Fans of the late-‘90s cult series Freaks and Geeks were no doubt devastated at the show’s cancellation. After only 12 episodes aired, NBC pulled the plug on the coming-of-age dramady, citing lower ratings of course. What fans didn’t realize at the time was just how NBC’s decision actually worked in favour of the series. Freaks and Geeks marked the beginning of the Judd Apatow era, and we were introduced to the likes of Seth Rogen, Jason Segal and James Franco, all of whom went on to bigger and better things with their careers. We were also spared the inevitable, jump-the-shark moment pretty much all shows go through. Of course it’s easy to say all this in hindsight - at the time it was a real blow.
Freaks and Geeks was the creation of Paul Feig, who along with executive producer Apatow, wanted to portray teenagers in a more honest and realistic light, all while having a sense of humour about the whole thing. It makes sense Feig would team with Apatow on this project. The characters were ones audiences were used to seeing in earlier incarnations as caricatures, either stereotypical nerds with big glasses and huge overbites, or outsiders that were just burnouts addicted to drugs. Rather than portray these folks as one-dimensional, Freaks and Geeks showed the layers behind those characters, and it succeeded at bringing a level of humanity to both.
Following the lives of two siblings, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) and Sam Weir (John Francis Daley), Freaks and Geeks takes place in early-‘80s Michigan, around the time Reagan was elected president. Sam is a geek, and his friends Bill and Neal are routinely picked on and tormented by the jocks and other bullies. The clique system is firmly entrenched on Freaks and Geeks, but this is one of the few times we’ve seen it from the perspective of its lowest caste. On the other spectrum are the “freaks.” They could care less about their social status or anything else for that matter. Lindsay befriends them, first out of curiosity, but soon develops a strong bond and loyalty to them as the series progresses.
Of the two crowds, it’s the geeks that are the more interesting group. Since they occupy the lowest rung in the social hierarchy at school, they’re always trying to figure out ways they can be perceived as cool. In episode four, “Kim Kelly is My Friend,” Sam starts getting picked on by an older girl for being a geek, which manages to turn into a rift between him and Neal over who’s geekier. I loved that these characters would fight amongst themselves over their social standing.
In episode seven, “Carded and Discarded” for example, the geeks are absolutely thrilled when a cute transfer student starts hanging out with them and actually likes what they’re into. Of course this throws them into a crisis over how they can manage to hang onto her. It isn’t long of course before the popular students notice her and she starts hanging out with them. In the end, the geeks were living a pipe-dream, but for a few days they knew what it was like to experience the affections of a cute girl.
I enjoyed the “freaks” a little less than the geeks, I think, because of the two groups their characters weren’t nearly as compelling. For example, Kim Kelly, Lindsay’s nemesis-turned-best-friend, starts out as a bitch until we learn in “Kim Kelly is My Friend” that she’s basically acting out of insecurity and a troubled home life. Unfortunately, the episode is played for laughs when subject matter really isn’t. The scene of her fighting with her parents should have been tense and uncomfortable, but the music and the acting remove most of the dramatic impact.
I was, however, quite amazed at episode 17, “The Little Things” when Ken (Rogen) finds out his girlfriend is intersex, a revelation that sends him into a crisis. This storyline could have backfired horribly, giving us a preachy moral lesson instead of an honest look at sexuality. But the writers treats the subject matter honestly and without any judgements. There are no teary-eyed speeches or clichéd I love you for who you are scenes here, just a regular guy trying to adjust to a very complicated situation.
As far as casting goes, Feig and Apatow could not have chosen a better lead actress to portray Lindsay than Linda Cardellini. Shows with female protagonists trying to find themselves are nothing new (Felicity, My So-Called Life), but what’s great about Lindsay is how her attempts at fitting in often backfire in mostly ironic ways. The most powerful moment in the “Pilot” episode comes when she tries to step in and help a special-needs kid named Eli when he’s being mocked by a couple of jerks. Since he’s oblivious to their mockery, he thinks they’re actually his friends and runs off in anger when Lindsay tells him they’re making fun of him for being retarded. Her attempts at helping him actually make her the villain in the scene rather than the hero. Freaks and Geeks would be filled with moments like this, when a character with good intentions ends up doing more harm than good.
Freaks and Geeks was nowhere near as funny or raunchy as Apatow’s follow-up series Undeclared (also prematurely cancelled), but it also wasn’t as male-driven as his movies 40-Year-Old Virgin or Knocked Up, making it a far more balanced comedy than we’ve seen from him since. It was also somewhat of a coming-out party for the Apatow brand, which would dominate comedy in the 2000s.
More importantly, Freaks and Geeks gave a voice to kids out there who were labeled geek, freak, nerd, burnout, or whatever pejorative you could throw at them in high school. It allowed its characters a level of introspection, and portrayed high school more honestly and with a sense of humour, qualities that are lacking in a lot of television shows these days. Another series like it has yet to come along, and with the success of shows like Glee and Gossip Girl, that day is long overdue.
