16 and Pregnant (MTV)

16 AND PREGNANT follows six high school girls as they cope with the challenges of being pregnant and becoming parents. Each episode follows one girl as she approaches her due date, delivers, and faces her new life. Throughout the process, each young mom-to-be candidly discusses her choice to have the baby, how she feels about being pregnant, and how she's handling the transition from carefree teenager to "mature" parent. Each girl's partner, friends, and family are also along for the ride, weighing in as they adjust to her -- and their -- new role.

The show clearly underscores the tremendous impact of getting pregnant and having. But other than showing the expected pitfalls that come with having a child at such a young age, it isn't very enlightening. It also seems to intentionally focus on the problems between the young mothers and their babies' fathers, their friends, and their parents, creating moments that are more voyueristically melodramatic than informative. As a result, the realities of being pregnant and having a child at such a young age almost become secondary as the young moms try to work out their relationship issues.

While the show is relatively non-judgmental, its storytelling style makes it hard to really understand what exactly viewers are supposed to feel after watching. Still, thanks to the controversy surrounding teen pregnancy -- as well as young people's natural curiosity about the topic -- it's very likely that teens will want to watch. 16 and Pregnant may not be the best viewing choice on the subject, but the good news is that it still has the potential to generate constructive conversations about some of the choices teens are making about sex, relationships, and dealing with the consequences of their actions.