Freaks & Geeks

As a high schooler watching this in 2022, I went into this 90s comedy expecting laugh tracks, overdramatic acting and fake-looking props, but at the end of the first episode, I was blown away by the level of authenticity that is presented. This show just gets teenagers and high school.

Every character is relatable and endearing, they face problems teenagers face everyday in the real world, they feel insecure about their body, they struggle to gain social confidence, they don't know what to do after they graduate high school, and they just behave like normal kids. So many other teen dramas are detached from reality, with completely ludicrous character motivations and characters who look like as if they are supermodels attending a fashion show, but not Freaks and Geeks.

The casting in this show is impeccable, mainly because child actors are actually hired to portray a child. Linda Cardellini also did a great job playing Lindsey, she totally pass as a 16 years old, as does all of the main cast. The writing in this show is probably one of the best that I've ever scene. Every line is so simple yet reveals so much about characters and what they are about. The amount of subtlety is insane.

No other comedy made in recent years has felt as natural and genuine as Freaks and Geeks, even if you look at great comedy series like the office, parks and rec or Veep, the characters in those shows are absolutely amazing but they do feel fictional, and I think that's what make Freaks and Geeks stands out among the crowd, its true to reality characters.

Can't believe they canceled this, this show was 30 years ahead of its time.

I have just finished watching the Complete Series DVD collection of "Freaks and Geeks," one of the best high school television series on televisions that, thanks to idiotic network executives who continue to make the decisions that make network television more and more unbearable to watch, have truly missed out on a gem. And, thanks to a healthy fan network, I was able to enjoy every bit of the series (as short as it was) on DVD.

Freaks and Geeks was one of the most honest portrayals of high school life, pleasantly departing from the overrated attention given to other television series and films who consistently focus on the "untouchable" classes of the dreaded high school social caste system that we are all likely too familiar with. The assorted teen dramas, and the difficulty of just subsisting in the often passively rigid classes within the high school social scene. This television series presented things from two perspectives: a group of freshman friends marked as "The Geeks" and a group of older friends, underachievers known as "The Freaks." The Geeks often provided the comical element to the show, while the Freaks often explore more dramatic story lines such as problems with parents (a constant subplot), self-esteem, drugs, and more. Although the Geeks confronted their own share of problems, their youth and easygoing attitude often made the situation more light-hearted.

Other commentators have often posited the question (on the "Freaks and Geeks" board along with other short-lived television series) why shows like these never last long on television. While "Saved by the Bell" might have been the only show to be quite successful with it (though only after significant retooling of the original series, "Good Morning Mrs. Bliss would NBC even agree to pick up the show), my guess is that this show may have initially had a difficult time finding a loyal audience in the crucial early days of the show. There were issues of drug use and teenage sex which some might not have found ideal for the younger viewers of this show (people in their very early teens as this show tended to sometimes celebrate drug use...even though there was one episode that was clearly anti-drug). Five years ago was a different time, however. And shows like "The O.C." (on Fox) seems to get away with stories surrounding its "young" characters and attitudes towards casual sex. Sadly, however, the network, too, is to blame, as it shifted the show into unrecognizable time slots, airing a show that was ideal for young audiences at a time when they would least likely be watching television--Friday and Sunday evenings. I cannot say that this would be why other television series surrounding high school would also be canceled.

It might also be that the show was never given a fair chance. Some might have quickly judged it as a rip-off of "The Wonder Years" (John Daly and the Geek Gang--especially Neil and Harris--did look like characters you might find on that show, not to mention the high school looking just like that in The Wonder Years).

My other guess for the reason that shows like these are often short-lived is that they are too expensive to produce. "Freaks and Geeks," like "My So-Called Life" filled a lengthy time slot of fifty minutes or so. Filmed partially on location and partially on a set (like "Sqaure Pegs" and "My So-Called Life"), a show like this becomes very expensive to produce and, may unfortunately force some hasty decisions about how long a network would ride out slack ratings.

I still think NBC passed up a good thing, and possibly other networks if it was pitched to them once being canceled. It was a great show that tried to produce a very dynamic set of characters and stories and did well.

I would also like to say while I adored nearly every character on the show (except for Nick who's obsession with Lindsay transformed him into not only a bizarre, but a boring character), I thought Martin Starr was the best as the witty Bill Haverchuck (I love his Bionic Woman bit when he is getting his costume ready in the Halloween episode). Though I thought him to be needlessly bizarre in the beginning (particularly due to his gawky appearance), he turned out to be one of the best characters. He always tried his best to be a good friend to everyone and, he always had some of the funniest lines in th show (Joe Flaherty, as Sam's dad, also had a bunch of good one-liners). And, while he was not in the show but sporadically, I also loved 'Harris,' the Geek mentor who always seemed so confident about everything.

Long live Freaks and Geeks! May the television show's creators reconsider trying this one again (even if you have to start over with a new cast, since everyone has aged six years--as of this writing).

I had heard this series bandied around by its fans like it was the greatest work of art in television history. It seems to inspire maniacal devotion, so much so that its fans bend over backward to praise anything with the Judd Apatow stamp on it (he was the producer, but not the creator, of this show). So, yeah, it had a lot to live up to. Somehow, despite all the praise it's gotten, it not only met my expectations, but wildly exceeded them. Freaks and Geeks is nothing less than one of the finest, if not the finest, television series that has ever been produced. Set in a suburban Detroit high school in 1980, the show follows the two titular groups (the Freaks being stoners, rockers, hippies and the like), both headed by a member of the Weir family. Lindsey Weir (Linda Cardellini) is a junior, a former smart, goody-two-shoes type of girl who wants to leave her past behind to hang out with the freaks, mostly because she's attracted to Daniel (James Franco). Unfortunately, he already has a girlfriend, Kim (Busy Philips). Also in the group are Nick (Jason Segel), who eventually falls for Lindsey, and Ken (Seth Rogan), a guy who hides behind biting sarcasm. Sam Weir is a tiny 14 year-old freshman who gets picked on constantly, as do his two best friends, Bill (Martin Starr) and Neal (Samm Levine). The show has a pretty even dose of comedy and drama. I teared up as much as I laughed, anyway. The scripts are just amazing, with the characters being some of the most fully-fleshed I've ever met on TV. Especially impressive is the fact that the writers don't make the adults in the show, the parents and the teachers, two-dimensional villains. Nearer the beginning of the show, I was thinking that the Weir patriarch, played by SCTV's Joe Flaherty, was a tad too jokey, but he gains depth with every appearance. Dave 'Gruber' Allen stands out as the school's hippie guidance counselor, again, never stereotyped. Even when he's pitted against the main characters of the show, he always comes off as an adult who is genuinely trying to help those children in his charge. The show features a wonderful soundtrack that rarely ever feels like you're just sitting listening to a classic rock station (this is certainly why the DVD set costs a fortune). It's a tragedy that the show was cancelled after just 18 episodes. I honestly never even heard of it until it was off the air. Every episode I watched, I got sadder, knowing the end was nigh. High school has never been seen with a clearer eye, written more honestly.

This show was without a doubt the BEST new show on Television. It actually gave a new meaning to television and introduced wonderful and funny characters. The cast is perfect and the writing and acting is so great, there was nothing wrong with the show, in fact it was about 10 times better than some stupid sitcoms still on TV (some not all). Bill Haverchuck, played by Martin Starr is probably my favorite character because he was a interesting and funny character. The only problem was that NBC didn't give Freaks and Geeks a decent time slot. It was so unfair.

Get the DVDs, you'll LOVE them!

Thank You

"Freaks and Geeks" is about as good of a television show as tv can be. I'm only two years out of high school, and although the show is set in 1980, it effectively captures the life of high schoolers. Nowadays, with this huge surge in teen movies and television, I feel that young people are misrepresented by television shows like Dawson's Creek and movies like "Varsity Blues." Simply put, beautiful people were rare at my high school. Nobody I ever knew engaged in sexual relations with a teacher as a freshman, and I was never approached by women wearing only whipped cream (and I was a three-year varsity athlete). My high school life exactly resembles what the kids in "Freaks and Geeks" do: talk about sci-fi movies, get high, feel alienated by my parents, had confusing talks with guidance counselors, etc. And these kids look like teens, with big glasses, young faces, and zits. From watching "Dawson's" or all the other teen movies out there (although some of those films are admitteldly entertaining I liked "She's All That" and "10 Things I Hate About You) one would glean that all teenagers are young Adonises. "Freaks and Geeks" thankfully corrects that error.

Most importantly though, "F&G" is a great show. Hopefully NBC finds an audience for this show. It is definitely different, slower paced, and doesn't play the latest hit music at full volume, but it IS clever, funny, and warm. It also deftfully balances comedy and drama, without ever being cloying, manipulative, or condescending to its audience. I hope this show stays around for a long time. If NBC drops it, please, some other network, give "Freaks and Geeks" it's very well-earned chance.