MTV's New Comedy Series "Awkward." Off to a Stellar Start

SERIES PREMIERE WINS TOP TV SPOT AMONG F12-34 IN TIME PERIOD

SECOND EPISODE AIRS TUESDAY, JULY 26 AT 11 P.M. ET/PT FOLLOWING "TEEN MOM"

NEW YORK, N.Y. (July 20, 2011) - MTV's new scripted comedy series "Awkward." averaged 1.7 million viewers for its on-air debut last night. The pilot episode also garnered a 1.7 rating among P12-34 and scored a 3.3 rating with the female teen audience.

In next week's episode, Jenna's (Ashley Rickards) 'lady business' up top becomes the center of attention after Sadie (Molly Tarlov) and Lissa (Greer Grammer) snap a cell phone photo while she's changing in the locker room, on Tuesday, July 26 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. The series airs regularly on Tuesday nights at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT following "Teen Mom."

"Awkward." takes an irreverent look at the conflict, chaos and humor that defines teenage life through the eyes of 15-year-old Jenna Hamilton, whose life begins to change when a simple accident becomes an epic misunderstanding and is blown way out of proportion.

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," "Law & Order: Los Angeles") as 'Ming,' Jenna's two best friends; Brett Davern ("Junk," "Triple Dog," ) as 'Jake,' the good natured popular kid; Greer Grammer ("iCarly") as Lissa, a popular cheerleader; Nikki DeLoach ("North Shore," "Love and Other Drugs") as Jenna's mom 'Lacey;' Desi Lydic ("Traffic Light," "Two and a Half Men") as 'Valerie,' the school's guidance counselor; and Mike Faiola as Jenna's dad, 'Kevin;' ("Seeing Other People").

"Awkward." was created by Lauren Iungerich who also serves as executive producer. David Janollari, Justin Levy and Anne Marie McGintee 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.