The Secret Life of the American Teenager

To be honest, I have only seen a few episodes of this show because it's so unspeakably bad I have to leave the room rather to refrain from speaking my mind while my sister (a fan) watches the show. First, let me comment on the quality of the TV show. To say the acting is bad is a gross understatement. I can't even think of a comparison to how bad the acting is. It's just that bad. To be fair, any actor would have a hard time working with the inconsistent, unrealistic, practically nonsensical drivel that passes for dialog in this show. Watch one episode (without the kids) and ask yourself how many people actually talk like that? The story is contrived, predictable and uninspired. The character development is disgraceful. Just when you get to know a character, he or she says something completely out of character just to drive home some "point" or put someone in their place. Characters who at first were kind turn out to be just as mean and petty as everyone else. The two characters who use people the most both turn out to have unresolved "daddy issues." The writers treat the characters like they're all the same person raised in different circumstances. The writers must have absolutely no knowledge of biology, psychology, or basic human nature. This show is too bad even to laugh at. It's just that awful. Now on to the messages. Many people give this show credit for having dialog about sex. Having an honest, open, and complete dialog about sex is one thing. Filling dialog with people talking about sex is quite another. All anyone ever talks about is sex. Yes, teens will sometimes talk about sex, but not nearly to this extent, and not in this manner. The phony sex "dialog" is not my biggest complaint, however. The cruelty and immaturity of all the characters (including the adults) goes to Desperate Housewives levels. All they ever think about are their immediate needs and wants, unless they're having a conveniently placed worry about the future that's forgotten by the next scene. Worst of all, the show gives mixed messages. At the end of the show the actors say "It might seem like everyone is having sex, but they're not..." but EVERYONE ON THE SHOW IS DOING IT!!! That's as bad as if Michael Vick said "It's bad to hurt dogs" after each bloody dogfight. The hypocrisy is repulsive! The last statistic I read said that half of all teenagers have not had sex by the time they graduate high school. If this steaming pile of a show was an example, 95% of teens would be having sex, and having it in contrived, stupid circumstances. Finally, let me address the issue of teen pregnancy. Even though it's a subject in every episode, it's dealt with so superficially as to be practically useless. Maybe I missed too many episodes, but that girl had one easy pregnancy, and oh, how quickly her body returned to a size 0. How unfortunate that her baby only stops crying when Daddy is near. Could the writers not think of even one REAL health issue that afflicts babies? How unbelievably stupid! The bottom line is this show is absolutely awful in every respect. It's too inconsistent and hypocritical to be a positive influence, and it's too stupid and poorly made to be entertaining. If you want a good show about teen pregnancy, watch Juno. If you have extremely low standards and limit your activities to staring at glowing rectangles with moving images on them, watch Secret Life. No. Don't. Battlefield Earth is better than Secret Life of an American Teenager.