Many of the considerably classic coming-of-age dramedy series (One Tree Hill, The O.C., and Dawson’s Creek) focus on the high school experience and navigating through our early teenage years. While I can certainly say these TV shows are among my favourite series, it’s nice to take a step back and connect with a show that focuses beyond the walls of high school.
In more recent years, shows like How to Get Away with Murder and The Sex Lives of College Girls have graced our television screens and highlighted university life in various ways. However, I would argue that the best college-centered show currently hides within the large collection of television series on Disney+: Greek.
The show, which aired on ABC Family from 2007 to 2011, takes place on the fictional campus of Cyprus-Rhodes University (CRU) and focuses on the chaotic lives of sorority and fraternity members. From the perfectly put-together members of Zeta Beta Zeta (ZBZ) to the longtime rivalry between Omega Chi Delta (ΩΧΔ) and Kappa Tau Gamma (KTΓ), there’s no shortage of drama and comedy within the world of Greek.
During the first episode, viewers are introduced to ZBZ’s “it girl,” Casey (Spencer Grammer), her best friend, Ashleigh (Amber Stevens West), Omega Chi’s golden boy, Evan (Jake McDorman), and Kappa Tau’s goofy president, Cappie (Scott Michael Foster).
During rush week, these juniors are introduced to the new set of eager pledges, including Casey’s younger brother, Rusty (Jacob Zachar). With pressure from ZBZ’s President Frannie (Tiffany Dupont) to secure a Senator’s daughter, Rebecca (Dilshad Vadsaria), as a ZBZ pledge, Casey is quickly faced up against a number of challenges as she begins navigating this new chapter of her college life.
Throughout the show’s four seasons, viewers watch as Casey and her ZBZ sisters forge an everlasting bond, possibly in ways they regret. Rusty learns how to co-exist with his extremely religious, anti-Greek system roommate, Dale (Clark Duke), who also gives him a run for his money in their honours engineering program. Ashleigh deals with the hardships of maintaining a long-distance relationship with her high school boyfriend, while Cappie and Evan maintain their own relationship (which is more of the competitive type).
From love triangles to cheating scandals and a number of Greek system rivalries along the way, Greek takes a fictional campus and puts a real-world spin on the challenges that university students alike can sympathize with.
Even if you aren’t a member of the Greek system yourself, it’s easy to relate to the emotions and identity crises that these characters go through as they begin to navigate the troubled waters of adulthood. Through the years of wild parties and thoughtfully planned pranks gone wrong, Casey, Cappie, and their friends struggle to figure out their unknown futures, balance their school and social lives, and sometimes just hope to pass midterms.
Like every mid-2000s show, Greek provides no shortage of flip phones, capris and rugby shirts, and Cosmopolitan magazines. Even as the show nears its 20th anniversary, it’s refreshing to watch an ABC favourite that continues to revisit the past while connecting with the current generation of young adults.
If you’re looking to pledge a sorority or fraternity at CRU, all without leaving the comfort of your couch, you can stream Greek on Disney+.