The TV Chick

During the summer there isn’t generally a great deal of new TV to watch. So how do I survive? Well, there are some awesome shows that have the main parts of their season in the summer, and ABC Family is one network that is full of great seasonal programming.

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.

I am thrilled to introduce all of you to two new dramas picked up by ABC Family. You all know how much I love this network, and their pilot pickups have only solidified this love.

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).

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Lots of TV news coming out of the TCAs! This piece of news, I am particularly thrilled about (besides the Glee news from yesterday of course).

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!

I absolutely adore ABC Family’s original programming. Secret Life of the American Teenager may have started off as a guilty pleasure show for me (I’m not sure I’m in the right demographic), but it has quickly become a favorite of mine. It tackles a lot of tough issues — teenage pregnancy, sex, relationships, death…you name it, which many other shows shy away from. It has a great cast and interesting storylines and I am so excited for its mid-season premiere. I recently had the chance to chat with Ken Baumann who plays Ben Boykewich about what’s coming up this season, how he relates to his character, and his ideal guest star.

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.

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I absolutely adore ABC Family’s original programming. Secret Life of the American Teenager may have started off as a guilty pleasure show for me (I’m not sure I’m in the right demographic), but it has quickly become a favorite of mine. It tackles a lot of tough issues — teenage pregnancy, sex, relationships, death…you name it, which many other shows shy away from. It has a great cast and interesting story lines and I am so excited for its mid-season premiere. I recently had the chance to chat with Shailene Woodley, who plays Amy Jeurgens about what’s coming up, which relationship she is rooting for (Ben vs. Ricky) and fan reaction to the show.

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.

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Let’s face it…the lull in TV is a little sad right now. There is some great ABC Family programming coming back right after the first of the year (lots of coverage on Secret Life and Make It Or Break it is coming soon!), and Chuck and LOST come back soon as well. But right now, I have been filling my nights with The Vampire Diaries marathon and the tidbits of new TV that there is.

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?

1. “My Dinosaur wanted to Jurassic Park here,” “I really hope you don’t suck,” “Are you talking to me or the Democrats in your head?” and “She’s a teenage Kim Jong Il”…all lines from the new series 10 Things I Hate About You (which premiered last night) which made me laugh. I love Meghan Jette Martin (of Camp Rock fame), and I really, really want this show based-on-a-movie-based-on-a-Shakespeare-play to succeed. It needs to be a a lot more grounded for that to happen. The acting is good but it feels more like a fake high school than a real one, and really, would there ever be a high schooler so passionate about universal healthcare?

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.