History Series / Greek

The series focuses on the fraternity ambitions of Rusty Cartwright, a HollywoodNerd with dreams of fitting in at college and having a 'real college experience'... while also being a member of the Honors Engineering program and pursuing a degree in [[WeirdScience Polymer Science]]. The series begins on his first day at school and ends during his junior year, exploring the goings-on of his friends and classmates, as well as his relationship with his CoolBigSis, Casey (played by KelseyGrammer's daughter, Spencer Greammer). Contrary to many teen dramas on nowadays, it's not really a drama; College/Greek life isn't treated as a matter of life or death (usually), and some "serious" issues - such as Betsy's alcoholism - are even played for laughs.

* AscendedExtra: Lisa Lawson made her first appearance as the unnamed and unlucky girl Rusty spits tequila all over when his first attempt at doing a body shot goes badly, and she gets brought back a few episodes later in a slightly larger recurring role.

* BeachEpisode: The season one finale. The season three finale probably qualifies as well, though very little of it actually takes place on the beach.

** Well, not really. He's more a best friend who happens to be black (and gay); he's never played up as "hip" or anything along those lines (only RELATIVELY so compared to Rusty and Dale who are both very nerdy, especially early on).

* CorruptTheCutie: Cappie to Rusty, though one of his girl friends takes it farther than he would like.

* CrisisOfFaith: Dale goes through one during his guilt spiral over losing his virginity. It's PlayedForLaughs, and he gets over it within a few episodes.

* TheCynic: Rebecca

** I guess the use of 'fun-buddies' might qualify too.
** Am I the only one that thought of all the sexual innuendo during the cram session for "Joshua Whopper"? From the discussion of phalluses 'going soft', 'too much to cram in', it goes on...
** "Guilty Treasures" has a Heath, who is gay, holding a rooster statue.

* InventedIndividual: Joshua Whopper, the fake genius 'member' created by Kappa Tau's past to keep their house grades from dropping below the required standard.

** Rusty gives one to the [=KTs=] after [[spoiler: their house gets torn down in the finale]].
* ScienceFair: In Season 3.

The series focuses on the fraternity ambitions of Rusty, a nerdy freshman (now probably a Junior, the passage of time is very much stop-and-go in the series, with some episodes taking place back to back and others jumping weeks if not months ahead of the last), and the goings-on of his friends and relatives. (His sister, Casey, is played by KelseyGrammer's daughter) Contrary to many teen dramas on nowadays, it's not really a drama. College/Greek life isn't treated as a matter of life or death. Some "serious" issues, such as Betsy's alcoholism, are even played for laughs.

* YouDidntAsk

--> ''"I wanna have a real college experience! I wanna have fun!"''
--> ''"You don't know how to have fun!"''
--> ''"But I can learn; isn't that what college is for?"''
--> ''"Hell no!"''

* PinkMeansFeminine: ZBZ's sorority color is [[WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick piiiink]]. Lampshaded in the convention episode: "I've never realized there could be so many shades of pink."

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: During one of Casey's dates with Max, Heath can be seen [[ItMakesSenseInContext surreptitiously returning a stolen rooster statue in the background]]. A couple at a nearby table then ask him to refill their drink, so he slips into the role of waiter, and also refills Casey and Max's drinks before finally exiting the scene with no one the wiser.

* InventedIndividual: Joshua Whopper, the [=KTs=] genius 'member' who keeps their house grades from dropping too low.

* PregnancyScare: Casey and Cappie get drunk and have unprotected sex and she doesn't remember until the following day that she stopped taking birth control when they broke up a few months before. Cappie makes a valiant effort to not freak out when she tells him, and then gives her the most relieved hug you can possibly imagine when she reveals that she took the Morning-After Pill.

* ReallySeventeenYearsOld: Jonah, the guy Casey met at the shelter and later slept with. She's suitably squicked out when she finds out.

* [[spoiler: FirstGirlWins: Gender-flipped; Casey and Calvin both end the series in relationships with the guys they hooked up with in their first week at college (Cappie and Heath), and the finale implies that Rebecca could end up the same way (with Evan).]]

* PregnancyScare: Casey and Cappie get drunk and have unprotected sex, and she doesn't remember until the following day that she stopping taking birth control a few months before. Cappie makes a valiant effort to not freak out when she tells him, and then gives her the most relieved hug you can possibly imagine when she reveals that she took the Morning-After Pill.

* RetCon: [[spoiler: Remember when Heath said he was graduating at the end of Rusty's sophomore fall semester? Well, they explained his return as him failing his finals after some of his frat brothers were expelled. However, he still shows up in season 4, which takes place the fall of Rusty's junior year.]] I love Heath, but WritersCannotDoMath.

** The Kappa Tau Thanksgiving dinner in 'The Wish-Pretzel is a reference to 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'.

* VisualInnuendo: Cappie notices that Rebecca is wearing his shirt and asks her to return it (since it's his lucky shirt), so she strips it off in the middle of the street, revealing her sweaty body and sports bra. [[SomethingElseAlsoRises The hose he was washing his car with spontaneously starts pouring water]].

** Rusty gets black-out drunk at a KT party at the end of 'Home Coming and Going', and spends the next episode, 'Fumble', trying to piece together his night. It was a wild ride from start to finish.

* AbsenteeActor: Mainly Dale, but Evan and Rebecca also go missing for an episode or two at a time. In fact, the only main characters to appear in every episode are Rusty, Casey, and Cappie.

* BeachEpisode: The season one finale. The season three finale probably qualifies as well.

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Pretty much Rusty's entire pledge class; lampshaded at the beginning of season four with discussion of how no-one has seen them for ages.

* GeniusDitz: For someone so stupid, Beaver actually provides a insight.

* GoingNative: To stop new neighbor, Prof. Tom Hilgendorf from ruining their fun with his rules, Kappa Tau decides to make him one of them. HilarityEnsues.

** [[spoiler:Recent pictures from the set of the 4th season indicate that, finally, it ''does'' snow in Ohio.]]

* MoreDakka: During his ambush attempt in 'The Half-Naked Gun', Rusty starts out firing small (nerf) arms at Jordan, and keeps upgrading his weapons until he's using an enormous gun that fires an absurd number of nerf darts in a matter of seconds. He still misses.

** Rusty get black-out drunk at a KT party at the end of 'Home Coming and Going', and spends the next episode, 'Fumble', trying to piece together his night. It was a wild ride from start to finish.

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* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: [[spoiler: Cappie's parents]]

* IncompatibleOrientation: Ashleigh thinks Calvin has a crush on her in early season one, and, although she's initially frustrated at the idea, she tries to come on to him after she gets drunk at a party. Turns out he's gay.

* KidnappedByAnAlly: [[spoiler: The Kappa Tau pledge class kidnap Cappie and Rusty, resulting in their loss to Omega Chi]]

* WhatDidIDoLastNight: Cappie spends an evening trying desperately to have a threesome at a party in order to squash the rumors that he has become a serial monogamist. The following morning he wakes up in bed with... [[spoiler: Wade and Beaver]]. [[AmbiguousSituation They probably didn't have sex]], but unanimously decide go eat breakfast instead of thinking about it too hard.

** Anyone outside the core group of Rusty, Cappie, Casey (and usually Ashleigh) will be absent (without commentary) for random episodes every season. Presumably, this is when these people actually go to class.

** Lizzi's entire spiel to Ashleigh and Casey when she's first introduced set her entire tone, and Ashleigh and Casey's faces said it all...[[OhCrap This is going to]] ''[[OhCrap suck]]''.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Ashleigh and Casey
* HiddenDepths: Rebecca

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Evan: "Now the fate of the entire Greek system is in the hands of a flaky, alcoholic degenerate" Cappie: "I'm not an alcoholic"

* MoreDakka: During his ambush attempt in 'The Half-Naked Gun', Rusty starts out firing small (nerf) arms at Jordan, and keeps upgrading his weapons until he's using an enormous gun that fires an absurd number of nerf darts in a matter of a few seconds. He still misses.

* NerdsAreVirgins: averted with Rusty, [[spoiler: who has slept with every girl he has dated. And also, Dale, but his reaction was quite disheartening]].

* OddFriendship: Cappie and Dale.

* PutOnABus: Jordan.

** Cappie and Evan get jobs at PartyDown catering, they even have to wear pink bowties.

* SouthernFriedGenius: Dale. The first season has him proudly displaying a Confederate flag in his dorm room.

* TomBoy: Jordan

* WackyFratBoyHijinx: Kappa Tau.

* AbsenteeActor: Mainly Dale, but both Evan and Rebecca have been missing for stretches.

* LampshadeHanging: Rusty's girlfriend, "Jen K," is played by Jessica Rose, aka, "{{lonelygirl15}}." At one point she says living with her roommate is "like living with lonelygirl15."

* FundraiserCarnival: Proposed by Casey to help Greek Row smooth things over with Dean Bowman after the scandal that ended the first half of season one. ZBZ and Tri-Pi set up rival kissing booths, which Tri-Pi wins in a rout after the restrictions Lizzi places upon ZBZ. The Kappa Taus went with yeti pelting (later changed to yeti wrestling after Rusty forgot the snow machine).

** Any mention of the Gag Reflex
** 'I'm sorry for being such a dick...tator'

* IncompatibleOrientation: Ashleigh thinks Calvin has a crush on her in early season 1, and, although she's initially frustrated at the idea, she tries to come on to him after she gets drunk at a party. Turns out he's gay.
** Also, Calvin and the guy who was flirting with him at the gym. The guy was straight and just wanted some flattering attention since his girlfriend had recently broken up with him. Calvin was not amused.

* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: 1x10: The song playing over the final scene turns out to be the music playing in Casey's car. Rusty starts fiddling with the radio as they drive away from the school - causing the song to cut out - she complains, he switches it back, and then the song resumes.

* SpringBreakEpisode: The season one finale.
* StealthHiBye: 2x12 - Rebecca attempts a couple of these while meeting with Casey and Ashleigh to discuss her spying in Frannie's sorority. Her first attempt is successful, but her second one less so, as Casey informs her that she can still see her shoe poking out from behind the garbage can where she's hiding. Rebecca sheepishly stands up and walks away normally.
* StonersAreFunny: Casey and Evan get high in 'High and Dry' after unknowingly eating pot brownies while on sober patrol. After consuming a large quantity of food (and apparently sitting under the table for ten minutes pretending they were a pair of shoes), they finally wind up sitting in the shower together smelling various hair products.

* ThatCameOutWrong: At various times, in particular Heath saying he was going to pound one of the Omega Chi's, elaborating that he meant with his fist and realizing that wasn't quite clear enough either.
* ThreeAmigos: Cappie, Evan, and Casey in the {{backstory}}.

* VisualInnuendo: Cappie notices that Rebecca is wearing his shirt and asks her to return it (since it's his lucky shirt), so she strips it off in the middle of the street, revealing her sweaty body and sports bra. [[SomethingElseAlsoRises The hose he was washing his car with spontaneously starts pouring water again]].

!!This show provides examples of

* ADayInTheLimelight: All About Beav.
--> '''Beaver:''' "I am the star of my own life. I deserve to be center stage... Thanks Mom."
* AddedAlliterativeAppeal[=/=]FullNameBasis[=/=]RepetitiveName: Ben Bennett.
** And his fake ID, Frankie Franklin.

* BettyAndVeronica: Evan (Betty) and Cappie (Veronica) for Casey (in this case, only because Cappie is the CanonLoveInterest; Evan actually fits the Veronica personality type much better, being rich and kind of a prick).

--> "You my little friend are now a fu...([[ItMakesSenseInContext A random nun appears]])...fun buddy. A fun buddy."

* JerkassHasAPoint: Frannie's frequent bouts of advice to Casey.
* KidnappedByAnAlly: [[spoiler: The Kappa Tau pledge class kidnap Cappie and Rusty, resulting in their loss to Omega Chi]]

* NaiveNewcomer: Rusty to the Greek system.

* BrotherSisterIncest: The writer's really seem to like having Rusty unknowingly hit on his sister.

--> '''Cappie''': "''Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?'' {{Beat}}. Translation! How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!"
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Cappie most notably; plus a few of the minor Kappa Taus are only known thusly. Even the dean calls him Mr. Cappie.
** Another notable example is Wade, his real name is Wade, and so is his nickname.
** GivenNameReveal: We get to find out in the finale that his name is [[spoiler: Captain John Paul Jones]]

* ReallySeventeenYearsOld: That guy Casey met at the shelter and later slept with.

** OX President Dean, it's even lampshaded early in season 2 when someone says "I thought Evan was president of OX?"

* ShoutOut: Some characters participate in a psychological study numbered 8675309.

** "The Half-Naked Gun" plot with Rusty and Jordan has shades of MrAndMrsSmith

** Grant's change is sort justfied with an arc about him expressing new sides to himself he may have kept hidden while closeted, it's contrasted with Calvin, who he suggests may be so concerned with not being a stereotype he's cutting himself off from new experiences he might enjoy.

* ThatCameOutWrong: At various times, in particular Heath saying he was going to pound one of the Omega Chi's, elaborating that he meant with his fist and realising that wasn't quite clear enough either.

* {{Yandere}}: One from Cappie's past finds him in "Friday Night Frights", though in the end, she is unimpressed by his kiss.

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* AccidentalMisnaming: Cappie finds several names to refer to Evan by.
** HilariousInHindsight: One of which is "Evan Longoria", before the baseball player with the same name led his team to the World Series. Cappie was going for the ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' connection.
* ActorAllusion: Several times. See the Jen K example below; Casey's Frasier references (she's Kelsey Grammer's daughter); Ferris Bueller references in front of the Dean (Cameron Frye from that movie). Abby(played by Olesya Rulin) saying she choreographed 3 [[HighSchoolMusical high school musicals]] and the third one being their senior year, shortly followed with Casey saying "we're all in this together".
** Rusty says Andy dresses like a popstar, which is fitting because she's played by Music/JesseMccartney

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Evan seems to be this to Cappie at first, but as you get to know them you realise Cappie's actually this to Evan, or at least the Evan he wanted to be at the beginning of college given the fact he's the KT golden boy and dates Casey first.

* AnticipatoryBreathSpray: Of course, this being Dale, he sprays it right into his eyes.
* BachelorAuction: Geek Auction in Season 3.
* BackForTheFinale: [[spoiler: Wade, Jen K and Lisa Lawson, Frannie was back for the one before]]

* BaseballEpisode: In season three Omega Chi and ZBZ team up against Gamma Psi and Kappa Tau.

* BettyAndVeronica: Evan (Betty) and Cappie (Veronica) for Casey (in this case, only because Cappie is the CannonLoveInterest, Evan actually fits the Veronica personality type much better, being rich and kind of a prick).

* BrilliantButLazy: Cappie
* BrotherChuck: Pretty much Rusty's entire pledge class, lampshaded at the beginning of season four with discussion of how no-one has seen them for ages.
* BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats: Without the hats and with a lot more drinking.

* ComingOutStory: Played seriously (Calvin in season 1, Grant in season 3) and for laughs (Heath in season 1, Rebecca in season 2). Most notable in the former two cases; the episode ''A New Normal'' centres largely on Calvin's Gayngst and the OX's lack of acceptance after he's outed, but includes a brief cutaway to Heath coming out to the [=KTs=], who are completely nonchalant (and were more worried that he might have found out Beaver once hit on his underage sister).
* ContestWinnerCameo: One of the judges in "Mr. Purr-fect".

* CorruptTheCutie: Cappie and one of his girl friend's reactions to Rusty.

* CurseCutShort: Cappie: You know my little friend are now a fu...(Nun appears suddenly)...fun buddy. A fun buddy.

* DoggedNiceGuy: Rusty Rusty Rusty and Dale too.
* DoubleAgent: Rebecca.

* DumbassHasAPoint: Beaver explains to Casey why Cappie and Evan will probably never be friends during his DayInTheLimelight, it's one of the few sensible points he makes.
* DumbBlonde: Laura and Beth, averted by Katherine and Casey (well, most of the time).

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: When Casey asks "Who wants to see Ashley's boobs?" all of the Kappa Taus...and Betsy look at her.
* ExpansionPackPast: Cappie's majors (and one-time photography minor).
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: In Freshman Daze: In a flashback to show that Evan has left his rebellious ways behind.

* TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest: Actually said by Cappie to Rusty when Rusty has trouble letting go of Jen K even after she used him to expose the corruption in the Greek system. He would, eventually, get over it.

* FundraiserCarnival: Proposed by Casey to help Greek Row smooth things over with Dean Bowman after the scandal that ended Chapter 1. ZBZ and Tri-Pi set up rival kissing booths, which Tri-Pi wins in a rout after the restrictions Lizzi places upon ZBZ. The Kappa Taus went with yeti pelting (later changed to yeti wrestling after Rusty forgot the snow machine).

* GeniusDitz: For someone so stupid, Beaver provides a insight.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Any mention of the Gag Reflex

** Am I the only one that thought of all the sexual innuendo during the cram session for "Joshua Whopper"? From the discussion of phalluses 'going soft', too much to cram in, it goes on...

* TheGenericGuy: Heath, he's still adorable.

* GoingNative: To stop new neighbour, Prof. Tom Hilgendorf for ruining their fun with his rules, Kappa Tau decide to make him one of them. HilarityEnsues.
* HelloAttorney: well, "hello law student!" for Katherine.

** Ashleigh is a fairly traditional spelling.
*** Traditionally ''[[ViewerGenderConfusion male]]''...

* KidnappedByAnAlly: [[spoiler: Kappa Tau pledge class kidnap Cappie and Rusty, resulting in their loss to Omega Chi]]

-->'''Cappie:''' Gentlemen (beat) and Omega Chis.
* NerdsAreVirgins: averted with Rusty, [[spoiler: who has slept with every girl he has dated. And also, Dale, but his reaction was quite disheartening]]
* TheNicknamer: Kappa Tau!
* NoodleIncident: The CRU Honors Engineering students managed to get a building condemned after an incident involving a genetically modified raccoon.

--> '''Cappie''': ''Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?''
--> {{Beat}}.
--> '''Cappie''': Translation! How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!

* RomanceOnTheSet: Amber Stevens (Ashley) and Andrew West (Fisher) began dating on and later married, even though their characters didn't last.

** Rusty says Andy dresses like a popstar, which is fitting because she's played by JesseMccartney

** HilariousInHindsight: One of which is "Evan Longoria", before the baseball player with the same name led his team to the World Series. Cappie was going for the ''DesperateHousewives'' connection.

* ShoutOut: Two characters participate in a psychological study numbered 8675309.
** Two characters get jobs at PartyDown catering, they even have to wear pink bowties.

* StraightGay: Calvin, Heath and initially Grant, although after coming out to his brothers he morphed overnight into full-on [[CampGay Camp Gay]].