The Secret Life of the American Teenager: Cancelled [official announcement]

As we reported earlier, ABC Family has cancelled The Secret Life of the American Teenager. A holiday special is set to air on November 19th and then the final dozen installments will begin running in March 2013.

Here’s the cable channel’s official announcement with some additional details:

ABC FAMILY ANNOUNCES THE FINAL SEASON OF “THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER”

“Secret Life” Will Air a Special Holiday Episode on November 19

The Final 12 Episodes of Season 5 will Premiere in March 2013

Guest Stars in the Final Season will Include Chaz Bono, Danica McKellar, Diane Farr, Beverley Mitchell and Kathy Kinney

Burbank, CA (October 10, 2012) – “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” will premiere its final season in March 2013, closing out five seasons of the groundbreaking drama. The exciting final season will include a proposal and a wedding. Fans will also see Amy, Ricky, Ben, Adrian, Grace and Jack make plans for their lives after Grant High School. Will Amy and Ricky stay together in the end?

In an all-new holiday episode, “Hedy’s Happy Holiday House,” the gang find themselves celebrating Christmas at an abandoned toy warehouse when Kathy suddenly goes into labor. Meanwhile, Grace wishes for a Christmas miracle with Jack. An all-day marathon of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” will air on Monday, November 19 from 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM ET/PT, leading into the premiere of the new holiday episode that evening, starting at 8:00 PM ET/PT.

“The Secret Life of the American Teenager” stands as the longest running scripted series to air on ABC Family, originally premiering in June 2008 and celebrating a record 100 episodes in June 2012. The final 12 episodes of season 5 are scheduled to premiere in March 2013. Guest stars in the final season will include Chaz Bono (“Being Chaz,” “Dancing with the Stars”) and Danica McKellar (“Young Justice,” “The Wonder Years”), both portraying themselves, and Diane Farr (“Numb3ers”), Beverley Mitchell (“7th Heaven”) and Kathy Kinney (“The Drew Carey Show”).

The series cast includes Shailene Woodley, Ken Baumann, Greg Finley, Daren Kagasoff, Megan Park, Francia Raisa, Michael Grant, Cierra Ramirez with Steve Schirripa. Recurring guest stars include Anne Ramsay, Renee Olstead, Camille Winbush, Allen Evangelista, Amy Rider, De’Vaughn Nixon, Luke Zimmerman, with special guest stars including Mark Derwin, Josie Bissett and Molly Ringwald.

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 97 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today’s families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today’s relationships – told with a mix of diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family’s programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. Emmy(R) Award-winning ABCFamily.com provides a variety of interactive entertainment and community features, from rich, fan-centric programming – including blogs, viewing parties, webisodes, full episodes of the network’s hit programming, along with sneak peek exclusive previews and behind-the-scenes clips. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with “13 Nights of Halloween” and “25 Days of Christmas.” ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.