Teens on TV come in three varieties.
Some are hyper- sexualized, as in the over-the-top soap operas, like “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Melrose Place.”
Then there are the exhibitionists, in reality shows like “High School Confidential” “16 and Pregnant” and another coming-of-age effort, “My Life as Liz,” about mean girl angst, beginning Monday on MTV.
Finally there is a rare breed, the self-aware young thinkers, glimpsed in occasional intelligent hours that give voice to teen angst beyond lust. “Life Unexpected,” a thoughtful series premiering at 9 p.m. Monday on the CW, is in the later group. It offers intelligent family drama while the glitzier “Gossip Girl” is on hiatus.
“Life Unexpected” tangentially treats the subject of teen pregnancy — and adoption and birth parents — in a light but endearing manner.
Teen pregnancy, eating disorders, social anxieties — to say nothing of the pressure of determining which vampire is sexier — the drama of the adolescent passage has always been readily exploited onscreen.
TV historically has approached teens as an alien species, in a long line of misunderstood inner-monologists dating to black-and-white incarnations like Dobie Gillis and Patty Duke’s identical cousins. Teens continued to evolve with quirky intelligence through “Freaks & Geeks” and “My So-Called Life,” speaking honestly about the insecurities and humiliations of adolescence.
Teen births in spotlight
Underage standouts Claire Danes (“My So-Called Life”), Katie Holmes (“Dawson’s Creek”), Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy and Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore, Seth Rogan in “Freaks & Geeks,” and Jay Baruchel in “Undeclared” all embodied the awkward years of sexual awakening.
“Life Unexpected” falls close to the “Girlmore Girls” antecedent: It’s the story of an immature teen mother now grown and bonding with her worldly wise teen daughter.
How relevant is the subject of a former teen mom now raising a teen?
The teen birth rate is on the rise again for the first time in 15 years, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. At a time when nearly three in 10 teenage girls in the United States will become pregnant, it’s worth exploring the consequences, even in fictional form.
In the past, TV teens have focused on psychological, sexual, physical and emotional issues. The brand of adolescent angst explored in “Life Unexpected” is genetic.
“I’m kind of composed of half your gene pool. I’m your daughter,” says the 15-year-old Lux (Britt Robertson) when confronting her biological dad, a stunted pseudo-grownup with Peter Pan issues.
Genetics are just the latest aspect of the drama of young adulthood, a reflection of the increased awareness and openness surrounding adoption, maternity/paternity and DNA analysis in contemporary life.
As “Life Unexpected” begins, 15-year-old Lux has bounced from one lousy foster-care situation to another since being put up for adoption at birth. She’s intent on attaining legal status as an emancipated minor. She doesn’t want to have to rely on “incompetent grownups,” as she says, who have disappointed her so many times before.
Once she meets her biological parents (Shiri Appleby of “Roswell” and Kristoffer Polaha who had a recurring role on “Mad Men”), two immature adults, the bonding begins. Emancipation, which, after all, is the underlying story of all adolescent dramas, takes on new meaning. Is it possible these come-lately guardians can effectively parent a kid who has grown up without parents?
“You can’t be parents. You need parents!” Lux screams.
Real-life inspiration
Mom, Cate, is a radio show host in Portland. Dad, Baze, lives above a bar. When a judge declines to grant Lux emancipation, the detached threesome are thrown uneasily back together, with complications. (Mom is engaged to someone else, for starters. Kerr Smith, formerly of “Dawson’s Creek,” plays Cate’s radio show co-host and fiance, Ryan. )
In the manner of “The Gilmore Girls,” where the scatter-brained mom was regularly reprimanded by her more organized daughter, “Life Unexpected” offers a 15-year-old who is more highly evolved and clear-eyed than her parents.
Executive producer Liz Tigelaar (“Brothers and Sisters”) has said her own adoption story and ache to find her biological parents was the inspiration for the storyline.
Tigelaar and co-executive producer Gary Fleder (“October Road”) endured much offscreen drama in getting the show on the air. The series was passed over in favor of splashier fare like “The Beautiful Life” last fall, underwent many title changes en route to midseason, but is now thankfully ready to bow.
The issues have deepened since “Wonder Years” explored pre-teen anxiety from the rear-view mirror of an older self (set in 1968, it aired in 1988 with Daniel Stern providing the knowing voiceover).
Back then, the trauma concerned crushes and a first kiss; now it’s about fighting for legal emancipation and birth control. The torment and confusion are amped up in tune with the stressful times. Adolescence is always tough, but when the rest of the population is living at an orange alert level, some nerves are especially raw.
A common complaint regarding “Dawson’s Creek” and “Party of Five” was that the teens in those shows spoke in unrealistically mature and articulate ways. The same criticism may be leveled at “Life Unexpected,” but given what passes for teen characterizations on TV these days, articulate dialogue within a writerly drama is less a problem than bonus.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
Pivotal teens on TV throughout the years
Dwyane Hickman, “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis” (1959) — Dobie and his pal Maynard G. Krebbs (Bob Denver) were the first teens to have a show centered on them. It was all about nerdiness and lust for girls in high school.
Patty Duke, “The Patty Duke Show,” (1963) — The show was less about teens, per se, than about the actress playing two roles in an otherwise standard wacky sitcom.
Henry Winkler, “Happy Days,” (1974) — As Fonzie, Winkler depicted teen biker life in the ’50s, as seen through the squeaky-clean lens of TV in the ’70s.
Fred Savage, “Wonder Years” (1988) — Nostalgia for the ’60s, as told in the ’80s, dealing with adolescent first love.
Tori Spelling, “Beverly Hills 90210” (1990) — Rich kids at Beverly Hills High School endure teen issues with more money than most.
Claire Danes, “My So-Called Life,” (1994) — The wry show was an unusually realistic coming-of-age drama, before Danes’ big-screen stardom.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997) — A female empowerment fantasy and witty commentary on the alienation of teen life.
Katie Holmes, “Dawson’s Creek” (1998) — Four friends helping each other through adolesence with the requisite loves and losses along the way.
Seth Rogan, “Freaks & Geeks” (1999) — The confusion of the high school years was eloquently captured in Paul Feig’s classic series that lasted only a season (Judd Apatow wrote five episodes). Drinking and bullying were more on the minds of these teens than sex.
Alexis Bledel, “Gilmore Girls” (2000) — The 30-something mom and her teenage daughter more or less matured together as they bantered through seven seasons.
Blake Lively, “Gossip Girl” (2007) — The wealthy Manhattan prep school version of teen life with underage drinking a mere backdrop. Joanne Ostrow
