A Note About Pregnant Teens on TV

I'm so done with seeing pregnant teens on television, but since I've been reading more glee scoop, I can't help but think of the comical pregnancy of McKinley's former head cheerleader, Quinn Fabray. Here is list of the best pregnant teens on TV:

10. Amy Jurgens (Secret Life) The only reason Shailene Woodley's whiny and obnoxious is on this list is because her hysterics are so dramatic it's to the point of comedy. Next time the drummer in the school band hits on you, follow Nancy Reagan's advice and JUST SAY NO!

9. Adrianna Tate-Duncan (90210) Jessica Lowndes' trampy Beverly Hills teen might be the worst teen mom ever. she was taking tons of drugs during her pregnancy, drinking, and wasn't sure who the daddy was. By the time she got her life together and found sweet Navid, she was considering not giving up the baby for adoption. Looks like she's lost a lot of sleep over not keeping her kid since then. (NOT!)

8. Corey Conway (7th Heaven) Alicia Leigh Willis, known as Courtney from General Hospital, first brought attention to the plight of pregnant teen athletes when she befriended Mary Camden. Plus she married teen father Wilson much later on in the series.

7. Cordelia Chase (Angel) Not only was Cordy pregnant at 18 after a one night stand with a demon, but a few years later she gave birth to one of the ultimate evils and paid the ultimate price, slipping into a coma she never recovered from.

6. Jen Linley (Dawson's Creek) It happened in the five year forward jump of the last episode, but Jen finally completed Gram's worst nightmare, getting pregnant and left by some horrible dirtbag. Of course, BFF Jack was there to step in and help raise the baby.

5. Tess Harding (Roswell) Long before she played pregnant Aussie Claire on lost, Emilie de Ravin was ruining relationships by secluding alien leader (and apparently her husband/alien king from a previous life) Max. One night yielded baby Zan, and finally sent Tess out of Max's life and back to the home planet.

4. Andrea Zuckerman (Beverly Hills 90210) The original teen mom, played by Gabrielle Carteris, was top of the class at West Bev. College came, she got a little irresponsible, and she had to leave the show (and the Bev Hills area) after getting pregnant and married. She ended up divorced :-(

3. Quinn Fabray (Glee) Dianna Aragon's pregnant cheerleader continued to make quippy comebacks until her water broke at regionals. Plus she pitted babydaddy and bad boy Puck against her dumb but sweet boyfriend Finn.

2. Lane Kim (Gilmore Girls) Keiko Agnea's lovable Lane Kim showed that you can be a rock and rolling teen (ok, maybe 21-year old) and still be a parent. It took moving into a house with her bandmates to get Lane to break her mother's tight control over her life. Soon after falling in love with bandmate Zach, three wedding ceremonies and twin baby boys followed.

1. Haley James Scott (One Tree Hill) After a season-long romance with the star of the basketball team,"tutor girl"became "tutor wife" then by graduation she was married "tutor mom". Seven seasons later, she and Nathan are still together and expecting a second child.

A Note About Teen Dramas

Take this with a grain of salt, it's not intended as a rant against these shows . . .

I'll be the first to admit, my guilty pleasure is teen dramas. There's something about watching them that makes me think, "I wish that had been my high school experience", and other times when I'm relieved it wasn't.

I'm also guilty of being a viewer of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Why, you may ask? Simple. I was looking for a new show to watch that fateful summer it premiered. And I couldn't stop. It was addictive like a drug, the all-too familiar 7th Heaven producing team, complete with the same high school set, same hangouts, same corny music, and same didactic lessons. but yes, I got sucked into the teen life of Amy Juergens, pregnant at 15. At times, it's kept me entertained, although I stand by my belief that the only character without fault is Tom, but that is another story.

So, I confess, less horrifyingly, that I also watch 90210, the re-launch of the popular 90's teen drama that started it all, Beverly Hills, 90210. Same music, same eerily familiar plot lines, a new generation of kids tainted by popularity and money. And occassionally, guest starring roles by former West Bev alums. Somewhat against my better judgment, and after almost two seasons, I cannot stop watching this show. Even if I miss an episode, I keep right on watching.

I guess I'm a creature of habit. I follow shows like they're children of a person I admire, hoping the same qualities have rubbed off. But recently remarking about my addiction to these stepchildren of formerly glorious teen shows to my mother I put it like this, "The more I watch Secret Life, the more classy 90210 gets."

Watch them for yourself. . .