This came out in 1999 and only had one season. I saw it on Prime and we started watching it because I heard it had developed a bit of a "cult following". We tried the first episode to see if we liked it and we LOVED it. Binged through all 18 episodes and now we're sad it's over. If you're looking for a great series with a lot of "coming of age" stories we all can identify with, give this show a shot. Did anyone watch it when it originally aired?



Cast: Linda Cardellini John Francis Daley James Franco Samm Levine Seth Rogen Jason Segel Martin Starr to name a few.

Did not watch it originally, but have binged it two or three times. Great show, incredible cast. It and Sports Night are my two big "WTF were they thinking when the cancelled this?" shows.

same. never watched it when it came out, but I was in college and didn't really watch much tv other than sports.

watched it years later and loved it.

Loved Freaks and Geeks since it aired. One of those shows that by the time everyone figured out how great it was, it was already gone. I own the DVDs and have rewatched the show several times.

If you liked this you should try Undeclared, which was the show Apatow made after Freaks and Geeks. It's a lighter show, but still funny. Lots of the same actors involved as regulars and for cameos as well.

Johnsy3 said:

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I finally watched this a couple years ago (I was only 9 when it originally aired) and thought it was great. Bonus points to Cardellini for breaking Segel's heart and spawning Forgetting Sarah Marshall

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Wow I never knew this. Bells character based on Cardellini? I actually really find Cardellini very likeable and Bells character most def was not.

The last episode when Franco is learning to play Dungeons and Dragons had me laughing hard. He didn't want to be a dwarf but if he had to be, his name was going to be Carlos! I wanted to see how his relationship with the geeks developed but it's cancelled. So sad.

Orlando Ayala Cant Read said:

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Johnsy3 said:

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I finally watched this a couple years ago (I was only 9 when it originally aired) and thought it was great. Bonus points to Cardellini for breaking Segel's heart and spawning Forgetting Sarah Marshall

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Wow I never knew this. Bells character based on Cardellini? I actually really find Cardellini very likeable and Bells character most def was not.

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No. The poster was making a joke.

Actually Segel's real-life relationship did inspire him to write FSM. They dated for like 6 years and allegedly she was cheating on him.

Edits:
1 - This article talks about how he was inspired by multiple relationships, but Cardellini did break up with him while he was naked

2 - Bonus article stating that a 28-year old writer was trying to bang 19-year old Segel

I identified so hard with Cardellini's character because that was so me in high school. Such a good show and criminal that it was cancelled!

Quote:

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No. The poster was making a joke.

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He absolutely was not.

Segel wrote FSM based on his experience with Cardellini.

They both came out OK. (As did Kristen Bell). And the trauma made everyone (except Linda) A LOT of money. (And she made hers later with Netflix, bc she's a ****ing fantastic actress.)

The real takeaway from F&G, besides it being fantastic and way ahead of its time, are the number of writers that were made.

Seth Rogen became a star writer/producer.

John Frances Daley became a star writer.

Jason Segel became a star writer producer.

Busy Phillips went on to so many other things.

James Franco was a star (until he got canceled).

Find a greater collection of talent than what Judd did.

F&Gs did a pretty good job of capturing the 1980s High schools.
I remember when the first punk rocker guy showed up on campus. Katy High School did not know what to do with their strict dress code. The spiked hair was there, but not silver like Franco's. His brother was in my grade and was straight-laced like most of us.

I watched in 2016 on Netflix.
Really fun. Maybe, maybe , a second or third season, but "kids grow up."

I think Apatow knew it was going to be canceled. That's why he had Lindsay get on the bus and follow the Grateful Dead. And Ken (Seth Rogen) parents' being rich and didn't care, one way or another; he was going to be set for life.

20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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No. The poster was making a joke.

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He absolutely was not.

Segel wrote FSM based on his experience with Cardellini.

They both came out OK. (As did Kristen Bell). And the trauma made everyone (except Linda) A LOT of money. (And she made hers later with Netflix, bc she's a ****ing fantastic actress.)

The real takeaway from F&G, besides it being fantastic and way ahead of its time, are the number of writers that were made.

Seth Rogen became a star writer/producer.

John Frances Daley became a star writer.

Jason Segel became a star writer producer.

Busy Phillips went on to so many other things.

James Franco was a star (until he got canceled).

Find a greater collection of talent than what Judd did.

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Welp, I just gotten taken to school. I had no idea!!

Watched it for the first time a few years ago and it quickly became one of my favorite shows.

This show gets discovered by someone every year and gets a new thread.

Few shows that still do that.

Watched the original. Was stunned it didn't last more than 1 season.

I watch certain episodes of Freaks and Geeks almost every year. The non-alcohol keg, the band episode, the Halloween episode…. Great stuff. I've only watched the last episode once, because it hits HARD for any parent of a teenage girl.

One of my favorites. Loved the original soundtrack. Does the Prime version maintain the original soundtrack?

Was a reason ever given as to why it was canceled? I didn't know a single person that didn't love it.

If you are GenX, this and Dazed and Confused are required viewing.

Lake08 said:

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Was a reason ever given as to why it was canceled? I didn't know a single person that didn't love it.

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Not enough people watched it. Great reviews, bad ratings. It happens sometimes. Sports Night is another great example. It at least went two seasons though

Any place to catch Sports Night besides paying $15 or so for a season on Amazon? Lower cost or free? I saw the show when it was originally on network tv and remember that I really enjoyed it. I don't recall much about it specifically though. Would like to watch it again Cost wouldn't break me, it's just gonna put it on my backburner until I hit one of those points where I can't think of anything preferable to watch.