Five Reasons Why You Should Buy “Freaks and Geeks”

freaksandgeeks

We “Freaks and Geeks” fans are a small but loyal community that have known who Judd Apatow and Paul Feig were before they became directors and producers of various hit theatrical comedies. Before storming the box office, Feig, with executive producer Judd Apatow, created the short lived “Freaks and Geeks” which sadly only lasted one season. Thankfully the show lived on thanks to the internet and gained a new fanbase by playing the series on cable. That’s how I discovered the series and fell in love with it.

After a campaign from fans online, “Freaks and Geeks” finally garnered a very acclaimed deluxe release on DVD, and now after many, many years, Shout! Factory is offering fans a brand new deluxe Blu-Ray release of “Freaks And Geeks.” As a fan of the series, I highly suggest it to folks that love coming of age period drama comedies as it’s right up there with “Wonder Years” and “Happy Days.” Here are five reasons why you should buy the new release if you’ve never seen the series before.

5. The Entire Cast
Before they went on to star in some of the most popular comedies in theaters, folks like James Franco and Seth Rogen played supporting cast as the “freaks” of the series. Franco is Daniel, a slacker with little ambition but a ton of charm, and Rogen who plays Ken, the smart ass rock buff. There’s also Jason Segel before his long stint on “How I Met Your Mother,” who plays Nick, the aspiring rock drummer who might be addicted to pot. There’s also early turns by Linda Cardellini pre-“ER” days.

As well there are a ton of walk ons and appearances from future comedy and drama stars, including a one episode stint by a young Rashida Jones as a school bully, Jason Schwartzman as a fake ID producer, and David Krumholtz as big brother to one of the main characters Neil. There’s also a recurring appearance from Ben Foster as a mentally disabled student, Lizzy Caplan as a geeky Disco fan, creator Judd Apatow’s wife Leslie Mann, Ben Stiller as a secret service agent, and brief albeit memorable appearances rom MST3K alums Joel Hodgson and Trace Beaulieu.

4. Amazing Soundtrack
Admittedly one of my biggest sources of learning about classic rock came from watching “Freaks and Geeks.” Along with my uncle teaching me the basics, I garnered a master class in classic rock. “Freaks and Geeks” spans a wide library of classic rock from Alice Cooper, The Who, Joan Jett, Cream, Rush and Blue Oyster Cult. There are even wonderful songs from Grateful Dead, and even some fine tunes from the Charlie Daniels Band, Chicago, and so much more. What’s great is that the songs all play some sort of role in every episode and serve as narrative functions to help convey emotion or just act as a plot device much in the way Richard Linklater implemented his soundtrack for “Dazed and Confused.” The wonderful theme song is Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation which helps summarize the show with a great montage of the cast taking year book photos.

3. It’s as Good as “The Wonder Years”
Like “The Wonder Years,” Feig and Apatow’s series touched on different points of adolescence and our teen years, focusing on the stage in our lives when we enter in to new realms and open our eyes to new ideas and struggle to find an identity of our own. Lindsay Weir has spent her entire youth being a very prim and proper young woman who obeyed her parents, but her introduction to high school grants her some thoughts about rebellion. She begins questioning everything she’s ever been taught and fears being pegged as one type of person for the rest of her life. There’s also her younger brother Sam who is also trying to find his path in high school but remain brutally loyal to his friends, all of whom are identified as geeks. Mid-way Sam finds a conflict of personality when he decides he wants to date the most popular girl in his class, Cindy Sanders.

2. Relatable Characters
There is at least one or two characters audiences can relate to on some level as creator Feig and producer Apatow keep everyone on the same level no matter how miniscule their role may be. Every character has some stake in their personal world that they’re trying to keep while also attempting to adapt to the times. Lindsay and Sam’s parents are from another world but try their best to understand their kids as they experience new music, new events in their lives, and adolescence.

Son Sam realizes that he’s growing up in many ways, from his crush on Cindy Sanders to a disastrous trick or treating adventure, to Lindsay who has a conflict of identity when we first meet her as she struggles to cope with her grandfather’s death. In many ways I identify with Lindsay the most, as she becomes rebellious and tries to figure herself out throughout the course of the series, while also discovering rock and roll. “Freaks and Geeks” will cause you to peg yourself in one category or another, and you’ll want to see how these characters fare.

1. It Transcends Generations
Much like “The Wonder Years,” much of the dilemmas and conflicts completely transcend their time period. Though the show is set in the late seventies, we can understand what every character is enduring in one way or another, from the changing of ideas through society, to sexual awakening in the beginning of puberty. “Freaks and Geeks” was way ahead of its time and the formula was essentially pinned down and re-used in the sitcom “That 70’s Show,” which borrowed the same themes, but much more comically. “Freaks and Geeks” gives every character their spotlight allowing them time to show how human they can be, even if they don’t always practice wise decisions. One episode sees young Sam questioning sex after viewing a porn movie for the first time.

Another episode sees Lindsay trying pot for the first time resulting in a freak out when she’s sent to babysit a neighbor for the night. There’s also the two parter where character Neal faces the possiblity that his father might be having an affair on his mother. One of my favorite episodes involves school bully Alan playing a prank on character Bill by putting peanuts in his lunch assuming Bill is lying about being allergic. When Bill ends up in the hospital in a coma, Alan has to face the consequences while Sam and friend Neal enjoy the attention they get from school cheerleaders. Though the show lasted one whole season, it’s filled with wonderful dramatic moments and laugh out loud comedy that really helped shape Paul Feig and Judd Apatow’s penchant for adding humanity in comedies like “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” and “Bridesmaids.”