College is intended to be a time in a young person’s life where they break free from their childhood and discover who they are as adults. It is a time of education and maturing that is one of the most memorable times in a person’s life. Watching some one diligently at their studies would not make for very exciting movies or television so the producers of those endeavors tend to concentrate on one aspect of college life; the Greek system. They are the fraternities and sororities that tend to dominate the campus. While those associations do provide a useful function such as building relationships that will last a lifetime they are typically shown as a means for parties and other high jinx. Most have long traditions of service to the school and community and should be lauded. Thanks to a little comedy in the movies; ‘Animal House’, the perception of these organizations is somewhat colored by the general public. Actually they do represent a microcosm of real life. There are fraternities that do specialize in parties and sororities that attract the richest and best looking young women. One television series tries to depict these organizations is such a light, ABC Family Channel’s ‘Greek’. I do admit that when the series began I was aware of it but since my college days are many decades in the past didn’t watch it. I was given the first season DVD set to review and instantly became a fan. The show is extremely well done in every aspect of its production. Since it does come from the more mature branch of the wonderful world of Disney parents can be sure that nothing explicit will be show. Sex is not depicted outright but the emotional consequences are frequently a point of consideration. Disney has all age groups covered with their television programming. While the Disney channel has become a safe harbor for the tween set ABC Family has moved towards providing thought provoking shows for the mid to late teens. They are also suitable for parental viewing and will become something you share with your aloof teens. The second season DVD set is available through their Buena Vista line and is something you will enjoy as a family.

The series was the brain child of Patrick Sean Smith who has worked as a write for other teen oriented series as ‘Everwood’, ‘Sumerland’ and ‘Supernatural’. He infuses some of the elements of a couple of great television series that joined the ranks of ‘brilliant but cancelled’; ‘Undeclared’ and ‘Freaks and Geeks’. Hopefully ABC Family is more dedicated to keeping quality programming like this on the air. What will initially pull you into to this show is the soap opera nature of its stories. There are arcs that carry though the season and overall series. What will keep you coming back is the way Smith and his team handle extremely delicate issues such as premarital sex, substance abuse and teen betrayal. All of the topics explored here are of vital interest to the target teen audience. As a parent it would be wise to watch this series and try to put yourself in the place of the characters; it might just help you to understand you own teens better.

The series is set in the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University. The main focus is on a returning freshman, Rusty Cartwright (Jacob Zachar) and is one year older sister Casey (Spencer Grammer). At this point both are in the on campus Greek system. Rusty belongs to the rambunctious Kappa Tau fraternity while is sister is a leader in the more prestigious Zeta Beta Zeta. Although the sisters over at ZBZ tend to look down on the KT guys there is a lot of cross dating going on. Ostensibly Casey’s boyfriend is Evan Chambers (Jake McDorman), who is one of the leading members of the higher end fraternity Omega Chi Delta. He is not the monogamous type and Casey has responding to his infidelity by having a fling of her own Cappie (Scott Foster), the president of KT. Also in ZBZ is Rebecca Logan (Dilshad Vadsaria) who is the daughter of a United States senator and strong on family values. One of Casey’s best friends at ZBZ is Frannie Morgan (Tiffany Dupont) and has served as the president of the sorority.

The season opens with a couple of mainstays for college films and television, the aftermath of spring break and the up coming Greek Row games. Casey becomes obsessed with ensuring the ZBZ will win the Greek Games once again. She is now about to accept failure on her watch. Rebecca begins to show off a more rebellious side and a conflict between Cappie and Evan has repercussions that come between the friendship between Rusty and Calvin (Paul James), a member of Omega Chi Delta. As with most college students money is always an issue. Current ZBZ president, Ashleigh Howard (Amber Stevens) discovers that a credit card is not a magic wand when she has to pay off a rather large bill. The solution, as improbably as it may seem is gambling. Ashleigh and Casey learn to count cards and head off to a nearby casino. This is a very timely topic since an increasing number of college students are seduced by credit cards and quickly get into a life long debt. Another familiar theme for a college student is indecision. Rusty begins to have doubts about his polymer science major and seeks the assistance of the RA to try to figure things out. Romance is something that is on a constant state of flux. The teens may be predisposed to keep up with this but for us older folks may need a score card of some sort to keep track of who is dating whom at any given moment. The series covers the second half of Rusty’s freshman year ending with his getting a summer job as a camp consular. Along the way are the usual hallmarks of college including the pressures of formal dances and balancing other social involvements with academics. Even the subject of sexual identity comes up on a regular basis. Calvin is gay but initially tried to hide the fact even from his friends. The series shows the degree of peer pressure that is put upon any student bit especially one who feels he doesn’t fit in. In all cases this topic like all the others is gently handled with decorum.

This is a fantastic show that will provide a lot of entertainment while it tackles issues that our kids face every day. It is a show produced for teens with their needs in mind. As usual for a series like this the music is important and there is plenty of it. Some featured songs are performed by the Plain White Tees, and spectacular vocal group that appear to be something of the house band for the series. This set features a special flashback episode to fill in some o0f the character’s back stories. Get this one and enjoy it.