A surprise summer 2008 hit for the ABC Family channel, The Secret Life of the American Teenager follows a group of teens attending Ulysses S. Grant High School, initially focusing on 15-year-old Amy Juergens (Shailene Woodley), who is pregnant after a one-night stand at band camp. Bright and intelligent, Amy struggles with the unintended consequences of this transgression, while her friends cope with various challenges of growing up. Clean teens Jack (Greg Finley) and Grace (Megan Park) try living up to their vows of abstinence; local lothario Ricky (Daren Kagasoff) and bad girl Adrian (Francia Raisa) delight in flouting convention; and Amy's new boyfriend Ben (Ken Baumann) struggles to remain loyal after learning of his sweetie's disastrous dalliance—which for a time Amy also tries to keep from her mother (1980s teen queen Molly Ringwald, once the pluperfect example of adolescent angst). Although the series deals with serious issues—including troubled marriages and substance abuse, to name just two—the show often falls victim to cliché (there are so many sequences devoted to who's cheating on whom that it sometimes feels like a teen Desperate Housewives). But even if the series doesn't quite live up to its hype, it will certainly resonate with high-school-aged viewers. DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette. A strong optional purchase. (E. Hulse)
The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season One
Buena Vista, 3 discs, 473 min., TV-14, DVD: $39.99 Volume 24, Issue 2
The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season One
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