History YMMV / TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager

* CompleteMonster: [[AbusiveParents Robert "Bob" Underwood]] physically and sexually [[DomesticAbuser abused]] both [[MaritalRapeLicense his wife Nora]] and [[ParentalIncest his son Ricky]] for many years before he was convicted and sent to prison. After he gets out he discovers that his now-teenage son has fathered a baby with Amy Juergens and offers to sell the child, his own grandkid, to HumanTraffickers to pay for his drug habit, despite claiming he's gone straight.

* CompleteMonster: [[AbusiveParents Robert "Bob" Underwood]] [[DomesticAbuser physically and sexually abused]] both [[MaritalRapeLicense his wife Nora]] and [[ParentalIncest his son Ricky]] for many years before he was convicted and sent to prison. After he gets out he discovers that his now-teenage son has fathered a baby with Amy Juergens and offers to sell the child, his own grandkid, to HumanTraffickers to pay for his drug habit, despite claiming he's gone straight.

* CompleteMonster: Ricky's dad Robert "Bob" Underwood is one of the worst {{Abusive Parent}}s in this TeenDrama. A vile DomesticAbuser, he physically and sexually abused both [[MaritalRapeLicense his wife Nora]] and [[ParentalIncest his son Ricky]] for many years before he was convicted and sent to prison. After he gets out he discovers that his now-teenage son has fathered a baby with his girlfriend. He offers to sell the child, his own grandkid, to human traffickers to pay for his drug habit.

* TheScrappy: In a cast full of despicable characters, it really says something that Ben seems to be universally the most hated, followed by Madison.
** Nope! Now it's Ashley! Especially since she used to be one of the more beloved characters.

** Season 4 has people (both the fanbase and in-universe) viewing Adrian as the devil incarnate.
** Dylan in season 4, as well.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: "Just Say Me", full [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] stop. The pro-masturbation/female solidarity theme [[WhatCouldHaveBeen would have made]] for an excellent (if uncharacteristically) feminist concept, but it's utterly ruined by the fact that it's used as a LysistrataGambit to get their [[ImAManICantHelpIt philandering]] male counterparts to stop cheating/hooking up (the [[InsaneTrollLogic rationale]] behind this being that they are depriving them of someone to cheat/hook up ''with''.)

** Adrian wears Ricky's shirt to school one day after he's caught on video without it (MakesSenseInContext). She then sees him flirting with Grace so she comes up to them and says something like "This is his shirt! And this is where he left it!". She then proceeds to rip off the shirt, chuck it at Grace, and then walk down the hallway in nothing but her bra.

* LesYay: Adrian and Grace. They have better chemistry than designated couple Grace and Jack. They've even [[spoiler: kissed]] twice now

* MagnificentBastard: Adrian

** Nope! Now it's Ashley! *Surprise* Especially since she use to be one of the more beloved characters.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Ben and Amy had an ok relationship for the first few episodes (if you ignore the facts that a. Ben only originally asked her out because he was hoping to get some sexual experience before going after the ''real'' object of his affections, [[AllGuysWantCheerleaders Grace]] and b. Amy was not being upfront either, since she didn't tell him she was pregnant). For the most part, they were believable as two earnest, awkward teens in their first relationship. Then Ben proposed to Amy after they'd been dating a few weeks, upon discovering she was pregnant with Ricky's baby. Now the audience was supposed to accept that Amy and Ben had a deep and true love to last their whole lives and they and the other characters [[ShowDontTell wouldn't shut up about how right they were for each other]]. It's not too surprising that the majority of the fan base quickly became very irritated with the couple.

* TearJerker: Season 3's finale, "... Or Not To Be", has this, due to [[spoiler: Adrian and Ben's baby being a stillbirth]]

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: Amy revealing her pregnancy to Ashley in "I Feel Sick". The news actually affects [[DeadpanSnarker Ashley]] greatly, and she breaks down in tears after Amy leaves the room. The episode ends with Ashley giving Amy a hug, for the first time in the series.

* HeReallyCanAct: Never on this show, but Shailene Woodley has proven capable in other roles.

** Ricky for bieng a JerkSue almost all the time.

* BileFascination: How many people watched the show because they thought it was honestly good, and how many people just tuned in to see the drama train derailing? Or because they have a crush on Shailene?

* MemeticMutation: '''I HAD SEX AND NOW DAD IS DEAD! AND HE HAD A HORRIBLE DEATH BECAUSE I HAD INCREDIBLE SEX!'''

* IJustWantToBeLoved: The show claims it's true to life, but whoever wrote it fell victim to this trope. It's more like a wish-fulfillment fantasy (with Amy as a stand-in) for teenage girls who actually have to deal with the realities of teen pregnancy.

* SnarkBait: The series has become the spiritual heir of ''Series/SeventhHeaven'''s snark from the TelevisionWithoutPity forums.

** Nope! Now it's Ashley! *Suprise* Especially since she use to be one of the more beloved characters.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Often, whole episodes will include multiple characters will repeatedly state the moral the writers are trying to convey with the situation.

** Adrian wears Ricky's shirt to school one day after he's caught on video without it (MakesSenseInContext). She then sees him flirting with Grace so she comes up to them and says something like "This is his shirt! And this is where he left it!". She then proceeds to rip off the shirt, chuck it at Grace, and then walks down the hallway in nothing but her bra.
** In "Dancing With The Stars", Amy calls Lauren and tells her that she's sending Lauren's old flame over to see her. Lauren reacts by starting to sing, complete with background music. The guy (Jesse) is completely unfazed by a singing Lauren answering the door.

* JerkassWoobie: Ricky, who along with being sexually and physically abused by his drug-addicted father Bob, had to watch his father beat his alcohalic mother who was also addicted to drugs. They both abandoned him serveral times and it was implied his mother Nora was a prostitute. He later told a teacher about the abuse and eventually his father was arrested. Due to his childhood, he later takes advantage of dozens of females, dating them, calling them, befriending them, even telling them "I love you" to get them into bed and most of the time never calling or seeing them again. He used Adrian for sex, mistreated her, lead her on, cheated on her [[spoiler: and dumped her when she gave him back a "taste of his own medicine"]]. In his talk with Marshall, it is stated that Ricky does this to people because he wanted to victimize them the same way his father victimized him. [[spoiler: He later feels terribly guilty about this, as shown in "Round Two", and begins a monogamous relationship with Amy, his son's mother.]]

** The marching band showing their support for pregnant Amy by giving her a musical escort to class

** The whole cast except for Grace and Jack considering their band geeks.

* [[JustHereForGodzilla Just Here For]] Creator/MollyRingwald

* BileFascination: How many people here think the show is honestly good, and how many people just tune in to see the drama train derailing?
** Or because they have a crush on Shailene.

** '''Sex''' is the most prominently discussed topic in the whole show. There's even a short PSA at the end of every episode, said by Shailene, that talks about pre-marital sex. Sometimes, other actors will delivers the PSA, such as when Ricky's actor talked about victims of sexual abuse.
** I think that the PSA is delivered multiple times throughout an episode before an ad break begins. It is now delivered by a few of the other major actresses besides Shailene.

* SnarkBait: The series has become the spiritual heir of SeventhHeaven's snark from the TelevisionWithoutPity forums.

* JerkSue: Amy. Seriously, there are probably unwed teenage mothers "with stillborn offspring" who bitch and moan less than she does!
** In season 4, this actually becomes a fact.
** Ricky. Who, despite being a 99.9% Jerkass, is apparently a great guy. And most of the blatantly and self-righteously misogynistic lines in the show come from him.

* DudeNotFunny: The scene in the 5th episode where the local news crew laughs at Grace for trying to defend from potential rapists. The show does explain it's not funny, but to even show in the first place is just sick.

* MemeticMutation: '''I HAD SEX AND DAD IS DEAD! HE DIED A HORRIBLE DEATH BECAUSE I HAD INCREDIBLE SEX!'''

* [[JustHereForGodzilla Just Here For]] MollyRingwald

* {{Glurge}}: The pious, patronizing message of the show. "See, we ''understand'' that you modern teenagers [[RebelliousSpirit are all rebellious, sinful children,]] but we want you to know that we ''care'' [[BitchInSheepsClothing about you and your problems]] and we want to ''help'' [[TheMissionary you]] and let you know you're not ''entirely'' [[UnfortunateImplications terrible people."]]

* WhatTheHellHero: Amy [[spoiler: abandoning John and leaving Ricky and her family behind to pursue her "dream" in New York]] in the finale. Also counts as a confusing BittersweetEnding.

* CompleteMonster: Ricky's dad - Bob Underwood. This "man" physically abused his son and would aslo sexually abuse him for years. He also beat his wife, one time it is said by Nora that Bob had broken her ribs, at one point.

* UnfortunateImplications: The show is rife with them. Listing them all would probably overload this page. But, just for fun, let's give it a shot:
** AdultsAreUseless
** AllGirlsWantBadBoys
** AllMenArePerverts
** AllWomenArePrudes or AllWomenAreLustful: [[ZigZaggedTrope It appears to randomly go back and forth between the two.]]
** BabiesMakeEverythingBetter
** BlackComedyRape: This was an [[AttemptedRape attempted rape]], but the way it was treated still fits the trope. Poor Grace...
** ButNotTooGay
** CampGay
*** Not every gay character is CampGay though. The gay teens(Griffin and Peter) don't appear to be this trope, but they're [[HideYourGays hardly ever seen anyway]], so it's a moot point.
** [[MandatoryMotherhood Childfree Is Not Allowed]]: Not even in high school apparently.
** DumbIsGood
** GoodAdulteryBadAdultery
** HormoneAddledTeenager
** HystericalWoman
** IJustWantToBeLoved
** ImAManICantHelpIt
** LonersAreFreaks
** LysistrataGambit
** MadonnaWhoreComplex
** MagicalNegro
** MagicalQueer
** AManIsAlwaysEager
** AManIsNotAVirgin
** MarsAndVenusGenderContrast
** MyGirlIsNotASlut
** NoBisexuals
** NoGuyWantsToBeChased
** OverprotectiveDad
** PetHomosexual
** SexIsEvil
** SpicyLatina: Adrian, obviously.
** TheUnfairSex
** IWillFindYou: While not an official trope, it should be pointed out that Ruben (Adrian's biological father) abandons his other family (recall Adrian was seeing her stepbrother, Ruben's stepson), to be with Adrian and mother. His other family [[PutOnABus conveniently]] disappears.

* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: Amy revealing her pregnancy to Ashley in "I Feel Sick". The news actually affects [[DeadpanSnarker Ashley]] greatly, and she breaks down in tears after Amy leaves the room. The episode ends with Ashley giving Amy a hug, for the first (and possibly only) time in the series.