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|country = {{USA}}
|country = {{USA}}
|language = [[English language|English]]
|language = [[English language|English]]
|num_seasons = 2
|num_seasons = 1 <!-- As of June 6, 2008 -->
|num_episodes = 20 <!-- As of May 26, 2008 -->
|num_episodes = 21 <!-- As of June 6, 2008 -->
|list_episodes = List of Greek episodes
|list_episodes = List of Greek episodes
|executive_producer = [[Lloyd Segan]]<br >[[Shawn Piller]]
|executive_producer = [[Lloyd Segan]]<br >[[Shawn Piller]]

Revision as of 14:48, 6 June 2008

Greek
GenreTeen drama
Created byPatrick Sean Smith
StarringSpencer Grammer
Jacob Zachar
Jake McDorman
Scott Michael Foster
Opening theme"Our Time Now"
ComposerJohn Swihart
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes21 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersLloyd Segan
Shawn Piller
Original release
NetworkABC Family
ReleaseJuly 9, 2007 –
Present

Greek is an American teen comedy-drama television series which airs on the ABC Family network. The show follows students of Cyprus-Rhodes University who partake in the school's Greek system. It follows the life of mainly Casey Cartwright and her brother, Rusty Cartwright. Most of the characters belong to either the fictional fraternities Kappa Tau Gamma (ΚΤΓ) and Omega Chi Delta (ΩΧΔ), or the fictional sorority Zeta Beta Zeta (ΖΒΖ). Greek will return for its second season in Fall 2008 with twelve new episodes.

Production

In April 2007, ABC Family announced plans to begin airing Greek in July of that summer. The series premiered on July 9, 2007.[1] Show creator Patrick Sean Smith began the show as a spec script of a show that he "really wanted to see," noticing a lack of shows in the format centering on college life. Citing "shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty" that "were pushing the envelope comedically in one-hour format," Smith saw the idea working for a younger set.[2]

The first season was halted in September due to the Writers Guild of America strike and returned March 24. On May 1, 2008, ABC Family announced plans to renew Greek for a second season.[3]

Cast and characters

  • Casey Cartwright (Spencer Grammer) is the ambitious sister at Zeta Beta Zeta, poised to become the next president.
  • Rusty "Spitter" Cartwright (Jacob Zachar) is a freshman in hopes of shedding his geeky image by pledging Kappa Tau Gamma.
  • Evan Chambers (Jake McDorman) is a brother at the Omega Chi Delta fraternity, who was once in a relationship with Casey.
  • Cappie (Scott Michael Foster) is the president of Kappa Tau Gamma, fitting in with the typical frat guy stereotype.
  • Calvin Owens (Paul James) is a homosexual brother at Omega Chi Delta, who was accidentally outted by his good friend, Ashleigh.
  • Dale Kettlewell (Clark Duke) is Rusty's straight-edged roommate, who starts his own group U-SAG (University Students Against Greeks).
  • Ashleigh Howard (Amber Stevens) is the Social Chair of the Zeta Beta Zeta sorority, and Casey's best friend slash ditsy sidekick.
  • Rebecca Logan (Dilshad Vadsaria) is a Zeta Beta Zeta pledge and sentator's daughter, who continuously challenges Casey's authority.
  • Frannie Morgan (Tiffany Dupont) is Casey's Big Sister and the former ZBZ president, dethroned based on a horrific scandal.

Plot

The series follows a group of students in the Greek System at the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University. Rusty Cartwright is a freshman at the Cyprus-Rhodes University and is in an effort to shed his geeky image. His older sister Casey sits comfortably as a Zeta Beta Zeta sorority sister, but goes beyond her wishes and decides to rush a fraternity. Rusty settles in Kappa Tau Gamma, an Animal House style fraternity known for its wild parties, over Omega Chi Delta, a more classic, good old boy fraternity.

As Season One progresses, Rusty comes into his own as a pledge and enjoys college and fraternity life. He begins a relationship with a member of Zeta Beta Zeta and deals with his religious and conservative roommate Dale (Clark Duke), who is vehemently against the Greek system. Meanwhile, Casey clashes with the new pledge Rebecca (Dilshad Vadsaria), the daughter of a senator, who eventually begins to date Casey's ex-boyfriend Cappie (Scott Michael Foster). To complicate matters, Cappie belongs to Rusty's new fraternity, while her current boyfriend Evan belongs to its rival Omega Chi Delta.

Reception

Greek has been relatively well received by critics, receiving a score of 62 out of 100 from review aggregator Metacritic.[4]. In a review released soon after the premiere of the show, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the show "light-hearted fun" and "authentic" while the New York Times claimed that Greek "captures the spirit of the hedge-fund age like nothing else."[5][6] Other critics did not find the drama as authentic, with Elizabeth Fox of the Philadelphia Enquirer criticizing the show's predictability and lack of originality as another "teenage soap opera."[7] Other reviews were middling, calling the writing of the show acceptable and praising the strength of the cast.[8]

The show has been noted by LGBT activists for the character of Calvin (Paul James), a gay fraternity member who struggles with the stereotyping and homophobia that coming out of the closet entails. Critics have praised the character's "three dimensionality."[2][9]

References

  1. ^ "Greek, Cats new offerings at ABC Family". TV.com. 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  2. ^ a b Juergens, Brian (2008-03-23). "Interview with "Greek" creator Patrick Sean Smith". After Elton on Logoonline.com. Retrieved 2008-05-30. Cite error: The named reference "after elton" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ "ABC Family adds five to mix". TV.com. 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  4. ^ "Television: Greek (ABC Family". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  5. ^ "Freaks and Greeks". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2007-06-29. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ Bellafante, Ginia (2007-07-16). "'Greek' - Television Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  7. ^ Fox, Elizabeth (07-09-2007). "Teen soap opera tells a tale of Greek life". Philadelphia Enquirer. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Weigand, David (2007-07-07). "'Animal House' it ain't. Some are hot, and one's even gay". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  9. ^ Krochmal, Shana Naomi (2008-04-28). "Greek's Family Values". Out.com. Retrieved 2008-05-30.