Imagine you’re babysitting a five year old, you turn on the TV and switch to ABC Family in hopes of finding a kid friendly show to watch. Instead of seeing a family friendly movie, you are shocked to see an inappropriate scene that you thought could only could be seen on MTV.
You would think that a channel called ABC Family would be family oriented, and at first it was, but not anymore. Original ABC Family shows included Full House, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Gilmore Girls. Each of these shows did have something controversial but they were for the most part, family-friendly. Now, shows airing on ABC Family include Pretty Little Liars, The Secret Life of An American Teenager and Switched at Birth.
While many love to watch these shows because of the suspension in each episode, they are not family appropriate.
Although these new shows are not as wholesome, they are still very popular among teenagers because of the sharp plot twists that keep the viewer hooked.
The most popular ABC Family show, Pretty Little Liars, is based on a group of girls who seem to be haunted by their dead best friend; the plots twists and turns include boy trouble, parties and sometimes even murder. This is anything but family-oriented.
Flashback to only four years ago, the most popular show on ABC Family was Kyle XY, a show about a teenager with extraordinary abilities who is found on the street with no navel or recollection of his past. After only four years the plots and storylines of ABC Family shows have completely changed; while some are happy with the more “exciting” shows, others think these shows are getting out of hand.
“ABC Family used to be a channel that was okay for children to watch, but now I think it is getting too risky,” junior Kelcie Chandler said. “The shows are not good for kids to watch anymore. ”
The show that sparks the most controversy now is The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a show whose main character finds out she is pregnant in the first episode. The entire show is mainly focused around the subject of sex, which is not a very family-friendly topic.
“It is a family network and their shows don’t exactly show that,” senior Nardos Assefa said. “Secret Life is the most inappropriate [show I’ve seen] because it is so open on the subject of sex.”
While many believe that ABC Family has been getting out of hand with its controversial shows, others think it is just another phase through which ABC family is progressing.
“I think the people working in ABC Family are just changing the shows to be directed at a younger audience to get more viewers,” junior Hannah Coulter said.
ABC Family was a family oriented network before, but in order to stay in touch with newer subjects and trends, they seem to have strayed from their original vision into something more risqué.
Although the content of the shows is controversial, it nonetheless seems to keep viewers entertained.
