College shows usually don’t last that long. Judd Apatow’s underappreciated “Undeclared” was canceled after just one season while the combination of J.J. Abrams and Keri Russell kept “Felicity” afloat for only four seasons. “Gossip Girl” has adjusted its characters’ shift to college life by pretty much never showing them in class or at school, instead opting for city shots and swanky parties. The reigning college show of the moment, ABC Family’s “Greek,” is on its way out with its fourth and final season premiering this January.

Why is it so hard for college shows to survive? Well, those four years are some of the most tenuous times for kids as they try to solidify their identity and prepare for the real world. This naturally leads to a lot of philosophical discussion and soul searching. More often than not, they just come off as pretentious and whiny – not the best qualities especially if TV writers are trying to get audiences invested in their characters.

So it’s a bit bold of TBS to add the one-hour college dramedy “Glory Daze” to its schedule, and a period piece at that – the pilot takes place in 1986 at the fictional Hayes University in Indiana. “Glory Daze” focuses on freshman Joel (Kelly Blatz) and his first year of college exploits with his buddies. There’s conservative prepster Jason (Drew Seeley), jock Brian (Hartley Sawyer) and hyperactive Eli (Matt Bush – you might recognize him from the ubiquitous AT&T commercials a couple years back). Bush particularly shines as the dorky Jewish kid eager to shed his loser image and get laid. “Saturday Night Live” veteran Tim Meadows is another highlight as acerbic Professor Haines.

Pilots are generally hard to judge since it takes a while for shows to find their footing, and that held true for “Glory Daze.” The show opts for broad, stereotypical characters – Brad Garrett cameos as Joel’s well-meaning if a little overbearing father while Joel’s roommate Zack (Josh Brener) is your stereotypical, mildly creepy oddball. Pledge recruiter Mike (Callard Harris) is the standard charismatic party animal with a heart of gold, essentially “Glory Daze’s” answer to “Greek’s” Cappie. The pilot’s fraternity rush premise is just crude humor and “Animal House” redux, and ‘80s nostalgia pops up in little references like the aspirations of Jason’s girlfriend to someday work for then-Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole.

These elements should turn off viewers who have so many more sophisticated options on TV. Yet, somehow “Glory Daze” grows on you and draws you in. The clichés roll off the back, which allows viewers to welcome the warm familiarity of the characters. It’s the same kind of loving tolerance set aside for old ‘80s classics which are still revered despite their oftentimes admittedly hackneyed tripe.

However, “Glory Daze” can’t run on the fumes of nostalgia if it expects to last. It’s already got a predictable “Some Kind of Wonderful” set-up: Joel’s dream girl Christie (Julianna Guill) is already dating another evil Omega Sig prepster. Gee, I wonder how long it will take for the middle class hero to defeat the mean rich kid. In any case, I’m willing to give “Glory Daze” a chance, but the premature cancellations of other new shows like “Lone Star” should be a kick in the creators’ butts. Right now TBS has “Glory Daze” as a lead-in for the much buzzed-about “Conan,” which should help in the ratings, but it has a long ways to go if it wants to avoid the demise of its collegiate predecessors.