This study examined female adolescent characters portrayed in over 200 episodes of 19 prime time television programs aired in the spring of 1988, and analyzed the messages these programs conveyed about education and work. It was found that although adolescent girls outnumbered adolescent boys on prime time television, these female characters were portrayed in a limited fashion as they focused on shopping, grooming, and dating to the exclusion of other interests and activities. The adolescent female characters were also more passive and less individualized than their male counterparts. Nearly invisible in the weekly plots were conversations with parents, teachers, or peers on school matters, academic interests, career goals, or future plans. The adolescent girls portrayed on television also occupied a narrow socioeconomic status, coming from either middle class or upper-middle class backgrounds. However, some good examples can be found. Scattered throughout the episodes monitored were glimpses of intelligent girls who were also well liked, teenagers linking their interests to possible careers, and parents involved in their teenagers' futures. (EW)