#89

Freaks and Geeks

Sometimes a TV show comes in like a comet and burns itself out before its time. NBC’s coming of age show Freaks and Geeks is one of those. It was one of the most universally beloved shows, but only after its run of one season of 18 episodes ended. Freaks and Geeks is on a ton of people’s favorite TV show lists and sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Yet it only lasted one season. Why? Part would have been because of the sporadic episode schedule and apparent conflicts between the network and the creators. Freaks and Geeks became a cult classic after the show was gone from NBC.

What a cast! An amazing who’s who of young actors at the time included Linda Cardellini, Seth Rogan, James Franco, Jason Segal, Busy Phillips, John Francis Daly, Martin Starr, and Samm Levine. Joe Flaherty, Tom Wilson (Biff Tannen himself from Back to the Future), Becky Ann Baker, Steve Bannos, Dave Allen, Kayla Ewell, Ben Foster, Joel Hodgson and Ann Dowd also appeared among a group of distinguished actors.

Written and directed by Paul Feig, the show was produced by Judd Apatow.

I have only ever seen this show once, but the memory of it holds a sweet spot in my heart. It is down the list because of its short run, but this is one of those shows that deserves a rewatch.