By Weston Irons Posted February 17, 2015
Out of all the television shows, films, and books that portray high school, none do it better than the 1999-2000 television series “Freaks and Geeks.” At first glance “Freaks and Geeks” hardly seems like anything that could be entertaining but after a few episodes and being able to easily relate to characters, you’ll be hooked. It’s incredible that 15 years later, the lessons and hidden truths inside this show are still relevant.
“Freaks and Geeks” follows the lives of Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) and her brother Sam (John Francis Daley) as struggle with the “problems” of high school and only have the assistance of their cliques, which are the freaks and geeks. Lindsay tries ever so hard to hang with the “freaks” Daniel Desario (James Franco), Ken Miller (Seth Rogen), Nick Andopolis (Jason Segal), and Kim Kelly (Busy Philipps) while at the same time fulfilling the impossible expectations of her parents and teachers. Sam, on the other hand, surrounds himself with the “geeks” Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine) and Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr), and they would much rather watch a Star Trek marathon than participate in the illegal activities that most students do. The geeks also have the persistent problem of defending themselves against their bully, Alan White (Chauncey Leopardi).
The cast of this show is great and gave many actors and actresses the recognition they deserved such as James Franco, Jason Segal, Seth Rogen, and Linda Cardellini. The show has received several awards and accolades and even has the honor of being one of Time’s “100 Greatest Shows of All Time.” list.
I highly recommend watching this classic. If you are old-fashioned, you can find it on reruns on television on the daily. I believe the best way to watch is to watch this 18-episode series over the weekend on Netflix because I guarantee once you start watching, you won’t be able to stop.
