Although entertainment preferences vary widely between campuses and individual students, there seem to be some things that are popular at almost every college. Popular college movies have been discussed at length, so I thought I’d do something a little different and tackle some of the TV shows that are most popular with college students. This list is in no particular order, and by no means complete.

1) Grey’s Anatomy. This sitcom is very popular with college students (especially girls), and, if it comes back for another season, will probably remain so for quite a while. The show follows a group of surgical interns as well as several hospital physicians through the ups and downs of their daily lives. The comedy, romance, and high drama make this a favorite of many students.

2) Scrubs. Another show that concentrates on med students, Scrubs is a perennial favorite of college students for its slapstick comedy and ridiculous dialogue. Although this season’s May finale may be the series finale as well, this show will forever remain a favorite of students and will be around forever in DVD collections. Zack Braff’s slightly immature humor appeals to a very large audience, and it’s probably a pretty good bet that someone you know (and maybe even live with) has at least one season of this show in their collection.

3) CSI. CSI (“Crime Scene Investigation”) is a forensic science—crime drama/thriller that is closing in on its tenth year of production and showing no signs of slowing down. Because each episode contains a complete story, it’s not necessary to have seen the rest of the season to enjoy the show (though there are some longer-running story lines behind the main stories of each episode). Mystery, suspense, and the occasional romance or sarcastic comedic remark makes this show very appealing, especially if you aren’t into the popular sitcoms.

4) Family Guy. One of the few animated TV shows geared towards young adults, Family Guy is ever-present on college campuses and ranks among the most popular TV shows for the college students. The rude, sarcastic, and low-brow humor makes for a show that you don’t have to think about to enjoy—which you’ll come to appreciate around the end of your semesters.

5) The Office. The American version of the British mockumentary is hugely popular among students, and you’ll probably hear quotes from it fairly often. The dry humor is reminiscent of other British classics.

6) House. Yet another medical drama, House presents a main character who, instead of being heroic and admirable, is really kind of a jerk. He belittles his colleagues and constantly expresses cynical, “downer” views of life. Somehow, all of this comes together to form a very entertaining show that also manages to be funny at times. House is refreshing, if nothing else, because of how different it is from most of the other shows out there.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or funny stories you'd like me to share about college or the blog, email me at stu@stuvu.com