Changing My Position on 'Greek'

***SPOILER ALERT: Minor spoilers for Greek season 3 episodes that have aired so far.***

Last week, I posted the news that ABC Family has renewed Greek for a fourth season and I launched into a discussion over why, as excited as I am, I think it should be the show’s last. Almost immediately after writing that, I began to reconsider my position.

I had two main reasons for thinking it was best Greek finish up next year:

1. “First, the majority of the main characters are nearing graduation, and to attempt a Saved By the Bell: The New Class-style situation (read: coming up with completely lame/improbable reasons why graduates are still hanging around campus) would be a complete disservice to the show.”

It appears they have already thought this through. Casey’s most recent arc shows her finally deciding on post-graduation plans. She’s decided to apply to law school, which she actually had intended to do for the better part of the show, and one of her school choices is CRU (also part of her original plan when she was dating Evan) because they apparently have a very good law school (she stated as much in last Monday’s episode “Your Friends and Neighbors,” 3x16). Evan, who has always intended to go to law school, could conceivably also decide to apply to CRU Law considering his current financial situation. And it’s become clear that Cappie is most definitely not going to graduate, so hooray! The need to come up with lame/improbably reasons why the graduates are still on campus is a non-issue.

2. “Second, it would be a mistake to try to continue the show with Rusty, Dale, and Calvin (i.e. those left behind) leading the pack.”

Well, first, I forgot about Rebecca. I know, I know—gross oversight. I completely forgot she is in the Rusty/Dale/Calvin class. My bad, guys. But even so, could Rusty, Dale, Calvin, and Rebecca hold the show down on their own? Not as they are right now. But the episodes that I’ve seen since writing that post have done wonders to open up the complexity of these characters—particularly, Rebecca, who has always been complex, but who has often been used as a foil rather than a star character—and to introduce interesting situations that could be explored in future storylines. I also asserted that there wasn’t enough time between now and graduation for the three big leads (Evan, Casey, and Cappie) to introduce new characters to flesh out the underclass cast without detracting from the main storylines. I’m definitely starting to see the possibility that there could in fact be enough time. I like Dana, the science department girl who was assigned to work on Rusty’s grant project with him, and I can see places where other new characters can be introduced OR where periphery characters could move into the front view (e.g., someone from the new ZBZ pledge class like Abby). They’ve done a wonderful job transplanting Pan-Hellenic President Katherine* into the main storylines, so I know it can be done. Plus, as I explained above, these guys really won’t be left behind if the Cappie/Evan/Casey storylines continue to unfold in the direction they seem to be heading.

So, in conclusion, I have no clue whether or not Greek will continue past a 10-episode fourth season, but I am certainly not opposed to such an idea or as apprehensive about it as I was last week. Let the CRU crew party on! You know, if ABC Family wants to and stuff.

Greek airs Monday nights at 10 on ABC Family. The third season finale airs March 29th.


*Note: I love, love, LOVE Catherine and wish she could get her own Yale Law spin-off series!!! ABC Family, if you’re reading this, seriously. Consider it. Let’s talk.