Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000)

A television show about two unique groups of teenagers dealing with life in high school during the 80's.

Creator:

Paul Feig

Stars:

Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Linda Cardellini	...	Lindsay Weir (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
John Francis Daley	...	Sam Weir (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
James Franco	...	Daniel Desario (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
Samm Levine	...	Neal Schweiber (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
Seth Rogen	...	Ken Miller (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
Jason Segel	...	Nick Andopolis (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
Martin Starr	...	Bill Haverchuck (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
Becky Ann Baker	...	Jean Weir (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
Joe Flaherty	...	Harold Weir (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
Busy Philipps	...	Kim Kelly (18 episodes, 1999-2000)
Michael Beardsley	...	Humphries (14 episodes, 1999-2000)
Shawn Soong	...	Stroker (14 episodes, 1999-2000)
Sarah Hagan	...	Millie Kentner (12 episodes, 1999-2000)
Steve Bannos	...	Frank Kowchevski (12 episodes, 1999-2000)
Jerry Messing	...	Gordon Crisp (11 episodes, 1999-2000)
Natasha Melnick	...	Cindy Sanders (10 episodes, 1999-2000)
Dave Allen	...	Jeff Rosso (10 episodes, 1999-2000)
Stephen Lea Sheppard	...	Harris Trinsky (10 episodes, 1999-2000)
Chauncey Leopardi	...	Alan White (9 episodes, 1999-2000)

Storyline

It's the 1980s and at McKinley High, there's two different groups of teenagers, the Freaks with cool and charismatic Daniel Desario and tomboy Lindsay Weir and the Geeks with Lindsay's shy younger brother Sam, gentle Bill Haverchuck, and self-proclaimed ladies' man Neal Schweiber. The show chronicles the normal teen/adolescence problems any teenager goes through including acceptance, drugs, drinking, and bullying.

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Plot Keywords:

Geek | High School | 1980s | High School Student | Teacher | 

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Taglines:

Everything you remember from high school... that you choose to forget. [Fox Family tagline]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Freaks & Geeks

Filming Locations:

City of Industry, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apatow Productions, DreamWorks Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (18 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Segel admitted it was very easy to act intimidated of his father in the show, played by Kevin Tighe, because he was intimidated by Tighe in real life.

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Goofs

The weathered and worn Pontiac Trans Am that Daniel Desario drives is a design that was available no earlier than 1979. Since the show takes place in 1980, it is highly unlikely that a high school student from a low-income family could afford what was then a fairly new car - and almost equally unlikely that it would look so aged within one year.

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Quotes

Lindsay Weir: Dad is right - I'm part of this family.
Harold Weir: Hear that, Jean? I was right about something. Maybe we should take a picture of this moment.

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Connections

Referenced in Astronauter og filmstjerner (2013)
Referenced by Emil

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Soundtracks

"Bad Reputation"
(Main Title Song)
Written by Joan Jett, Kenny Laguna, Ritchie Cordell, Marty Kupersmith
Performed by Joan Jett
Courtesy of Blackheart Records

User Reviews

Excellent acting, great music and good storylines.

Why is it that all the best teen shows get cancelled way before their time? Maybe because the show is set in the 80's (where teenagers won't relate to some of the stuff back then). Or maybe because people don't look for smart acting anymore. Even if you were born after all that hippie - disco stuff, you should still be able to enjoy the show.

Personally, I don't think the show stood a chance. First, it was hardly advertised by NBC. Second, it was placed on a Saturday night. And third, it was taken off the air for a month or so and then brought back. You couldn't have any worse luck. Then when it came back on the air, they only showed a couple of episodes and decided to cancel it for good.

To sum it up - it was a good little show with terrific acting, excellent music, good clothes, great storylines, and a hell of a good try to stay on the air. Unfortunately, it didn't even survive one season. All I know is that I loved it and thank goodness I recorded most of the episodes.

Anybody who missed this show, you lost a chance to see what real television is about.