16 and Recovering is MTV's best show in years

reality blurred

The four-episode docuseries taking a raw and honest look at students in recovery is unlike anything MTV has shown in recent years. "16 and Recovering could not be more different from the franchise that gave it its name, 16 and Pregnant," says Andy Dehnart. "Yes, there are similar threads—both focus on teenagers who are struggling—but 16 and Recovering is an eternity from any series I can recall seeing on MTV, maybe since 1990s Real World. What passes for entertainment on MTV today is a sad, shriveled glob of reality, from the celebration of drunken violence masquerading as a competitive reality show (The Challenge) to just plain stupidity (the Jersey Shore spin-offs). There is nothing wrong with stupidity, but MTV doesn’t even try hard with that. Look how often MTV airs Ridiculousness and you’ll get a sense of how little this empty shell of a network has to offer."