The TV series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" opens with a 15-year-old girl coming home from band practice, reaching into her French horn case and pulling out a home pregnancy test. Her horrified look confirms the results.
No less startled are some parents whose children watch the ABC Family cable program that revolves around the sex lives of high school students. The titillating themes, in their view, are out of place on a channel with the word "family" in its name -- especially given the chaste image of its owner, Walt Disney Co.
But "Secret Life" has become ABC Family's biggest hit and one of the most popular shows on cable, drawing an average 3.8 million viewers an episode. With depictions of teens rolling out of bed, a father peppering his daughters with questions about their sex lives at the dinner table, and a troubled boy revealing that he had been molested by his father, "Secret Life" represents a coming of age for a channel founded by evangelist Pat Robertson to spread the Gospel.
Welcome to Disney's new take on the American family.
Along with shows such as "Greek," set in the belly-shots-and-wet-T-shirts world of college fraternities and sororities, and "Lincoln Heights," a drama about growing up fast in a crime-ridden Los Angeles neighborhood, Disney says it has reshaped ABC Family into a channel more in sync with the realities and anxieties facing many American families and teenagers.
The programming ethos will take another twist next month, when ABC Family debuts "Sophie," a comedy series featuring a young woman who has everything she wanted, including a loving boyfriend and a baby on the way. That is, until the guy dumps her.
ABC Family's strategy casts a new light on the traditional Disney brand, which historically has mined such tales of youthful innocence as "The Little Mermaid" and "The Parent Trap" to win over generations of viewers. The approach has paid off. ABC Family's ad revenue and ratings have been on the rise, making 2008 its best year.
"The best way to resonate with your audience is to be authentic," said Anne Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television Group. "And you're only authentic if you are holding up a mirror to your audience and saying, 'I see you.' "
Disney's quest for authenticity, however, has sparked debate over what constitutes "family programming," and how far the most influential family entertainment company can push boundaries when it comes to sex, underage drinking, absentee parents and the challenges of growing up today.
