Greek is an ABC Family original TV series. It premiered on the cable channel in July of 2007. It is an hour-long comedy-drama that takes place at the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University in Ohio. The show focuses on the sororities and fraternities located at the university, but much of the time is spent on the goings-on at the (fictional) fraternities Kappa Tau Gamma and the Omega Chi Delta and the sorority Zeta Beta Zeta. Currently in its fourth and final season, the show has gained a following and has had a successful run on the channel.
At the center of the show are siblings Casey (Spencer Grammer) and Rusty Cartwright (Jacob Zachar), polar-opposites who find themselves at the same college and both active in the Greek system. Casey has always been pretty and popular, garnering the attention of CRU’s most eligible bachelor Evan Chambers (Jake McDorman), who happens to be the president of the exclusive Omega Chi. In addition to her relationship with Evan, Casey was involved with Kappa Tau’s president Kappy (Scott Michael Foster). Meanwhile, Rusty is a dorky polymer science major who is looking to fit in. The two begin to forge a relationship while navigating the perils and adventures of college life.
In addition to these characters, there are a number of friends who help round out the cast. Rusty’s best friend Calvin (Paul James) has to contend with being an openly-gay fraternity brother. Casey’s best friend Ashleigh (Amber Stevens, who is absolutely gorgeous) struggles with a long-distance relationship and then deals with taking over the ZBZ presidency. Rusty’s roommate Dale Kettlewell (Clark Duke) struggles with his religious convictions in a liberal arts environment. There’s also disgraced-senator’s daughter Rebecca Logan (Dilshad Vadsaria) who started out as a foil to Casey but has ended up being a complex and sympathetic character trying to carve her own identity in the wake of her father’s scandal. Enough screen time is given to all of these characters so that story lines stay fresh and move quickly.
The writing is also sharp, self-aware, and full of pop-culture references that are both hilarious and spot-on. The cast is pretty talented overall and while some of them are very, very pretty (I’m really serious about my girl crush on Amber Stevens), it isn’t an overwhelming prettiness the way that the cast of The Vampire Diaries is, you know what I mean? Everything about the show is enjoyable and fun and completely addictive.
While I enjoy the pop culture references and genuinely care about the characters and what happens to them, there are other reasons why I keep turning in. I like that a show on a network geared towards families is okay with the portrayal of openly gay characters who have sex lives–this is still kind of a big deal, you guys, and the fact that Greek does it with little fanfare is absolutely wonderful. While the show isn’t as raunchy as actual college life (that’s the fantasy, right?), it does portray a lot of the events that happen in college: the drinking, the partying, the sex, and the ups and downs of friendship in a way that seems mostly authentic. It’s fun, frothy, and while it certainly doesn’t re-invent the wheel, it’s high-quality escapism.
If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to check it out. The first 3 seasons are available to stream instantly on Netflix, and you can also buy or rent the DVDs.
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