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 from September 25, 1999, to July 8, 2000. Three episodes were left unaired by NBC, and the episodes were first broadcast in September and October 2000 on Fox Family Channel. 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, because of an erratic episode schedule and conflicts between the creators and NBC, the series was canceled after airing 15 out of the 18 episodes. The series–which launched most of its young actors' careers–starred Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Busy Philipps, Becky Ann Baker, and Joe Flaherty.

The series became a cult classic, and Apatow continued the show's legacy by incorporating the actors in future productions. It appeared in numerous lists of the greatest television shows of all time, including lists by Time, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, Rolling Stone and Variety.

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, Neal Schweiber and Bill Haverchuck, constitute the "geeks." 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, star "mathlete" 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 her 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

Recurring cast

  • Dave "Gruber" Allen as Jeff Rosso
  • Steve Bannos as Frank Kowchevski
  • Tom Wilson as Coach Ben Fredricks
  • Natasha Melnick as Cindy Sanders
  • Sarah Hagan as Millie Kentner
  • Stephen Lea Sheppard as Harris Trinsky
  • Jerry Messing as Gordon Crisp
  • Chauncey Leopardi as Alan White
  • JoAnna Garcia as Vicki Appleby
  • Kayla Ewell as Maureen Sampson
  • Riley Smith as Todd Schellinger
  • Jessica Campbell as Amy Andrews
  • Trace Beaulieu as Hector Lacovara
  • Ann Dowd as Cookie Kelly
  • Kevin Tighe as Mr. Andopolis
  • Sam McMurray as Vic Schweiber
  • Amy Aquino as Lydia Schweiber
  • Claudia Christian as Gloria Haverchuck
  • Ben Foster as Eli
  • Lizzy Caplan as Sara
  • Shaun Weiss as Sean
  • Joel Hodgson as Joel, a disco clothing store manager and occasional DJ

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 disco clothing store assistant 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 appear on Judd Apatow's later TV series Undeclared, including Rogen, Segel, Levine, Starr, Phillips and Melnick, among several others.

Episodes

The script for the pilot episode of Freaks and Geeks was written by Paul Feig as a spec script. Feig gave the script to producer Judd Apatow, who sold it to DreamWorks, where Apatow was under an overall deal. DreamWorks sold it to NBC, who greenlit a pilot. Before the script was shot, Feig wrote a second episode at the behest of Apatow. He showed this second script to Apatow and pilot director Jake Kasdan, and they suggested that he combine the two episodes to form a stronger pilot. Notable additions include the introduction of Kim Kelly and Lindsay's recollection of her grandmother's death. The list below is ordered by the chronology of the storyline.