Tuesday, September 6, 2011

First Post in Forever...Greek Review

So my lovely fiancee and I recently, to borrow the phrase, "cut the cord." We got rid of our cable and went to Netflix. Part of the benefit of Netflix is that you can watch tons of series from the beginning to the end. The first show we started this with was "Parks and Recreation." The next one, which we finished this weekend, was "Greek."

For those of you who don't know or remember "Greek," you probably aren't alone. The show was on ABC Family from 2006-2011. It lasted 74 episodes over six seasons. Shows that last this long usually get some sort of recognition. But, it's about college students in the Greek system at a Midwest university AND it was on ABC Family. So, you can do the math.

"Greek" centers on the Cartwrights. Rusty is a freshman nerd who wants to join the Greek system, an unprecedented move that irks his sorority president sister, Casey. She and her best friend, Ashleigh, are trying to navigate the success of their house with volatile but highly-sought new pledge Rebecca Logan, a senator's daughter. Casey also spends pretty much the entire series trying to choose between two suitors: Evan Chambers, the rich ambitious guy, and Cappie, the unambitious fun guy. Add Rusty's bible-thumbping roommate Dale and gay best friend Calvin into the fold, and you have a lot of plates spinning at once.

The biggest crime is that it all works. The writers keep all of these storylines moving (most of the time) and still manage to surprise while keeping the writing fresh. Rarely do lines feel unauthentic and cliche. The acting is sometimes clunky, but most of the time follows. After a while, you begin to truly care about these characters and the people that portray them.

For me, "Greek" is a certain addition to your Queue, on either disc or most certainly streaming.

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