Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near Detroit during 1980–81. The theme of Freaks and Geeks reflects "the sad, hilarious unfairness of teen life". With little success when it first aired, due to an erratic episode schedule and conflicts between the creators and NBC, the series was canceled after airing 12 out of the 18 episodes. The series became a cult classic, and Apatow continued the show's legacy by incorporating the actors in future productions.
The series has appeared in numerous lists of the greatest television shows of all time, including lists by Time, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide and Rolling Stone. It launched most of its young actors' careers, such as James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps, John Francis Daley, Martin Starr, Samm Levine and Linda Cardellini.
Plot
Teenager Lindsay Weir and her younger brother, Sam, attend William McKinley High School during the 1980–81 school year. The show is set in the town of Chippewa, Michigan, a fictional suburb of Detroit (named after Chippewa Valley High School, which series creator Paul Feig attended).
Lindsay joins a group of friends who are referred to as the "freaks" — Daniel Desario, Ken Miller, Nick Andopolis and Kim Kelly — while Sam's friends constitute the "geeks", Neal Schweiber and Bill Haverchuck. The Weir parents — Harold and Jean — are featured in every episode, and Millie Kentner, Lindsay's nerdy and highly religious former best friend, is a recurring character, as well as Cindy Sanders, the popular cheerleader on whom Sam has a crush.
Lindsay finds herself attempting to transform her life as an academically proficient student, a star "mathlete" and a young girl into a rebellious teenager who hangs out with troubled slackers. Her relationships with her new friends — and the friction they cause with her parents and with her own self-image — form one central strand of the show. The other follows Sam and his group of geeky friends as they navigate a different part of the social universe and try to fit in.
Cast and characters
Main cast
Linda Cardellini as Lindsay Weir
John Francis Daley as Sam Weir
James Franco as Daniel Desario
Samm Levine as Neal Schweiber
Seth Rogen as Ken Miller
Jason Segel as Nick Andopolis
Martin Starr as Bill Haverchuck
Becky Ann Baker as Jean Weir
Joe Flaherty as Harold Weir
Busy Philipps as Kim Kelly (credited after titles as "also starring")
Recurring cast
Guest stars and cameo appearances
Guest stars included: Samaire Armstrong as "Deadhead" Laurie Alexandra Breckenridge as mathlete Shelly Weaver Jack Conley as Kim Kelly's stepfather Kevin Corrigan as Millie's delinquent cousin Allen Covert as a liquor store clerk Matt Czuchry as a student from rival Lincoln High Alexander Gould as Ronnie, the boy Lindsay babysits while high Steve Higgins as Mr. Fleck, the Geeks' A/V teacher Rashida Jones as Kim Kelly's friend Karen Scarfolli Bianca Kajlich as a nose piercing punk girl David Koechner as a waiter, in an uncredited role David Krumholtz as Neal's brother Barry Shia LaBeouf as Herbert, the school mascot Leslie Mann as school teacher Miss Foote Ben Stiller as a Secret Service agent Jason Schwartzman as Howie Gelfand, a student dealing in fake IDs
The show's producers were resistant to stunt casting. For example, they resisted the network's suggestion that they have Britney Spears appear as a waitress in one episode; they thought such appearances would detract from the show's realism.
Several of the screenwriters appeared on the show. Mike White played Kim Kelly's oft-discussed injured brother, and first appeared in episode 4, "Kim Kelly is My Friend". Paul Feig, Gabe Sachs and series composer Michael Andrews appear uncredited as members of the fictional band Dimension in "I'm With the Band".
Numerous actors who starred on Freaks and Geeks would later appear on Judd Apatow's later TV series Undeclared, including Rogen, Segel, Levine, Starr, Phillips and Melnick, among several others.