'Teen Mom': Every '16 and Pregnant' Spinoff Ever

MTV launched reality TV royalty 16 and Pregnant nearly a decade ago, and it has grown into an [...]

By Michael Hein

MTV launched reality TV royalty 16 and Pregnant nearly a decade ago, and it has grown into an empire.

This June, fans will have spent 10 whole years with the original cast of 16 and Pregnant, across different shows and permutations. They have also gotten to know many other young mothers, who rose to prominence in MTV's reality format.

The show has evolved a lot over the years, but it has never relinquished its hold over its dedicated audience. Over time, the show spawned several spin-offs, most of which are named Teen Mom.

There is no denying the massive cultural impact of the 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom franchises. When the original series first debuted in 2009, it was reviewed by The New York Times, and taken as a blistering cultural critique. The outlet called the show a "documentary-style series about real-life Junos who are not scoring in the 99th percentile on the verbal portion of their SATs... despite its showcasing of the grim, hard work of single mothering."

Over the years, Teen Mom has become much less lauded than that early appraisal. Many consider the series low-brow entertainment, or even a "guilty pleasure."

Whatever the case, 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom have left their mark on American culture and the TV landscape for good. Here is a look at all the spin-offs of 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom.

16 and Pregnant

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(Photo: Facebook / 16 and Pregnant)

It all started with a documentary-style series in June of 2009 titled 16 and Pregnant. The show followed pregnant high school students through the dramatic journey to a teenage motherhood, with all the social, economic and ethical quandaries that that entails. At the time, the show was often related to the movie Juno, as a real-life counterpart to the indie dramady.

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Teen Mom (Teen Mom OG)

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(Photo: Facebook / @teenmom)

As soon as the first season of 16 and Pregnant was done, producers began filming the first iteration of Teen Mom. The show featured the Season 1 cast -- Farrah Abraham, Maci Bookout, Catelynn Lowell and Amber Portwood.

There were four seasons of Teen Mom from 2009 to 2012, tracing the lives of the docuseries stars in a more dramatic, reality TV style. The show returned in 2015, and has run three season so far. Last year, Abraham left the show for good. She was replaced by Bristol Palin, and the show later added Cheyenne Floyd as well.

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Teen Mom 2

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(Photo: Facebook / Teen Mom 2)

Teen Mom 2 follows the cast of 16 and Pregnant Season 2. Today, it is nearly as popular and iconic as the original, with its cast logging 124 episodes of TV over the years. The show follows Kailyn Lowry, Leah Messer, Chelsea DeBoer and Jenelle Eason Evans, all of whom are now in their mid-twenties.

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Teen Mom 3

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(Photo: Getty / Steve Mack / Contributor)

With the success of its predecessors, it was only natural that MTV would go for a trilogy with Teen Mom 3. Tthe show was short-lived, running from August to November of 2013. Still, some of its stars found lasting success, with Briana DeJesus eventually joining the cast of Teen Mom 2.

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Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant

Just last year MTV created a new spin-off titled Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant -- also stylized as Young + Pregnant. The show is something of a return to the original docuseries style of 16 and Pregnant, following a new batch of young mothers trying to make their way in the world. The second season is currently in production.

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Teen Mum (Teen Mom U.K.)

The U.K. was quick to pick up its own adaptation of Teen Mom in starting in 2016. The following year, MTV started airing the previous season in the U.S. under the title Teen Mum. The show has a more fluid cast than its original counterpart, with young moms coming and going more often between seasons. The most recent season wrapped up in October of 2018, and is expected to return for another season soon.

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Teen Mom Poland

The Teen Mom franchise made it even further overseas, with a successful run in Poland. Teen Mom Poland followed young mothers, celebrating their perserverance through adversity and documenting their trials over the years. The show made it one season back in 2014.

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Teen Mom New Jersey

Finally, in 2017 MTV canceled another spin-off before it even got started -- Teen Mom New Jersey. The series would have followed five young mothers in southern New Jersey -- Sunshine Wallace Jones, Kaycie Flores, Angelica Garcia, Kaitlyn Marcacci and Devin McFaull. The show was canceled before it even began, and fans were left wondering what could have caused MTV to give up another lucrative entry into its successful franchise.

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