…The Fosters and Switched at Birth.

Like with the CW, ABC Family is often overlooked because it is a network geared towards teenagers. And granted, for all the record-breaking that The Secret Life of the American Teenager had, the acting and writing was extremely weak. (It did not help that the writers seemed to forget that TV is a visual medium, making it frustrating to watch characters spend most of each episode talking about things that happened offscreen.) There was also that terrible comedy Ruby & the Rock-its, but I prefer to pretend that show simply did not exist. Meanwhile, ABC Family has a number of impressive shows on its roster that deserve more recognition:

The Fosters- 

Name all the shows on the TV with a stable lesbian couple at their center. Name all the shows with an interracial couple at their center. Name all the shows with foster children at their center. The Fosters covers all of those things and so much more. Every episode feels unique and different from the other shows out there because the story lines are so widespread without feeling all over the place.

While I would not say this is the strongest cast I have ever seen, what I love about this show is the true sense of familial love that the Foster family seems to share for each other. Sure, Steph and Lena fight (what real couple doesn’t), but unlike most married couples on TV, their relationship does not revolve around fighting. They argue, they disagree, and then they talk things out and come to a real resolution. They lean on each other when things are hard and truly act as a source of strength. There is something so refreshing about seeing this.

Isn’t it strange to be saying that the portrayal of a healthy, loving relationship  is a breath of fresh air? Most relationships, particularly in teen-oriented TV, tends to find the parents fighting and yelling until finally they decide to divorce. I think this is actually part of the reason that so many shows that rely on the will-they-won’t they romantic storyline struggle so much once the characters at the center of this attraction eventually become a couple. Writers rarely seem able to think of any story lines where the couples’ entire romantic future is not constantly called into question. Steph and Lena, on the other hand, disagree often and some of their fights are huge (like when Lena decided she wants to have a baby and get the sperm donated by a co-worker and Steph was not happy with the idea), but it never seems like “this is going to be the fight that destroys them.” Instead, it is a pleasure to think “how will they rally together to resolve this?”

Switched at Birth-

Name all the shows with deaf characters at their center. Name all the shows that have those deaf characters accomplishing all the same things their hearing counterparts accomplish like it is no big deal. Name all the shows about babies accidentally raised by the wrong family. Switched at Birth has got all of those. Like with The Fosters, the premise lends itself to diverse and unexpected plots.

Where The Fosters strength lies in the family’s love, Switched at Birth‘s strength lies in how it handles the deaf community. There’s no hand-holding. It does not ignore the difficulties that being deaf might create (how to work in a busy kitchen or in an emergency situation, for example), but it also shows that a little time and effort can make up for it. It portrays young, deaf characters finding strength and community in what other people would look at as a deficiency or disability. (The show makes it seem impossibly easy and almost instantaneous to learn sign language, but maybe if it is treated as something people can pick up relatively easily, more people will give it a try.)

What other shows can learn from Switched at Birth and The Fosters is how to tell unique, diverse, accepting, loving stories. How to be brave and bold. The Secret Life of the American Teenager was a hit because of its hard look at teenage pregnancy (while still showing the characters embraced and loved rather than shunned). The first time I remember seeing a character admit to being bisexual on TV was in Make It or Break It.  ABC Family goes where no other shows dare to go and Switched at Birth and The Fosters are the network at its best.

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