Teen Mom is an American reality television series that premiered on MTV on December 8, 2009. A spin-off of 16 and Pregnant, the series chronicles the lives of four of the teenagers from the original series as they navigate their first few years of motherhood.^[1] The series focuses on the challenges and struggles of teenage parenthood and changing relationships, specifically those of family, friends, and the couples themselves.

The series pilot episode was the highest-rated premiere on MTV in over a year with 2.1 million total viewers.^[1] This record has since been surpassed by MTV's controversial series Skins, which had 3.26 million viewers during its first episode. The season one finale brought in 3.6 million viewers.^[2] The second season of the show premiered on July 20, 2010 and its finale pulled in over 5.6 million viewers.^[2] A spin-off titled Teen Mom 2 was announced for January 11, 2011.^[3] It was announced by MTV that the third season would premiere on July 5, 2011. After the Season 3 finale aired, it was announced that there will be a Season 4.

MTV has announced that the fourth season of Teen Mom will be its final season of the show. The final season will premiere on June 12.^[4]

Cast[link]

Series overview[link]

Episode list[link]

Season 1[link]

Season 2[link]

Season 3[link]

Season 4[link]

Specials[link]

Portwood's legal issues[link]

Footage of Amber Portwood's violent behavior towards the father of her child, Gary Shirley, prompted an investigation from the police department in Anderson, Indiana, as well as Child Protective Services. On October 20, 2010, The Today Show aired a segment revolving around the depicted domestic abuse in both seasons. NBC's Dan Abrams discussed the possible legal consequences Portwood could face under Indiana law, and under the maximum punishment, Portwood could be charged with three felonies (conducting abuse in front of a child under 14, domestic violence, along with several related misdemeanors). Police have searched Portwood's apartment, finding "evidence that requires further investigation", although they would not specify what had been found at the time it was later revealed that Portwood had been caught with a large quantity of Marijuana and Crack Cocaine.

On November 3, it was reported that Portwood agreed to allow Indiana's child protective services to monitor her for up to six months in the wake of her televised assault on ex-boyfriend Gary, which sparked hundreds of public complaints questioning her suitability to be a mother. Portwood was allowed to maintain custody of their two-year-old daughter Leah.^[37] On November 18, after an extensive investigation, Portwood was charged with three counts of domestic violence for incidents of abuse inflicted on Shirley that aired on the reality show.^[38] The same day, MTV released a statement concerning the charges filed on Portwood: "We are cooperating with all parties and hope for a quick and fair resolution that allows everyone involved to move forward in a positive manner." ^[39]

On June 15, 2011, it was reported that Portwood was considering a suicide attempt.^[40] This was confirmed by a 911 call made by ex-boyfriend Gary, who was concerned over Portwood's highly unusual behavior. She was immediately transported to a local hospital, where it was determined that her mental instability caused the attempt. In December 2011, Portwood was arrested for possession of a controlled substance - which is a Class D felony. She would remain in Madison County Jail until at least January 27, 2012 for violating her probation, which included the failures of the following: behave well in society, obtain a GED certificate, complete six months of anger management, pay probation fees and set up a $10,000 college fund for her daughter, Leah.

On February 6, 2012, Portwood was sentenced to five years in prison. However if she goes to rehab and completes it all charges will be dropped. ^[41] In March 2012, Portwood failed to take a required drug test and faced 5 years in prison. The judge in the case did not send her to prison, but instead required another 30 days of daily drug tests. ^[42]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Show Website
• Teen Mom at the Internet Movie Database