If the CW's executives are wondering why they haven't been able to debut a hit since the network was created by merging The WB and UPN, they might want to look in the direction of ABC Family. Despite the cable network's name, ABC Family shed its traditional, wholesome image a few years ago ("a new kind of family" is the current slogan), opting to go for an older, more worldly audience with original dramas such as Wildfire, Lincoln Heights, Kyle XY, and Greek, which returns for the second half of its first season this week.
Greek, at 8 tonight, is a light drama with equal parts comedy and drama. This college-set series may have moments that appall parents (College students getting drunk! Sleeping together!), but it's not tawdry, just mildly racy in the most genial manner possible.
The show focuses on siblings Casey (Spencer Grammer, daughter of Kelsey Grammer), the interim president of Zeta Beta Zeta sorority, and her less-popular younger brother, Rusty (Jacob Zachar), a nerdy, intelligent kid who's a member of Kappa Tau, a kinder, gentler Animal House.
When Greek premiered last summer, it ran through the fall of Rusty's freshman year, concluding with a scandal instigated by a newspaper article that rocked the Zeta Betas and Rusty, who felt compelled to dump his girlfriend, Jen K., who figured prominently in the kerfuffle.
As the second semester begins, Rusty is missing Jen K. and Casey is getting over the end of her relationship with Evan (Jake McDorman) and the realization that her former love, Cappie (Scott Michael Foster), is dating her enemy, Rebecca (Dilshad Vadsaria).
Don't let the relationship entanglements dissuade you. If you're a fan of teen dramas, you'll easily piece it all together quickly.
This batch of 12 episodes will air through June and ABC Family has ordered a second 12-episode season of Greek for late this year or early next.
Two of the most interesting characters are Calvin (Paul James), a gay fraternity member who was outed to his frat brothers in last summer's finale, and Dale (Clark Duke), Rusty's conservative Christian roommate.
While Calvin faces some rejection once the frat learns he's gay, another brief scene features a member of a different fraternity coming out and getting barely a shoulder shrug from his friends.
"That's exactly what Greek is for me," said creator-executive producer Patrick Sean Smith in a phone interview this month. "We can take people down what feels like the typical, angry, melodramatic route and we can turn it around."
Where shows on The WB could be angsty, Greek is lighter.
"For this generation of millennial (viewers), there is a certain level of confidence - some would argue to the point of entitlement - that angst is a turnoff," Smith said.
"'Quit sitting around whining about your feelings and go do something.' We try to keep the characters active and have them be ambitious and achieve things as opposed to constantly dealing with loss or becoming victims by someone else's doing."
The Block News Alliance consists of The Blade and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rob Owen is the TV editor for the Post-Gazette.
Contact him at: rowen@post-gazette.com
First Published March 24, 2008, 9:33 a.m.
