MTV GETS "AWKWARD." THIS SUMMER, WITH THE PREMIERE OF ITS NEW SCRIPTED COMEDY SERIES ON JULY 19 AT 11 P.M. ET/PT

"Awkward." Will Air Tuesday Nights Following MTV's Hit Series "Teen Mom"

NEW YORK, N.Y. (June 13, 2011) - MTV today announced the addition of new scripted comedy "Awkward." to its summer lineup, premiering Tuesday, July 19 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. This series takes an irreverent look at the conflict, chaos and humor that defines teenage life through the eyes of 15-year-old Jenna Hamilton, played by Ashley Rickards ("Fly Away," "One Tree Hill"), whose life begins to change when a simple accident becomes an epic misunderstanding and is blown way out of proportion. The 12-episode half-hour series will air Tuesday nights at 11 p.m. ET/PT following MTV's hit series "Teen Mom."

"We're extremely proud to introduce this smart, funny, irreverent - and ultimately relatable - new series to our growing slate of scripted programming," said David Janollari, Head of MTV Programming. "With a phenomenal cast of fresh faces, coupled with a strong female voice and message of empowerment, we're confident this show will resonate with our audience, so much so that we've given it the prime timeslot behind "Teen Mom," one of our highest rated series."

Narrated in the first-person voice of Jenna's blog posts, "Awkward." captures the humor within the struggles and experiences everyone can relate to from their formative years. The series picks up in the aftermath of the accident as she must deal with a new not-so-fun stigma, while at the same time managing the other daily drama that comes with being a teenager. From a secret relationship with a popular guy, to being undermined by a mean girl, and parents who just don't get it-Jenna's misfortune will eventually serve as the catalyst for amazing change, but it's not without some missteps and mishaps along the way.

The show will also feature Beau Mirchoff ("Desperate Housewives") as 'Matty,' Jenna's love interest; Molly Tarlov ("Huge," "iCarly") as 'Sadie,' Jenna's nemesis; Jillian Rose Reed ("Weeds") as 'Tamara' and Jessica Lu ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Law & Order: Los Angeles") as 'Ming,' Jenna's two best friends; Brett Davern ("Junk," "Triple Dog," ) as 'Jake,' the good natured popular kid; Nikki DeLoach ("North Shore," "Love and Other Drugs") as Jenna's mom 'Lacey;' and Desi Lydic ("Traffic Light," "Two and a Half Men") as 'Valerie,' the school's guidance counselor.

"Awkward." was created by Lauren Iungerich who also serves as executive producer. David Janollari and Justin Levy are the MTV executives in charge of production.

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.