college
TV Goes to College: 10 Memorable Shows Set on Campus
'Conan' isn't TBS' only big premiere this month. Tonight at 10PM ET, you can tune into the first episode of 'Glory Daze', a one-hour comedy set among the crushed beer cans and hand-me-down sofas of a fraternity house ... in 1986. (Read Maureeen Ryan's review of 'Glory Daze.')The cast is full of fresh faces; the most famous name among the regulars is former 'Saturday Night Live' player Tim Meadows, as the awkward Professor Haines.
But can 'Glory Daze' succeed where other college comedies and dramas -- many others -- have failed? Though series set in leafy quads would seem to be limiting themselves to a four-year run, it could take the Hayes University screw-ups of 'Glory Daze' a decade to graduate.
Let's review some of TV's most memorable attempts to bring higher ed to the small screen. You'll be tested on this later.
Review: Friday Night Lights - The Lights of Carrol Park
(S04E09) This is a really interesting time in television because there are not one or two or three excellent dramatic TV shows, there are a dozen I could name off the top of my head. Somewhat overlooked -- thanks to NBC -- is Friday Night Lights. Amid Lost, 24, House, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Big Love, Damages, Sons of Anarchy, NCIS and others, the drama which some incorrectly think is just about Texas football, doesn't get its just desserts.
This was a typical episode of Friday Night Lights, layered with character development and conflicts, emotions out of whack, and problems that seem to crop up out of nowhere. It's a lot like life. For more on the show and what Tami and Eric were talking about in bed, follow me after the jump.
Newspaper article from The Office was actually real

In the recent "Scott's Tots" episode of The Office, they showed an old newspaper clipping of Michael Scott with the kids that he was going to send to college (cough, cough). They didn't show the article for long but it wasn't just one of those fake TV newspaper props that have nonsense text. The entire article was actually written. The prop department called the real Scranton Times and they created the article for the show.
[via Pop Candy]
Happy 25th anniversary, Cosby Show
[via Pop Candy]
The NFL draft expands into primetime
Unless you're a National Football League fan like me, the idea of watching hours and hours of college players being selected one by one to potentially play for a team, is as boring as watching someone in fishing for bass. Well, it turns out there's an audience for both! No seriously, when ESPN began covering the NFL Draft in 1980, the network could have never anticipated that it would grow into a ratings draw.Now, the draft has been supersized. In 2010, the NFL Draft will be three days long and in mostly in primetime. The 75th annual National Football League Draft will commence on Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 - 11 p.m.. That'll just cover round one. Rounds two and three continue on Friday, April 23 at 6:30 - 11 p.m., with the final four rounds dominating daytime on Saturday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to whenever it's over.
Do you have good enough grades to get into Lost University?
ABC has launched a web site for Lost University, an online school that starts on September 22. There are two semesters (or one final season), and courses include "Introductory Physics of Time Travel," "I'm Lost, Therefore I Am," and "I'm Right, You're Wrong: The Us vs. Them Mentality." There's also a Smokey Patrol, a campus security service run by students, and a Drive Shaft cover band contest.
The university will be at Comic-Con this weekend too, dropping clues about what all this means.
[via PopWatch]
Does Heroes need more lesbians?
Not that Heroes is overflowing with lesbians now, but one of the plots that might be coming up this season is Claire getting romantically involved with her new college roommate, played by Rachel Melvin.Michael Ausiello reports that, yes, Claire and the show are definitely going in that direction, though it's impossible to say how far the storyline will go. We all remember what happened when they hinted that Claire's first season best bud Zach was gay.
Can this be considered a power? It could lead to a whole new tagline for the show: Save the lesbian cheerleader, save the world.
Sneak Peek: NBC's Community
Leno compares Jamie Lee Curtis' daughter to a stripper
Greek: Dearly Beloved - open thread

On last night's Greek, Max decided to get more serious with Casey, Rebecca got involved in a game, and Jordan and Rubin shared a common bond. I have no idea what any of that means since I don't watch the show. I copied it from the TV listings. But looking at the web site, it looks like the show uses some interesting music in their episodes. If you're a regular viewer, let us know how the episode was. And if you watched any of the 35 episodes of Roommates that were on after Greek last night, let us know that too.
Jared Fogle, porn provider
You know, we can snicker all we want at the allegations that Subway spokesman Jared Fogle spent his days at Indiana University running a successful porn rental business out of his apartment, but give the man credit for knowing his customer base and how to run a successful business. If there's one thing college males want as much as beer and weed, it's porn. Also, keep in mind this is pre-internet, so folks had to get their porno from somewhere. And let's not pretend, fellas, that none of us have ever seen a pornographic movie. I myself have a collection of over one hundred tapes. They're not video tapes, they're audio cassettes, and I listen to them while I'm jogging. I like to imagine it's how porno would have been done back in the RKO radio days.
So there you have it: before he became that fat guy who got kinda less fat by walking and eating Subway sandwiches, he had a lucrative career as a porn distributor. He's got business savvy, you gotta give him that.
ABC's Traveler premiere bumped up to May 10
ABC is giving Traveler some love. What is Traveler? Well, I'd honestly be surprised if you remembered. It was on ABC's fall schedule, which was announced almost a year ago, and then kept getting bumped back to later dates. The series is about two college grads who end up getting framed for a terrorist act by another college buddy. Bob has been looking forward to it for nearly a year now!Earlier this month, ABC announced Traveler would premiere on May 30th, but now the network has bumped up that premiere and given it a sweet time slot. The pilot episode of Traveler will air on May 10th at 10 pm, following a new episode of Grey's Anatomy. Then, the pilot will air again on the May 30th date.
I'm not sure if this is a good marketing idea. It seems odd to give a sneak preview of a show and then make people remember that they need to pick it up again during a holiday week (Memorial Day).
Just how popular is Grey's Anatomy anyway?
There's a serious problem at this nation's colleges. Something more serious than liberal professors, binge drinking, and crystal-meth combined. Yes, I'm talking about Dempsey-Mania. For the second time in the last week, I've had a comedy performance at a college scheduled so that it didn't conflict with the Thursday night airing of Grey's Anatomy. Now, I realize that I'm slightly less yummy than Dr. McDreamy (ahem), but come on -- a live performance (of anything, not just me) surely has to out-rank a TV show, right?
More disturbing to me is the fact that at none of the colleges I'm performing at this year (I'm scheduled to be at around 100) are doing this for any other show. Shows that I thought would be perfect college "event" shows (like The Office or Lost) are ignored, while Grey's Anatomy is tip-toed around. I don't watch the show, so I thought I'd put it to the commentators: what is it about this show in particular that drives college kids so crazy?
The Whitest Kids U'Know musical sketch comedy coming to Fuse - TCA Report
The Whitest Kids U'Know was presented to us with a roll of toilet paper, and an announcement proclaiming that it's "A comedy movement that is dropping on March 20th." So, when the intro to a show leads off with toilet humor, you know you're in for something really special. The teaser they showed involved an excited couple nervously talking about trying to get pregnant, and when the time comes to reveal the test, she can't read it and asks him to do it. He tells her, "That's my IPod shuffle. You peed on my iPod shuffle. You're such a f*cking bitch."Harsh, but funny! Granted, I love sketch comedy ... probably more than a human being should, but with the gradual downslide of Saturday Night Live ('Dick in a Box' and 'Lazy Sunday' notwithstanding), this show is about the funniest thing I've seen sketch-wise in a long time. They've been seen all over CollegeHumor.com and YouTube, so check 'em out online.
Although this was announced as an upcoming show on the Sundance Channel back in 2005, did anything ever happen with it? This version of the show premieres on Fuse on March 20th at 11PM eastern.
Degrassi scribe takes on The Best Years
Aaron Martin, head writer for Degrassi: The Next Generation, has created and will executive produce a new series about college life for The N called The Best Years. An appropriate title if I do say so myself, because I think for many of us college was a really great time. I know when it came time for me to graduate they had to drag me kicking and screaming off the campus: "No! I still have so much to learn! So many items I've yet to turn into a bong!"
The drama focuses on freshman Samantha Best, a product of the foster care system who looks forward to a new start at Charles University in Massachusetts. The cast of both Canadian and American actors includes a rich socialite from the Midwest, a star basketball player and a famous child actor who leaves Hollywood to attend the university. Thirteen episodes are set to air next summer.
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