Freaks and Geeks (1999)
'I don't need another friend. I already have two. I mean, how many more friends does a guy need?'
IMDb Plot Summary: A high school mathlete starts hanging out with a group of burnouts while her younger brother navigates his freshman year.
Freaks and Geeks has a special place in my heart. And before I can tell you why, I need to get you through the context of the show a little.
This show aired between 1999-2000 and shows the high school life of a few teenagers during the 1980-1981 school year. This time period is important to understanding this show, because high schools today weren't like the high schools at the time. In today's world, differences among people are highly appreciated. You could be a complete nerd or a total freak and you wouldn't be left out. Things weren't the same back then. The freaks and the geeks were total outcasts in schools. It was the time when 'jocks' were the cool kids on campus and the freaks and the geeks weren't considered to belong to this 'cool' group. Sometimes, this difference is hard to grasp for people who have only been a part of the modern schooling system and hence, relating to this show is much harder. But if you are like me, who has attended schools during the 80s, 90s or early 2000s, no matter which part of the world you come from, you will appreciate the sheer greatness of this show. With a whole bunch of characters whose lives are explored on this show, you will definitely find some to relate to.
So this is why this show is so close to my heart. The lead character, Lindsay, is a high school mathlete; the best in her school in fact. She's been getting top grades and is a standout student, who maintains a close circle of friends of her own sex, all of when are high school toppers like her. But one day, she realizes there's much more to life than her normal, boring study groups and so she decides to blend in with the freaks and try to experience a new world for herself, one that she felt was much better than her own. But she never could become a true 'freak' because that's just not what she was and she soon realizes that the grass is just always greener on the other side and it's you and only you who can decide what kind of life you want to lead. And Lindsay was me in my high school years; in fact exactly like me. I went through a similar journey back then, and watching it all happen again in the form of Lindsay's life brought back all the amazing memories from my childhood. I was rooting for her all through the 18 episodes for I saw myself in her.
And Lindsay isn't the only one. There's Lindsay's brother, Sam, who is in middle school and a total geek. There's his friends from the Geeks gang, their parents, her old friends, her new friends from the Freaks gang, the jocks, the other kids at school, the neighbours, the teachers and who can forget, their amazing amazing school counsellor. Its guaranteed that there will be a character that you can relate to, unlike with any other movie or TV show that you have watched, in Freaks and Geeks. And that is what makes this show so awesome.
Unfortunately for us, the television audience back then didn't appreciate the freaks and the geeks as much as they did the jocks and hence, not many wanted to watch a show about them, which lead to an early cancellation of the show, giving us a mere 18 episodes to live with for the rest of our lives. Even though Judd Apatow (the guy we all have to thank for for making this amazing show) tried his hardest to get this show renewed, it just couldn't survive at that point in time on prime time TV. But today, Freaks and Geeks has taken over the TV world by storm and has been immortalized as a cult classic that you just have to watch at least once in your lifetime. And thankfully, each of these episodes are about twice as long as modern sitcom episodes so that definitely increases the time you get to spend with Freaks and Geeks. But meh, no matter how long, it will never be long enough. That's just how amazing this show is.
Once you are done with all the 18 episodes, you'll be left with a hole in your heart, wanting more...much more...and then you are left with the realization that its all you are ever gonna be getting from the Weir family ever again. I promise you that once you finish the final episode, you will have tears in your eyes filled with a mix of emotions, just wishing for just one more episode of F&G.
Definitely one of the best TV shows ever made. An IMDb 10/10 for me.
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