Kate Jeurgens, the EVP of Original Programming, said ”Pretty Little Liars is a breakout hit for the network. It’s a perfect fit with the network’s strong slate of original scripted dramas.”

I couldn’t agree more Ms. Jeurgens and I am excited to see what mysteries abound in Rosewood with 12 additional episodes.

Pretty Little Liars airs on Tuesday nights at 8 pm on ABC Family.

Intriguing right?? Pretty Little Liars stars Lucy Hale (“Privileged”), Holy Marie Combs (“Charmed”), Chad Lowe (“24″), Laura Leighton (“Melrose Place”), Ian Harding, Bianca Lawson, Shay Mitchell, Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson,  and Sasha Pieterse. It centers around the mystery of a missing girl from their close knit neighborhood and how four friends come to terms with their past. I will have much more coverage leading up to the premiere so be sure to check back soon! But for now, never trust a pretty girl with an ugly secret…

Here are the dates for ABC Family shows that are returning, and some new ones that are premiering:

• Secret Life of the American Teenager: Season 3 premieres Monday, June 7th at 8 pm. The 2nd season ended on a big cliffhanger so be sure to tune in!
• Pretty Little Liars: I am beyond excited for this show! It is based on a book series by Sara Shepard, and all along, I have hoped it would be turned into a TV series. The series premiere is Tuesday, June 8th at 8 pm. I will have much more coverage leading up to the premiere so be on the look out!
• Make It Or Break It: Season 2 premieres Monday, June 28th at 10 pm. I can’t wait! I adore this show.
• Huge: Series premiere is Monday June 28th at 9 pm. This show which just signed Nikki Blonsky to star seems like it has a lot of potential.

Over a year ago, I devoured a Young Adult book series called Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. I checked the first couple out of the library and I was so hooked, I went back and checked out the next four or five. At the time, I thought it would make a fantastic TV series, and I saw that it was published by Alloy Entertainment (which brought us Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Gossip Girl). So when I heard the news that ABC Family had picked up the show, I was absolutely ecstatic.

Here is what the network has to say about the show:

“Pretty Little Liars” follows four estranged best friends who are reunited one year after their best friend and queen bee of the group, Alison, goes missing – only to discover they are receiving messages from an anonymous “A” who knows all their secrets. The drama stars Lucy Hale (“Privileged”) as Aria, Troian Bellisario (“Navy NCIS”) as Spencer, Ashley Benson (“Eastwick”) as Hanna and Shay Mitchell as Emily. Also starring are Laura Leighton (“Melrose Place”) and Nia Peeples (“The Young and the Restless”). Additionally, Bianca Lawson (“The Vampire Diaries”) has been cast in a recurring role as Maya.”

You may make the connection between “A” and Alison right away, but let me tell you, there is a lot more to the story than that. These girls have a crazy past together, and secrets wear upon people. Because there are so many books, this show has a lot of lasting power. I’m curious to see if season 1 will essentially be book 1 (like True Blood) or if the books will meld together. Sara Shepard was not the writer of the pilot, but I hope she is involved in some way because I’m sure she could give valuable input into the character development. I think this is a show that will transition incredibly well to a TV audience, and I can’t wait to see it. The cast is also really fantastic. The show has been picked up for a 10 episode run and will premiere sometime in 2010.

Another pilot pickup is based on a Young Adult novel entitled Huge that I am not familiar with (although I may go check it out now).

Here is what the network had to say:

“Huge,” based on author Sasha Paley’s book of the same name, is being developed by Winnie Holzman (“Wicked,” “My So-Called Life,” “Once & Again”) and daughter Savannah Dooley. Holzman will be executive producer on the premiere episode, and will serve as consultant for the remainder of the episodes. Dooley will serve as producer on the series. Alloy Entertainment’s Bob Levy and Leslie Morgenstein will serve as executive producers; Robin Schiff (“Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion” and ABC Family’s “10 Things I Hate About You”) will serve as a consulting producer. Funny, heartbreaking and provocative, “Huge” follows the lives of six teens and the staff at a weight-loss camp, as they look beneath the surface to discover their true selves and the truth about each other.”

I like this idea for a series, but I’m just not sure one book can have lasting power. I will watch just about anything ABC Family throws at me, so I will of course check this out. It’s certainly an interesting and unique concept, and I look forward to seeing what the show turns out to be. Huge is also picked up for a 10 episode run and will premiere in 2010.

I wanted to introduce everyone to these series early so you could look forward to their premieres. I will definitely be featuring a lot of coverage as I learn more about these shows. And if you enjoy Young Adult novels (trust me, this doesn’t mean you have to be a young adult), check out these books as well.

ABC Family has renewed Make It Or Break It for a 2nd season! Sources at the network have informed me that they have been picked up for ten more episodes. It is slated for a summer premiere. In addition, there’s more great ABC Family news! Secret Life of the American Teenager has been picked up for a 3rd season, and 10 Things I Hate About You will be returning March 29th.

So expect more drama, more gymnastics, and more great-ness coming your way next summer!

What’s coming up on this season of Secret Life?
Let’s see, what can I give away. Infidelity, maybe a new pregnancy, maybe — oh my God, there’s so much drama, it’s hard to keep up with!

Your character, Ben, has been going through a lot of issues. How do you relate to your character?
You know, it’s interesting because I never fell in love with a girl who got knocked up by the bad boy. I would say that there are a lot of parallels to my high school experience. I’m kind of the geeky guy, so I feel very akin to Ben in that way. So yeah, I understand what it’s like to navigate school, which is very tricky.

Other than the show, is there another genre you want to work in– do you want to do movies?
I kind of feel like — Stanley Kubrick, one of his favorite quotes, when people ask him what kind of movies he’d like to make, he said “good movies.” And I know it’s like inexplicable, but I just want to do good projects — good movies, good TV.

Is there someone specific you want to work with?
Oh man. There are so many directors I’d love to work with, in TV and in film. Lars Von Trier, Martin Scorcese, actors as well, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day Lewis, I mean, my God, the list…I could be railing on for hours, it’s a dangerous question.

Is there anyone you want to see guest star on the show?
Oh man, well why don’t I just shoot for the stars and say like um, Daniel Day Lewis on Secret Life of the American Teenager. That would be the coup of the century, that would be amazing.

Maybe he could come on and sing a song from Nine.
Yeah, there you go. I’d sing with him. It won’t be pretty, but I’ll do it.

Be sure to watch the mid-season premiere of The Secret Life of the American Teenager on January 4th (Monday) at 8 pm.

Is there anything you can share with us about what to expect when the show returns?
Yes, there’s a lot of new things. Another maybe pregnancy, weddings; there’s a lot of confusion as far as in Ben and Amy’s relationship; there’s a lot of up and downs with Ricky’s character and trying to figure out who he is and what he wants.  A lot of the characters are going through that stage in high school where you’re starting to become a person and in that recognition of who you are there’s a lot of confusion and you get scared.  And I think a lot of teenagers react in not the best ways and I think the whole next season kind of discovers that and goes into depth of that confusing state of adolescence.

You play a very serious character with a lot of responsibilities. What has that been like for you?
Well the first season, I was just like “please let her smile,” because every day I’d read the script and be like “Oh, I have to cry again tomorrow.” But it’s really cool being able to play a teen with all this turmoil in her life because she is developing a maternal [instinct] in such a quick way for a fifteen year old.

Do you have a favorite part of filming the show so far?
Yeah, I guess for some scenes there’s just two or three characters who work at the same time, and then sometimes like once every month, we’ll get like all the fifteen people who work at the same time, and it’s awesome. We all jam, we all play guitar together and hang out. The girls go into a trailer together and blast Spice Girls, and just sing for hours, we have fun.

How have you been able to relate to your character? Obviously, you’re not with-child.
I guess, just putting all the pressure that I had in high school and then adding pregnancy. That’s kind of the only way I could do it, and even that was almost impossible. I don’t mind playing pregnant, because I don’t plan to be for a very long time.

Amy went through a personality change after the baby was born.  What do you think the writers were trying to do there, was that like postpartum depression or just that she was kind of overwhelmed?
I think that all teenage girls kind of go through that mean stage where the world revolves around them.  I think it’s very hormonal and especially after having a child I think that your hormones are all out of whack and it causes a lot of mood swings.  So I think they were just trying to portray that life isn’t perfect after you have baby, you are going to go through exactly like what you said, post dramatic depression.  You’re going to go through a lot of things that you wouldn’t necessarily go through if you hadn’t had a child at 15.

Can you talk a little bit about the evolution of both the character and you playing Amy?
Honestly, my life is kind of the same.  I’m a lot busier and, yes, there are a couple of people who will stop on the street, but people are generally very respectful and very nice.  I don’t put myself out there. I barely wear any makeup. I just feel like I’ve kind of taken on the responsibility of being a professional. It’s always awkward for me the whole fan situation, because I don’t know them and they don’t know me, so I want to engage in conversation, but then that’s always awkward too.  It’s a very interesting dynamic, but other than that life has just been the same.  I’ve stayed with the same friends and have the most amazing family ever, so I’ve been very lucky.

My question is, since you portray a teen that’s been through a pregnancy, have you met anybody and they’ve kind of given you their thoughts or feelings about the show?
Honestly, I haven’t met as many teenage parents as I have met parents who are now like in their 40s or 30s even, but were pregnant as teenagers; and pretty much their feedback is just like, “Wow, the show brings me back to my days of confusion and torment and putting myself down for doing such a thing as a teenager; and I think it’s really great how you kind of opened this up into current day 2009’s teenager world and showed them the consequences of having fun per se without being careful about it.”

If you could have anybody guest star or direct or just help in the show in anyway, who would you like to see be involved in the future?
Oh man, that’s a tough one.  Obviously, who wouldn’t say Meryl Streep? I don’t know, I think there’s a lot of amazingly talented people out there and I think there’s a lot of actors who haven’t even really done a lot, who‘ve only maybe done a couple of things, but who are truly incredibly talented.  Anyone who just brings forth commitment, I think that’s the most important thing.  I’m always happy to meet new people and see their amazing talent.

The Secret Life requires a lot of traumatic acting, I was wondering what do you and the cast do for fun especially on the tough days of filming?
When all the cast works we bring guitars and – a lot of the guys play - and we’ll all kind of like sit around and make up stupid songs about each other, or someone will bring their computer and we’ll go on YouTube for hours and just laugh hysterically. We all get along really well. It’s a very comfortable set.  It’s really neat to be able to have a physical scene and then afterwards go out and be comfortable around the person enough to share your own personal stories and stuff.  So it’s kind of like high school all over again without the drama.

How does the cast continue to kind of foster and build that chemistry so that it does translate on the screen?
When the show first started we all kind of just got put there together.  It’s not like any of us got to choose who we got to work with or who we were going to spend the rest like two years of our lives and hopefully more with … So everyone bonded immediately, it was kind of that thing where we didn’t really have a choice, so we bonded, and it’s been great.  A lot of us are very different people, but there’s never conflicts; sometimes there’s differences in opinions, but we’re all so down to earth about and we all just accept each other as who we are and we learn from each other. Some of us are into more alternative music per se and then others are more into the whole hip-hop rap scene and that’s very basic, but instead of arguing about differences, we kind of engage each other in the differences and we get to learn amazing things. I’m not a dancer, but Francia Raisa is the most amazing dancer I’ve ever seen.  So she has been able to kind of help me with that kind of whole aspect of life and I’ve been able to help her with more like crafty kind of that whole kind of life.  I don’t know, it’s kind of difficult to explain, but we’re all very open with each and we never judge each other.

What would you like to see from your character, Amy going forward?
Obviously I’d like to see her grow up a little bit.

Right.
She’s kind of been on the border the last couple of episodes over the last season of making a change; and definitely in the newer season it definitely explores Amy’s choice to grow up and to mature in a very optimistic positive way versus living in her pessimistic past.  I like it when she gets to smile and I think it’s really cool to be able to explore a teenage girls point of view on life.  I was there, it’s a very hard process to go through as a child, and so I just can’t wait to be able to portray that growing up in Amy.

Do you have a relationship that you’re rooting for with Ben or Ricky or maybe someone else that we haven’t seen yet?
In the new season, there’s another guy that comes into the picture.  I think that Ben and Amy aren’t a good match, just for the fact that Ben has a lot of growing up to do and Any has a lot of growing up to do.  And it always seemed to me that their relationship kind of stemmed from, he said he loves me, so I love him too, versus actually going into depth about why they love each other. I think they kind of realize that in the last season. I think that they have the potential to be an amazing couple, but I think at this point they need to figure out who they are themselves before they can be happy with each other. I think Amy and Ricky have a lot in common, but I think that will always kind of be the teaser.  Ricky is just not responsible enough to be a boyfriend in my opinion yet.

Obviously you play Amy, but do you have a character that you relate the most to, maybe what you were like in high school?
I kind of would say I’m a little bit every character.  I was kind of like Grace in the fact that I wasn’t preppy, but I was like, let’s do pep rallies, I was in leadership.  I had to get to school today, I was the dork that tried to convince everyone that school spirit was the only way to go. And then I was like Amy. I was also an observer, as much as I liked being in front of the whole school, doing the whole pep rally thing, I also liked to be in the background watching it happen at the same time.  I guess I’m just kind of a mixture of every character.  I was never as provocative as Adrian was.

Few of us are, right?
Yes.

How has playing Amy changed your view on like teenage relationships and teen pregnancy?
As far as teenager relationships go, Amy and Ben’s relationship like I said is very immature. Not immature in a childish way, but immature in a not super grown up way.  And I think a lot of high school relationships are like that. I’ve had a couple of those where you’re in the moment and you think that he could be the one and everything’s fine and then two weeks later he does something stupid and you’re like, okay, next. It just kind of showed me that high school is really like a game board almost. You’re kind of going through each different aspect of your life and you’re testing the waters.  And I think it’s a really fun, exciting time, but I also think you have to be careful, and that kind of showed me, when you’re in the moment, it could seem one way, but when you look at the big picture from afar, it’s completely different.  So I guess to just open your eyes and look outside the box. And then as far as teenage pregnancy, I don’t think it’s a controversial thing.  I had two kids from my senior class. One of them is a dad now, one of them is a mom now, in two different situations, and it’s kind of bizarre to know that I‘ve grown up with these people. I’ve gone to elementary school, middle school, and high school with them, and now they’re parents at my age.  It’s bazaar to think that it actually happens in real life and it’s not just a show.  So when that happened to those kids at my school, it kind of opened my eyes to the fact that this is a real life situation, and not only am I just like playing a character, I’m playing thousands of characters that have to go through this emotional turmoil every single day of their lives, for the rest of their lives. I think just be strong and talk to people, communicate. The more you communicate, the more love you’re going accept into your body, and I think that is the only way to kind of cope with situations like that.

What TV shows that are on right now that you can’t live without, besides Secret Life of course?
Honestly, I don’t watch a lot of TV, and the little TV that I do watch is what I’m never supposed to watch, because I like Top Chef and Project Runway. I like the reality shows that you’re not supposed to watch, but I’m a huge fan of Top Chef and Project Runway.  And then as far as actual script written television, there’s a couple shows that I kind of bounce back and forth each time. I’m kind of obsessed with Glee, I must say. I watch every episode of Glee, I love it.

If you had to choose in real life who would you pick to end up with Ricky or Ben?
That’s difficult.  I definitely don’t think I would want to be with Ben, just for the fact of I think Ben is kind of a little bit too pushy of a boyfriend, but I also wouldn’t want to be with Ricky because he’s so irresponsible.  I guess I would choose Ricky, because there’s just something intriguing to me about his character, something where you know he has a good heart and you know one day his good heart will show, but right now he’s nowhere near that.  It’s a very tricky question.

How do you see your relationship with Ricky evolving in this season?
Amy and Ricky have a very interesting relationship just in the event that Amy knows he is not a good boyfriend, but she knows that he is an amazing father.  Ricky knows that Amy is not the girl he wants to be with, but he knows that she is the mother of his baby.  So they’re always going to have that secret connection of family.  They’re their own family now.  Each episode, Ricky I think is the only person Amy can one hundred percent feel like she can tell him anything and know that a rumor won’t get started.  She knows her secrets are safe with him and vice versa.  I don’t know, we’ll see what happens with them.  As of right now, they’ve kind of still just remained friends, but you never know.

What would you say that you’ve learned about life as a teen mom role while being on the show, whether the first season, the second, or also the third?
I learned that it is probably one of the toughest things you could ever take on in the world.  I was fortunate enough to never have to go through that, but I cannot imagine actually living as a teenage mom.  I can’t imagine having just even the silly little things they have to do everyday like change the diapers and heat the milk bottle. The things you never think about, but really take a toll on the mother; and to just be a teenager myself and to know all the dreams and ambitions that I have for my life. I was talking about this with one of my good friends the other day actually how crazy would it be to have to give up our dreams for the child.  I think that it’s very scary and wonderful at the same time and I’m just glad I never had to go through it.  But the teenage mothers that do take on motherhood at a very early age, kudos to them, because that is not an easy task.

I was just wondering if before you began on this show, were you aware of Molly Ringwald’s career and her having been a teen idol and being in movies, like Sixteen Candles and Breakfast Club?
I had watched Breakfast Club, I had seen Sixteen Candles, but it was more like I didn’t really know the legendary like part of Molly Ringwald and just meeting her without that whole mindset was really interesting and intriguing to me; because she is such a down to earth woman and so beautiful on the inside and out, and an incredible mother, and such a good confidant to talk to as far as for my personal life and everything, and I really respect her as a lady.

Do you consider yourself a role model at all?
A lot of people ask me that question and I have a difficult time answering it, just in the sense that I’ve never been pregnant.  So I feel like it’d be kind of biased, or not biased, but unfair of me to give advice on teenage pregnancy just for the fact that I’ve never been pregnant myself.  So it wouldn’t really be true advice, it would just be advice that I would pretend if I were pregnant, that’s how it would be. I guess I could say I’m a role model as far as I have a lot of passions myself for the environment and for preserving the earth and preserving the human interactions with each other.  I guess I could be a role model in that sense as far as Shailene’s goals and Shailene’s passions, but not for Amy.

Since the show was so controversial in the beginning, how do you see what type of impact it’s made?
Honestly, when little girls come up to us and say how they feel about the show, it’s always like, “Ah, Ricky is so hot, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”  But they’re really amazing. Feedback that we’ve got from parents who have come up to us and said like, “Wow, this shows opened such incredible avenues for me and my children to communicate.” I grew up in a very open household where if I had a question about anything, I could ask my parents, and they would answer me truthfully and not hold anything back.  I think that really helped me as a child know exactly what everything was.  I had a lot of friends who couldn’t talk to their parents, so they would ask their peers information about guys and that whole situation and make mistakes because they didn’t know the true facts. I think it’s really incredible that parents have been able to say that they have watched the show with their children and then been able to talk about how certain things happen and why they happen and kind of go through all that and be comfortable around their children.  And that’s really inspiring to me to just know that we’ve opened up communication in households that might have not necessarily talked about it before.

Be sure to watch the mid-season premiere of The Secret Life of the American Teenager on January 4th (Monday) at 8 pm.

I have also been composing my best of lists! I will be posting my Best of the Year and Best of the Decade in the next couple weeks, but I am curious to know what are your favorites? It could be a moment, an episode, anything…

My decade list is going to be tough. I have a ton of shows I watched this decade…many of which were my favorites. Friends, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, The Office and Arrested Development come to mind. As for Best of the Year, Glee and Modern Family will be on that list. I also have really enjoyed Parks and Recreation this season. And there are many others too. Tell me what you think!

What I’m looking forward to in 2010: ABC Family had such great programming this summer with Make it or Break It and Secret Life of the American Teenager. I am looking forward to their premieres on January 4th. Of course, I am excited about the last season of LOST, which premieres on February 2nd. (Also, a little sad about it). Chuck returns on January 10th! Glee returns in April (far, far too long to wait). V comes back on March 30th, and I’m looking forward to seeing what direction they are going in. In Treatment will be back for a 3rd season in the summer, and I adore that show. So there is definitely a lot to look forward to in 2010, I am just wishing it would come sooner! What are you looking forward to?

2. ABC Family original movies. Hello Sister, Goodbye Life starring Lacey Chabert and Wendie Malick, My Fake Fiance starring Melissa Joan Hart, and the Au Pair movies.

3. Kyle XY…very sad it’s gone.

4. Secret Life Of The American Teenager, and most of their original programming is pretty entertaining.

5. They show reruns of Gilmore Girls, Full House, and Sabrina The Teenage Witch…need I say more?!

6. Very much looking forward to the new series with Alexa Vega “Ruby and The Rockits”

7. Harry Potter marathon before the new Harry Potter movie comes out.

8. Despite the fact that the channel has changed hands (from just plain old Family Channel, to FOX Family and now ABC Family), it is still going strong and really continuing to develop great content.

9. I can forgive them for showing a million episodes of Americas Funniest Videos.

10. They pick some pretty good movies to show…even if they are perhaps geared towards a younger audience.