick.
Amy's mom. She married George Juergens at a young age after finding out she was pregnant with her first child, Amy. She wonders if this was the right move on her part.
Amy's dad, who tells his daughters that boys like good girls. He has been cheating on his wife with the fiesty Adrian's mother, Cindy. Would George leave the Juergens for love elsewhere?
  • India Eisley as Ashley Juergens
Amy's 13-year-old sister who acts out and dresses against the dress code. She resents her older sister's good girl attitude.
The school's resident bad girl and a majorette in the marching band. Her mom is a flight attendant and is rarely home, leaving her daughter with a lot of freedom. She is going out with Ricky but thinks he is using her for sex, even though she wants to have a serious relationship wtih him. She and Jack have sex. No matter how bad she is, she is also doing well in school, but won't admit that to Ricky.
  • Kenny Baumann as Ben Boykewick
A wisecracking freshman at the school who tells his best friends Alice and Henry that he wants to lose his virginity and seeks out Amy. However, he is truly a romantic at heart and quickly falls in love with her, going as far as to join the marching band to spend time with her. But will he want to be with Amy when her secret comes to the surface?
  • Daren Kagasoff as Ricky Underwood
The drummer in the school marching band who was sexually abused by his father as a child and now lives in a foster home. He and his psychiatrist believe this has led to his womanizing and promiscuity with women, because Ricky feels that he must have sex with every girl he meets in a vain effort to prove to himself his own masculinity. But one fateful night might prove more than this resident bad boy can deal with, when he finds out that Amy is going to have their baby. He may also find out that he wants more than a one night stand with Amy.
  • Megan Park as Grace Bowman
The devoutly Christian head cheerleader who takes her vow of purity very seriously. Her older brother, Tommy, has down syndrome. But when she finds out her boyfriend Jack has been unfaithful, will she forgive him?
  • Greg Finley as Jack Pappas
A football player and Grace's boyfriend. He is a devout Christian and loves Grace, but is unsure if he can wait until they are married for sex. He makes the mistake of sleeping with Adrian and must face the consequence when they are caught making out. [2] [3]

Recurring

Grace's mom. Her first husband was George Juergens. Kathleen is sure she raised the perfect daughter, but isn't too strict on her as she is to herself.
Grace's dad. He is very over-protective of Grace, but still is a good father. He finds out, before Amy's parents, that she is pregnant which starts him questioning what it means to "make a mistake". He would never allow his daughter to be less than perfect.
  • Jorge Luis-Pallo as Marc Molina
The new school counselor. Most of the girls in school find him very "hot". He worked in Wall Street before working as a school counselor. He had no idea on how productive the student body is when students starting asking him for condoms, but still has many more problems to deal with, with the students he has been counseling.
Madison is one of Amy's closest friends.

Setting

The show takes place at a real American high school, located in Valley Glen, CA a neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. The school goes by the name Grant High School (short for Ulysses S. Grant High School), the same as in the show. The uniforms worn by the football team, cheerleaders, and band are the exact ones worn by the real students of Grant High School. Many of the scene designs have not been altered for the filming of the series.

Episodes

# Title Airdate
1"Falling in Love"July 1, 2008
File:Secret life of the american teenager amy.jpg
Amy discovers she is pregnant.
The series starts off with 15-year-old Amy Juergens, who has just gotten home from band camp. The next day at school, she tells two of her friends that she had sex at band camp. They find out that she may be pregnant. Her friends buy her 3 pregnancy tests and she confirms that she is indeed pregnant. However, she is afraid to tell her parents, who consider her their "good girl". Meanwhile, Ben decides he wants to lose his virginity and decides to ask out Amy. However, he quickly falls in love with her and joins marching band just to spend time with her. Just as Amy is about to tell her parents about her pregnancy, Ben calls to ask her to the dance. Also at the dance is Christian cheerleader Grace, her boyfriend Jack, bad boy Ricky and his girlfriend Adrian, and Grace's mentally handicapped brother Thomas. Jack, who secretly had sex with Adrian when he worried he couldn't wait until marriage with Grace, tries to smooth things over but is caught making out with her by Thomas, who makes a very large scene, and starts screaming. This causes everyone to leave the gym, to see what all the commotion is. As everyone leaves to see Adrian and Jack, Ben and Amy slow dance alone in the gym.
2"You Are My Everything"July 8, 2008
Grace struggles to decide whether she should forgive Jack, and Ricky and Adrian try to figure out their relationship. Meanwhile, Amy experiences morning sickness, and Ben hears a rumor about her.
3"I Feel Sick"July 15, 2008
Ben continues to fall hard for Amy, and the two share their first kiss. Elsewhere, Amy tells her sister (but not her parents) about her pregnancy; Grace uses Ricky as a cover to sneak around with Jack; and a jealous Adrian feels like Ricky is just using her for sex.
4"Caught"July 22, 2008
5"What Have You Done to Me?"July 29, 2008
6"Absent?"August 5, 2008
7"Love For Sale"August 12, 2008
8"Slice of Life"August 19, 2008

Ratings

The Secret Life of the American Teenager had the highest premiere ever for an ABC Family original program. "Teenager" brought in 2.82 million viewers and a 0.9/3 in the 18-49 demo. The premiere only ranks behind the first season finale of Kyle XY in terms of viewers. "Teenager" also scored high in the female demos, registering a 6.5/24 in the female teens demo and a 3.1/11 in the older females. [4]

References

  1. ^ Secret Life of the American Teenager show listings
  2. ^ ABC Family: The Secret Life of the American Teenager – Official TV Show Site
  3. ^ The Futon Critic: The Secret Life of the American Teenager
  4. ^ MediaWeek TV Ratings and Results
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