Entertainment

Teen TV separates the real kids from the imposters

Mama’s schoolgirl crush on Don Draper left her feeling nostalgic for her long-ago days as a teenager. So she decided to check in on what dramas the young people are watching these days.

* “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”

(Monday, 8 p.m., ABC Family) Mama’s favorite part of this show are the whiny adults: Molly Ringwald, Mark Derwin, Jennifer Coolidge, and Bobby Bacala (aka Steven R. Schirripa). Minus a bunch of knocked-up teens Mama didn’t care about that much, the show is great for parents who want to feel like they’re watching a teen drama cast with people their age.

* “Huge” (Monday, 9 p.m., ABC Family) This weight-loss camp for teens tackles problems that any kid could relate to, no matter what the scales may tell them. Plots deal with kids who don’t fit in, and what kid hasn’t felt like that at some point in a long, tortuous school career? It’s movie night this week at Camp Victory: Will sweet and dorky Ian finally hook up with queen bee Amber, or can Wil finally let her guard down and tell Ian how she feels? See? Totally typical teen stuff, no matter what your weight, delivered by likable characters.

* “Degrassi: The Next Generation” (Monday – Thursday, 9 p.m., Teen Nick) The 10th season of this teen stalwart kicked off last week, with a new episode every Monday through Thursday (plus a Friday rerun marathon), resulting in an impressive 48 episodes. The thing that makes this low-budget show better than most teen dramas — and probably a big contributor to its longevity — is that the teens look and act like kids you see in real life. The girls have braces, the boys don’t flex Abercrombie & Fitch muscles, and the teens go to, shockingly enough, school. And after a few years, a class graduates and you get a whole new set of faces — four this season — with the faculty being the only continuous cast members. So the students don’t ever look like they should be the parents of their own teens.

* “Pretty Little Liars” (Tuesday, 8 p.m., ABC Family) If you deleted the scenery — typically the school — Mama might mistake this supernatural-themed show for an adult series. The girls are so overdressed and made up, they look more like the “Desperate Housewives” than teens or at least as old as any “Gossip Girl” castoff. Even the girls’ soapy storylines sound like something out of an adult drama: a lesbian romance and blackmail by their dead ringleader, Alison. Let’s just hope that the arrival of Alison’s brother for her memorial, along with the return of hottie-but-evil Detective Wilden, can shake up this poor little rich girls’ clique.

* “Make It or Break It” (Tuesday, 9 p.m., ABC Family) Of all the shows Mama watched this week, this one seems to have the lowest stakes, which makes the ultradramatic moments feel more artificial. But Mama was pleasantly surprised to find out the tumbling drama encourages female strength, hard work and determination as opposed to just being girls dancing on floor mats — even if the stunts are performed by stunt double gymnasts.

* “Friday Night Lights” (Friday, 8 p.m., NBC) Sure, Mama’s probably just fooling herself when she thinks that kids are watching “Friday Night Lights,” but it is technically about high school football, so let’s pretend that there are teens out there cheering for Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton’s long-overdue Emmy nominations. The penultimate episode is upon us this Friday, which means our favorite coach and principal — oh yeah, and all the students — are prepping for the showdown between the dueling Dillons.