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Pretty much across all key demos, the finale of The Secret Life of the American Teenager was the ratings winner on Monday night — even beating out rival show Gossip Girl by its largest margin.
And if you’ve been watching the show, you would know why everyone was watching the finale – Amy (Shailene Woodley) delivered her baby!
The season began with Amy, 15, learning that she was pregnant after returning from summer band camp.
Finally getting the courage to tell her parents she was pregnant, Amy went through a whirlwind of emotions and ups and downs as she made decisions on whether to keep the baby or give the baby up for adoption.
But the show isn’t just about Amy. It’s about a group of typical teenagers that revolve around Amy’s life. Like Ricky (Daren Kagasoff), the “lost” bad boy with the abused past who gets her pregnant. And her first “real” boyfriend Ben (Ken Baumann) who sticks with her when he finds out she’s pregnant. And Grace (Megan Park), the Christian who is everyone’s friend and her on-and-off-again boyfriend Jack (Greg Finley). And Adrian (Francia Raisa), the bad girl who sleeps with boys to get attention.
And Amy’s dysfunctional family: Anne (Molly Ringwald) who decides she wants a divorce from George (Mark Derwin), who cheated on her with Adrian’s mom; and her younger sister Ashley (India Easley), who is forced to grow up a little as she faces her parent’s marriage falling apart and her sister getting pregnant. >Honestly, Ashley pushed Amy in the right direction a few times, especially when Amy was trying to decide on whether or not to keep the baby.
Because this season was separated into two parts (confusing!), the Secret Life’s 1B finale (Monday night’s episode) matched its 1A finale on Sept. 9 as the series’ most-watched telecast on record in total viewers (4.5 million) and ranks as ABC Family’s No. 1 telecast on record in females 12-34 (2.4 million), according to Nielson Media Research.
This finale was the second-most watched on record behind its 1A finale in adults 18-34 (1.4 million), women 18-34 (1.1 million), adults 18-49 (2 million), women 18-48 (1.7 million) and viewers 12-34 (2.9 million).
It was Monday’s No. 1 TV telecast in females 12-34 (2.4 million), the No. 1 scripted telecast in all TV in viewers 12-34 (2.9 million) and as cable’s No. 1 scripted telecast in total viewers (4.5 million), adults 18-34 (1.1 milliono) and adults 18-49 (2 million), as well as in key women.
Against The CW’s Gossip Girl, Secret Life’s finale more than doubled in total viewers (4.5 million vs. 2.2 million), and beat the time-period rival by 50 percent in adults 18-34 (1.4 milion vs. 935,000), by 43 percent in adults 18-49 (2 million vs. 1.4 million) and by 123 percent in viewers 12-34 (2.9 million vs. 1.3 million), it’s largest margin of victory yet against the Upper East Siders.
The Secret Life of the American Teenager is set to return in summer 2009 with 12 all-new episodes. Watch for an upcoming post on season two spoilers.
Image: PR Photos