Greek (TV series)


Greek is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC Family from July 9, 2007, to March 7, 2011. The series follows students of the fictitious Cyprus-Rhodes University, located in Ohio, who participate in the school's Greek system.

Plot

The show's plots often take place within the confines of the fictional fraternities Kappa Tau Gamma and Omega Chi Delta, or the fictional sorority Zeta Beta Zeta. Throughout the course of the series, other non-Greek characters and situations are introduced, but they all tie into larger relationships with the Greeks. The series follows Rusty and Casey Cartwright as they endure the events surrounding the Greek system at Cyprus-Rhodes. There are six chapters, arranged into four seasons. The series starred Jacob Zachar and Spencer Grammer as the lead characters.

Cast and characters

Main cast

  • Jacob Zachar as Rusty Cartwright, or "Spitter" – A quintessential nerd who comes to CRU to be in the Honors Engineering Program. In season one, he is a freshman who decides to go Greek like his older sister Casey, hoping that it will make him cooler and more confident. He eventually pledges Kappa Tau Gamma.
  • Spencer Grammer as Casey Cartwright – Rusty's older sister and a dedicated Zeta Beta Zeta sorority girl. During her junior and senior years at CRU, she must navigate her way through sorority drama and a messy love triangle, all while trying to figure out her future plans.
  • Scott Michael Foster as Cappie – The president of Kappa Tau Gamma and Casey's ex-boyfriend from freshman year. Cappie eventually becomes Rusty's "big brother" and introduces him to the rowdy Kappa Tau lifestyle. He loves college and Kappa Tau so much that he never wants to leave, and his immaturity continues to keep him and Casey apart.
  • Jake McDorman as Evan Chambers – The Pledge Educator and eventual president of Omega Chi Delta and Casey's ex-boyfriend. Evan comes from a very wealthy family and is entitled to a large trust fund, but he has a troubled relationship with his overbearing parents. Although Evan and Cappie were formerly best friends, the two became bitter enemies after Evan started dating Casey.
  • Paul James as Calvin Owens – One of Rusty's first friends in college. Although Calvin decides to pledge Omega Chi and becomes Evan's "little brother", he remains close with Rusty and the Kappa Taus. Calvin is secretly gay when he arrives at college, but he becomes open about his sexuality as he makes friends and bonds with his brothers.
  • Amber Stevens as Ashleigh Howard – Casey's best friend since the two met in the laundry room during their freshman year. Ashleigh loves fashion and makeup and is Casey's roommate at the ZBZ house.
  • Dilshad Vadsaria as Rebecca Logan – The daughter of a senator who pledges ZBZ during her freshman year. Although she becomes Casey's "little sister", Rebecca is a troublemaker who develops a rivalry with Casey after sleeping with Evan. Rebecca eventually mellows a bit, becoming close with Ashleigh and even mending her relationship with Casey.
  • Clark Duke as Dale Kettlewell – Rusty's freshman year roommate. In addition to being a student in the Honors Engineering Program, Dale is a staunch Conservative Southern Baptist and Anti-Greek activist who is critical of Rusty's Greek involvement.

    Production

Filmed primarily in Los Angeles, the show was also filmed on location at the University of California, Los Angeles campus in the Westwood district of Los Angeles. Some scenes were shot at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The exterior and some interior shots were filmed in West Adams, Los Angeles. The house used in the pilot to establish the ZBZ residence is the same house used in the reality series Beauty and the Geek.
The first season was halted in September 2007 due to the Writers Guild of America strike and returned March 24, 2008, to a triple digit increase in ratings over the pilot's premiere. On May 1, 2008, ABC Family renewed Greek for a second season, premiering August 26, 2008. The series was moved from the Tuesday lineup to Monday nights. Twelve more episodes were ordered for late spring 2009 and aired beginning March 30. On January 31, 2009, it was announced that Greek would return for a third season, premiering on August 31, 2009. The midseason premiere of Greek was Monday, January 25, 2010, at 10/9c.
On February 19, 2010, it was reported that the show had been renewed for a fourth, ten-episode season. Then, on March 13, 2010, creator Sean Smith announced his plans to end the series after the fourth season, saying, "We plan to end, that's the plan. We're all looking at this as an opportunity to come back, wrap up the show, and end strong. ABC Family could have ended it, but they gave us this opportunity and I don't want to squander it." On July 29, 2010, it was confirmed that the fourth and final season of Greek would air beginning in January 2011. The series finale aired on March 7, 2011.

Music

  • Albert Hammond Jr.'s "In Transit" played at the beginning of the Pilot episode
  • The Perishers' "Nothing Like You and I" played at the end of Season 1 Episode 15 "Freshman Daze"
  • The Plain White T's "Our Time Now" played during commercials advertising Greek during the show's first chapter promotional run. The band has appeared in numerous Greek episodes, making their debut in the season one episode, "The Rusty Nail". They appeared in subsequent episodes "Friday Night Frights", "A New Normal", and "See You Next Time Sisters". The show sometimes features members of the band as KT brothers, such as in the episode "The Great Cappie". The Chapter Two DVD features a video for the band's song, "Natural Disaster", which features Tiffany Dupont.
  • The Dollyrots appeared in the season one episode, "Multiple Choice", playing "Because I'm Awesome".
  • Marié Digby performs "Better Off Alone" in the penultimate season one episode, "Barely Legal".
  • performs two songs in the season one finale, "Spring Broke": "Wild and Young", and "Move to the Music".
  • The War Tapes are the featured band during the season two finale, "At World's End", "Always Falling", and "Dreaming of You".
  • Alpha Rev appeared in the season preview performing "Phoenix Burn".
  • Zach Selwyn wrote a rap song to promote the third season of Greek in 2009, and shot a music video with the cast of the show.
  • The Temper Trap with the song "Sweet Disposition" on the last episode of the second season.
  • In chapter 3, "Crush Landing" a Bishop Allen song "Click Click Click Click"
  • In one episode, before fire in Gamma Psi house, ZBZ singing song "Good Girls Go Bad".
  • Episode 11 Season 3, when Grant and Calvin are dancing; the music played is "Stay for a While" by The Nikhil Korula Band
  • Episode 5 Season 4 when Cappie takes Casey back to ZBZ after the Everest party, the song "Ring of Fire" by Jack Savoretti is played.
  • Season 4 Episode 6, when Cappie welcomes Casey to CappieLand, the song "Under the Milky Way" by Sia is played.
  • Youth Group with the song "Forever Young" on the finale of Greek..
  • All Time Low's song "Six Feet Under The Stars" was featured in season 3 episode 2
  • "Spinning" by Jack's Mannequin in the last episode of season 2 as well as the beginning of the series finale
  • When KT had a booth in Season 4 Episode 2, "The Last Summer" by the Forward
  • Season Finale when they tore down the Kappa Tau House – "Afterall" by William Fitzsimmons

    Synopsis

The pilot episode premiered on Monday, July 9, 2007, in the US on ABC Family. The series finale aired on Monday, March 7, 2011.

Season one

Chapter one

Rusty Cartwright is a freshman at Cyprus-Rhodes University and in an effort to shed his nerdy image, goes through Greek recruitment to join a fraternity. His older sister Casey is an active member of the Zeta Beta Zeta sorority, and is dating Omega Chi Delta active Evan Chambers, who is wealthy and popular because of his father's company, Chambers International. Evan is the Pledge Educator of Omega Chi and offers Rusty a bid during rush. But Rusty declines after he spots Evan cheating on Casey with the Senator's daughter, Rebecca Logan. Rusty later accepts a bid from Kappa Tau Gamma by the fun and laid-back Cappie, Casey's ex-boyfriend and Evan's enemy. Additionally, Rusty's religious Baptist roommate, Dale, is concerned by Rusty's involvement with the Greeks, but later accepts Rusty's new lifestyle, even befriending Rusty's gay friend Calvin, an Omega Chi legacy and pledge. After Casey finds out about Evan and Rebecca, Frannie, ZBZ president and Casey's "big sister", convinces Casey to stay with Evan. Casey sleeps with her ex, Cappie, to get revenge on Evan, but it was just a "one time thing". Rusty and Jen K., a ZBZ pledge, begin dating after they help the Kappa Taus save Vesuvius. Despite all the cheating and tension, Evan lavalieres Casey. Ashleigh, Casey's best friend and fellow ZBZ member, ends her long-distance relationship with boyfriend, Travis, and she attempts to move on to Calvin, who she finds out is gay. He gets accidentally outed by Ashleigh to all of Omega Chi, but Evan encourages him to stay in the fraternity. During the season, Calvin and Heath, a Kappa Tau, have an on-and-off relationship. When Frannie finds out she won't be graduating, she runs for Omega Chi sweetheart again, against Casey. Meanwhile, Cappie and Rebecca begin a flirtatious relationship after doing a psychology experiment together. A large scandal for the Greeks erupts after Jen K. writes a newspaper article based on the scandals and controversies of the Greeks and gets them in trouble with Dean Bowman, forcing the university to lay down strict rules and monitoring on the Greeks. Since Jen K. was a ZBZ pledge, the article centers on the Zeta Beta Zeta sorority and ZBZ National Board interferes and forces Frannie to step down as president and has Casey take her place as interim president. In retaliation, Frannie then tells Evan that the only reason Casey decided to stay with him after he cheated was because of his reputation. As a result, Evan and Casey break up. Rusty and Jen K. also break up because Rusty can no longer trust her.