House of Cards
This one -- from the U.S. version of the show -- pretty much speaks for itself.
Thanks to Brett Wean '95 for the catch.
HairBrained
An oddball comedy in the Napoleon Dynamite vein of a teenage genius at college. He ends up joining the collegiate "Mastermind" team -- intercollegiate competitive trivia, essentially -- and is pursued by a girl who wants his "genius babies." Nice establishing shot of Vassar, at least.
Reaching for the Moon
A biopic of poet and author Elizabeth Bishop '34, who traveled widely, but extended a two-week stay in Brazil to fifteen years, beginning in 1951, in part to her relationship with Maria Carlota Costallat de Macedo Soares.
The Newsroom
This is quite the confluence of Vassar tropes, adding up to a truly awful set of scenes in a critically reviled show that's losing audience like a house on fire due to its preachiness and jaw-dropping self-satisfaction that comes oozing out of the screen with the increasing terribleness of each episode. The character is played by actual Vassar graduate Grace Gummer '08 (who is also the daughter of Meryl Streep '71). Just a guess, but it would seem that in having cast her, writer/creator Aaron Sorkin then rewrote part of the character with that in mind. The character went to Vassar! She then worked as a writer specializing in women's issues/reproductive rights! She's very smart and frequently references that she went to Vassar! She's an independent woman and gets mad when a male journalist gives her an interview she wants but couldn't get herself (but then feels bad for him because he got in trouble for doing so)! There's a stupid pun on Vassar's name! Anyway, here she's been kicked off the Romney campaign's media bus for demanding answers; later she's writing the story based on her interview with Romney; and then she's making up (and out) with the male lead. Barf.
The Happy Sad
Indie melodrama with a hacky Vassar-is-full-of-lesbians joke.
Suburgatory
Here's a fairly standard sitcom reference, just putting forward Vassar as a metonym for a good college. Which I suppose it is since I know what a metonym is.
Silicon Valley (2 episodes)
Mike Judge's satire of the tech development/venture-capital world offers a wide taxonomy of geeks; this scene nails the interaction of two particular phyla. Many years later in the series finale, Jared reveals his college minor.
Thanks to the Mads Vassar blog for noting this.
There's also this fabulousbio of the character on the (fictional) website of the site they're launching on the show. Whoever came up with the name of the Vassar a cappella group...genius.
The Blacklist (2 episodes)
Another "Vassar cracks the case," here our heroes get the tip that leads them to realize the person they're chasing, known as the Judge, who runs an underground operation dispensing "eye for an eye" justice on officials who have wrongly convicted people, is a Vassar grad. I suppose it's not so bad to be associated as a place whence come social justice warriors. The reference in the later episode finds the antihero needling his antagonist with the story of his first STD.
Thanks to Sara Falkove '96 and Brian Farkas '10 for the tips.
Unforgettable
Twice-canceled police procedural about a woman with a perfect memory who helps the cops. I'm not even bothering watching—episode description reads that her "high school reunion is suddenly cut short when an alum shows up dead. Carrie has to remember back 22 years to understand the events that led to this crime" and the clip is a standard police procedural character point for cops reviewing suspects.
Rogue
A Canadian detective drama where, if I'm following correctly, the object of the search -- a former undercover operative -- has stolen a bunch of money and has fled to Vancouver. As one does.
John Leguizamo -- in real life, a Vassar parent -- co-wrote and starred in this film about an unattractive man rejected by women who finds his way, in an early scene, to love at Vassar.
Set Fire to the Stars
This British movie, about Dylan Thomas, centers on John Brinnin (who, if this is to be believed, bears some complicity in Thomas's early death). This opening scene over the credits has Brinnin discussing his plans to bring Thomas for an American tour, and one of the panelists notes where he met John. For the first time in more than 200 clips, one of Vassar's publications is mentioned.
Jersey Boys
The story of the Four Seasons, this scene has a rather odd Vassar joke, clearly meant as a gay slur but I have to confess I don't get it.
The Exes
Seems like every contemporary sitcom squeezes a joke in somewhere. Here she's pretending to be her brother's wife and has to vamp when she runs into somebody who thinks they know her.
Criminal Minds
Toward the end of the episode of this long-running FBI procedural show, the intrepid investigators discover the culprit behind this week's kidnapping by realizing that her Vassar background makes her smart enough, and manipulative enough, to do e-e-e-e-e-vil.
Thanks to Kate Saragosa '96 for the tip.
Orange Is the New Black
This one speaks for itself.
Last Week Tonight
John Oliver's long-running comedy news program had a bit in its first season about passwords comprised of words that would never go together. The list goes by fast so see image below for the Vassar joke.
Unreal (7 episodes)
This is a scripted drama taking place on the set of a Bachelor-style reality
show; the main characters here are the producers, who manipulate the contestants
into creating the kinds of character archetypes (villain, good girl, etc.)
they're looking for to create the conflict and jealousy that makes for good
television. In seven scenes across the first two seasons, the main character --
the assistant producer who excels at manipulation due to her narcissistic
personality disorder -- is seen working the contestants, interacting with crew
colleagues, and ultimately falling in love with her boss.
Bojack Horseman (2 episodes)
A wonderful, animated Hollywood satire of a town populated by anthropomorphic animals and humans, Bojack Horseman is a washed-up actor from a popular '90s sitcom now trying to make a comeback. As a horse, he's landed the lead role in a biopic of Secretariat -- playing Secretariat. His director's daughter (named Irving) has run off for the day; she reveals her ambitions to Bojack's friend, and in a later scene, the director gives one of the all-time great Vassar punchlines. Four seasons later, we have a quick callback.
Chasing Life
A family show centering on a young and ambitious reporter who is diagnosed with cancer. Vassar shows in two episodes as minor character points, just speaks to them being smart.
Suits
Drama about a corporate law firm, and this is fairly self-explanatory. Just a character point for one of the regular cast members.
Circle
A high-concept science fiction movie where fifty strangers are taken by aliens and placed in a room where they are forced to vote on who among them is the next to die. Failure to vote results in a random choice by the alien death technology. The movie shows them negotiating among themselves who is worthy to be spared. I think this was written by someone who suffered through too many bad meetings at the office.
Life in Pieces
New single-camera comedy for the 2015-2016 season, decent Vassar joke in the first season, at the expense of Sarah Lawrence grad Jordan Peele.
Thanks to Stephanie Burkland for the catch.
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