New comedy ‘Glory Daze’ boasts boys gone wild

Rushing has never been as predictable—or surprisingly endearing—as in TBS’s new comedy “Glory Daze.” Viewers can expect crude humor, drug use, and self-inflicted injury galore in this story of four freshman boys adjusting to college life and, of course, rushing a fraternity.

The new one-hour comedy, premiering tonight at 10 p.m., tells the coming-of-age stories of characters whose experiences at a large state university with a thriving Greek life may seem foreign—yet no less entertaining—to most Columbians.

The show, which is set in 1986, begins by introducing each main character separately. Joel, played by Kelly Blatz, a relative newcomer who appeared in “90210,” is the everyman, urged by his family to focus on academics. Jason, played by Drew Seeley, who famously dubbed Zac Efron’s singing voice in the first “High School Musical” movie, is a preppy do-gooder whose supremely organized dorm room mirrors his perfectly planned-out life. Brian, played by TV newcomer Hartley Sawyer, is a popular jock who faces pressure from his coach to make baseball his main priority. And Eli, played by Matt Bush from the popular AT&T rollover minutes commercials, is the wannabe ladies-man who’s really just desperate to swipe his v-card. Needless to say, “Glory Daze” has all the college archetypes covered with these four characters, and even throws in a strange and nerdy roommate to complete the set. The boys quickly find each other and vow to rush a fraternity together, making them a ragtag team the audience can root for while watching the show.

In fact, it does feel as if the audience has rooted for them before—the characters and their adventures are not terribly original. The pilot alone features multiple sex jokes, a keg the size of a small rocket, porn, and weed—all the ingredients one would expect in a show about frat life. However, the solid cast makes the characters seem genuine and vulnerable instead of stereotypical, transforming the “Glory Daze” pilot from a predictable flop into a show with potential.

The show also stars Tim Meadows of “Saturday Night Live” and “Mean Girls” as Joel’s comically frustrated professor. The promise of more screen time for Meadows and the supporting cast of love interests and roommates could make the difference for this series, turning it into more than gross frat boy humor.

The pilot successfully balances the predictable vulgar college-boy jokes—the boys’ first conversation as a group is a debate about what kind of condoms they prefer—and the awkward, endearing mishaps any freshman might experience. The ultimate test for the show will be whether it can maintain that balance.