The Secret Life of The American Teenager picked up for a second season

This really shouldn’t come as a surprise because of it’s excellent ratings, but ABC Family has decided to give The Secret Life of the American Teenager a second season.

The decision was announced Monday by Kate Juergens, executive vice president, Original Series Programming & Development, ABC Family. The series has been picked up for a 24-episode order.

The first season’s finale will air on March 23, and the series will tentatively return in summer 2009. Woohoo!

The show launched as the network’s highest rated original series.

 “‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager’ has really struck a chord not just with our Millennial audience, but with viewers across the board,” said Juergens. “We’re delighted to announce the series will return. The success of this show goes directly to creator Brenda Hampton’s telling of this heartfelt story and is backed by the standout performances of our talented cast.”

I believe the show’s success is related to its core audience — young teens who can relate to the show on a personal level.

A DVD featuring the first 11 episodes of season one was released in late December.

Personally, that confused me because the DVD reads as “Season One.” But actually, the show began its midseason in January and will complete season one with 23 episodes.

Image: Newscom