What's better than trivial high school drama? Trivial drama in college. While there are many TV shows that center around teens in their formative years like Pretty Little Liars or Gossip Girl, there are also the addictive programs that are strictly set at a real or fictional university where viewers get to see young adults attempt to become actual grown-ups. Here are some of our favorite college-set series in all of TV history.
If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that Viola Davis can show up to any lecture hall and convince us of doing anything - including literal murder - and we'd follow along. The Emmy winner leads the pack of her law school students, played by Aja Naomi King, Matt McGorry, Karla Souza, Jack Falahee and Alfred Enoch, into questionable situations that has even left one of The Keating 5 dead. Honestly, these guys spend way too much time with each other, but by this point in the third season, they don't really have a choice.
The first season of Glee guru Ryan Murphy's dramedy made us rethink if it was truly worth it going to college at all. Set at the fictional Wallace University, one of the sororities, Kappa Kappa Tau, is targeted by a serial killer nicknamed the Red Devil, since the murderer keeps their identity hidden within the confines of the school's Red Devil mascot. Led by Chanel (Emma Roberts) and her minions, aka the other Chanels (Ariana Grande, Billie Lourd and Abigail Breslin), the killer - no spoilers - may have blessed us with one of the best TV deaths ever. We're still so into you, Ariana.
A Different World was originally a spin-off of hit sitcom The Cosby Show, with Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) attending a fictional historically black school, Hillman College. The premise changed after the first season, when Bonet announced she and her then-husband Lenny Kravitz were expecting their first child (Zoe Kravitz), and she ultimately left the show. From the second season on, the series focused on Southern belle Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and math nerd Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), and the series became known for tackling important issues such as race and HIV/AIDS. The show also featured appearances from Jada Pinkett Smith, Sinbad and CSI's Gary Dourdan.
This is a true story... of seven strangers... enrolled in a community college (who study together) and have their lives ruined by the dean. Find out what happens... when Donald Glover stops playing paintball... and start getting famous. Greendale - Community College. Community was in a world of its own and became one of the most unique comedies on TV. The fans lobbied hard to keep it on the air, and after a network change and a few cast switch-ups, the show finally came to an end in 2015. We continue to be in the darkest timeline without Alison Brie, Joel McHale and co., but there's still hope, right? #SixSeasonsAndAMovie
The Syfy drama, based on the popular book series of the same name, starts out at the famous Brakebills University, an elite school for talent magicians. But by the second season, which is currently airing on Wednesdays, The Magicians split their time between the school and the fantasy world of Fillory - a place they thought was only in novels. Is there some kind of spell we can use to get there too?
Before he was the beloved patriarch of the Braverman clan on Parenthood, Craig T. Nelson was the head of another family, albeit his football family, as the coach of the Minnesota State University's Screaming Eagles on Coach. The role of Hayden Fox earned Nelson an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and the part became the defining role of his career, besides Zeek Braverman of course. In fact, he was close to donning his coach threads again in 2015 when plans were underway for a sequel series to center on Hayden's son. But executives ultimately decided to pass on the show, so we'll just have to stick with the DVDs instead.
One of the biggest stereotypes of college is its intense Greek system, with insane parties at fraternity and sorority houses. On the small screen, Greek brought us into the lives of the students at Cyprus-Rhodes University, and for four seasons, we got a glimpse into the lives of fraternities Kappa Tau Gamma and Omega Chi Delta, and sorority Zeta Beta Zeta. The dramedy starred Clark Duke, Spencer Grammer, Scott Michael Foster, Jake McDorman, and more - but fans can expect to see all of them together again with a planned holiday-themed TV movie. The executive producers Sean Piller, Lloyd Sagan, and creator Patrick Sean Smith made the announcement in 2016, but we're still patiently waiting for the results...
Judd Apatow didn't exactly have the best of luck on TV in the early 2000s, most notably with now-cult favorite Freaks and Geeks. One year after the first and only season came to a close, the Knocked Up director opted to set his sights from high school to fictional school University of Northeastern California, but brought along Freaks and Geeks alum Seth Rogen for the ride. The show about freshmen students living in the same dorm also starred Jay Baruchel, Sons of Anarchy hunk Charlie Hunnam, and Monica Keena, and featured appearances by Apatow rep players Jason Segel and Busy Philipps, as well as Kevin Hart, Amy Poehler, and David Krumholtz. Unfortunately, Undeclared had the same fate of its predecessor and also last one season, but became a cult favorite once it went off the air.
Sometime after Jess Mariano gave Rory Gilmore one last kiss in Gilmore Girls and before Jack Pearson became the Best TV Dad Ever on This Is Us, Milo Ventimiglia briefly attended college in New York City with Gossip Girl's Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley). Yes, you read that right. In a "Blink-And-You'll-Miss-It" situation, The Bedford Diaries lasted exactly eight episodes on The WB in the spring of 2006. The show centered on six students who were all in the same provocative sexuality seminar, and their homework included having to tell their innermost desires through video diaries. Sign us up now. The show also starred Friday Night Lights quarterback Scott Porter and Private Practice star Audra McDonald as one of their professors. Despite the cancellation, everything turned out OK for both leading men - within the year, both Ventimiglia and Badgley landed roles in their hit TV shows Heroes and Gossip Girl, respectively.
It was the decision that tortured both Felicity (Keri Russell) and viewers in the 2000s for years - should she attend Stanford University in her home state of California or follow her heart and her crush Ben (Scott Speedman) across the country to attend the fictional University of New York? Whether she had made the right choice plagued her throughout the four seasons Felicity was on-air, and she was thrown for a loop when she met Noel (Scott Foley) creating one of the best love triangles on TV. She finally made a decision in the series finale, but was it the decision you wanted her to make? Team Ben and Team Noel fans continue to debate till this day.