Secret lives, fictional sex.

• Author: Gillespie, Nick
• Position: Briefly Noted - The Secret Life of an American Teenager - Television program review - Brief article

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

ABC Family's hit Monday night series The Secret Life of an American Teenager offers salacious plots and characters not normally associated with Disney, the network's corporate owner. The show's protagonist is Amy Juergens, a 15-year-old girl knocked up during a single wild night at band camp. Since this is ABC Family, she keeps the baby after considering adoption and abortion.

Secret Life promises an inside look at how the younger generation lives. Following the conventions of a genre that pre-dates ancient Rome, it highlights adolescent sexual activity (there's much bed hopping from other characters) and...