15 Best Shows About College, Ranked

College-set series scratch an itch distinct from workplace comedies or family sitcoms. They often tackle the transition to adulthood in ways high school shows do not, and that variety—coming-of-age drama one moment, surreal comedy the next—helps explain their enduring appeal.

Glory Daze (2010–2011) follows first-year students at fictional Hayes University in the fall of 1986 as they join a fraternity and learn the messy business of belonging. The Chair (2021) offers a professor’s-eye view, led by Sandra Oh as Dr. Ji-yoon Kim, the first woman of color to head an English department; the offbeat comedy was canceled after one season.

Dear White People (2017–2021), adapted from the film, centers on Black students at a predominantly white Ivy League campus and mixes sharp humor with earnest exploration of race and identity. Hellcats (2010–2011) combines competitive cheerleading and college pressures through Marti Perkins, a pre-law student fighting to keep her scholarship.

college shows, coming-of-age, glory daze, hayes university, the chair, sandra oh, dear white, ivy league, hellcats, cheerleading