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+ Best Coming-of-Age Title of the Year + Best New TV-series of the Year
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| Paul Feig's Freaks and Geeks gathered a dynamite cast of young actors, seen here in front of school lockers on a poster for the show |
Freaks and Geeks is created by Paul Feig (Sick in the Head (2003, TV movie)) and executive produced by Judd Apatow (The Big Sick (2017)).
The show takes place in and around a high school in suburban Detroit in the 1980s, where we focus on siblings Sam (played by awfully cute young John Francis Daley (Game Night (2018))) and his big sister Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini (Green Book (2018))), who both attend the same school and go as part of the different groups there, the 'geeks' and 'freaks', respectively.
There's fun and a special authentic vibe to the show right from the beginning, as Sam and his friends are bullied. Lindsay throws a party (ep. 2: Beers & Weirs), which doesn't work out as she had hoped, but characteristically the failure doesn't go overboard as it would on many other shows. There's a perceptive and funny portrayal of middle class meeting lower class (ep. 4: Kim Kelly Is My Friend), and one of the doubts and fears inspired by watching porn at an early age (ep. 5: Tess and Breasts).
Jason Segel (LolliLove (2004)) is very funny as drum-obsessed Nick, who has a cool garage but isn't a very good drummer. Lindsay becomes his short-lived girlfriend and falls for him hard. Shia LaBeouf (The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)) appears as a super-cute mascot (ep. 9: We've Got Spirit). Becky Ann Baker (The Blacklist (2019, TV-series)) and Joe Flaherty (Slackers (2002)) are hilarious as the Weir parents, who are shocked to find that Lindsay views them as robots but find their base again through lovemaking (ep. 10: The Diary).
Both young Weirs are in the process of locating their personality and identity, as in ep. 11: Look and Books, in which Sam buys a fancy jumpsuit, and Lindsay changes her path back to being a 'winner' and, concurrently, a 'mathlete'. Sam, though younger, also chase a romance, Cindy, a girl who is mostly preoccupied with other boys, but when she is suddenly before Sam, he gets terrified, (ep. 16: Smooching and Mooching). They share a very short term as boyfriend/girlfriend, which ends when Cindy doesn't think Steve Martin-comedy The Jerk (1979) funny, - a dealbreaker for Sam.
The show has elements rarely seen in a mainstream TV-series at the time, like a transgender girl (Seth Rogen's (The Disaster Artist (2017)) character's girlfriend reveals to him to have 'ambiguous genitalia', ep. 17: The Little Things), and miss-givings from both Lindsay and the school counselor about a visit from the then vice president George Bush.
As the season ends, Lindsay turns down an offer to participate in an elite school camp to attend a Grateful Dead concert instead, with Kim (Busy Philipps (I Feel Pretty (2018))) and friends. And Nick has a new girlfriend is also falling for disco!
The episodes are sometimes long and loose, especially some in the middle of the season, where it treads water a bit.
But there is so much good around these few patches that Freaks and Geeks remains a rare favorite:
The opening credits are fantastic, with each major character goofing around and showing a clear piece of their person to the camera in a manner of seconds. There's a long row of enjoyable guest stars, and the regular cast are all outstanding as the charming and funny characters. There are real feelings at play and real issues, especially that of finding oneself, which is the major theme of adolescence and the coming-of-age genre. It is infectious, touching, very well-written and often terribly funny.
Best episodes:
3: Tricks and Treats - Written by Feig; directed by Bryan Gordon (Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000-17))
Sam and Lindsay's mother's Halloween cakes are thrown outside their house. Sam's friends pester him for convincing them to go trick or treating, although they argue they are too old for that now, when Lindsay and her friends even egg them! A terrific Halloween show that puts a sweet spin on the recognizable theme of disappointment.
12: The Garage Door - Written by Gabe Sachs, Jeff Judah (90210 (2008-13), both) and Patty Lin (Breaking Bad (2008, TV-series)); directed by Feig
Sam witnesses his close friend Neal Schweiber's (Samm Levine (I'd Like to Be Alone Now (2019))) father hug a blond at the mall, and it opens a can of worms: Together the trio of friends head out to locate the mysterious blond. Meanwhile Ken (Rogen) falls for a girl who plays the tuba, and Lindsay still has to fend off still enamored Nick. Funny, sweet and a bit painful.
14: Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers - Written by Apatow, Bob Nickman (According to Jim (2002-06)); directed by Apatow
Lindsay and Kim accidentally run over Lindsay's uncool friend Millie's dog and decide not to speak of it, but inadvertently push Millie into an escalating youth rebellion as a fan of The Who. Meanwhile Sam's friend Bill (Martin Starr (Silicon Valley (2014-19))) has a major crisis, as their gym teacher becomes his mother's boyfriend, something he ultimately accepts.
15: Noshing and Moshing - Written by J. Elvin Weinstein (Later (1994-96)); directed by Jake Kasdan (Orange County (2002))
Lindsay's friend Daniel (James Franco (Future World (2018))) breaks up with Kim and flirts with a punk-milieu girl from the gas station. The Schweibers invite to a Christmas party, and Neal entertains with his ventriloquist act, - and reveals to his mother that his father is unfaithful. Real emotions and strong acting from Levine, Franco, Phillips and others.
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2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
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The Heat (2013) or, Prissy and Offensive in Boston
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Cost: Reportedly 1.5 mil./episode, coming to 27 mil. $ for the season
Box office: None - TV-series
= Uncertain
[Freaks and Geeks was first broadcast at NBC from 25 September 1999 - 17 October 2000, ending its run on the Fox Family Channel. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles. The show averaged 6.77 mil. viewers and was compared to Friends and Frasier, both shows that had more than double that. Clashes persisted between the showrunners and network execs, who did not understand or appreciate the show; they wanted a cool high school portrayal with kids that were 'winners'. For this reason NBC canceled the show after 12 episodes were aired; only through a fan campaign did they agree to show the next 3 episodes in the summer of 2000, with the last three episodes being shown at the Fox Family Channel. Apatow stated in 2014; "Everything I've done, in a way, is revenge for the people who cancelled Freaks and Geeks." Apatow gathered many of the actors from the show for Undeclared (2001), a college-set comedy in the same vein at the Fox network, which was also canceled after its first season. The show won 1/3 Primetime Emmy nominations. Freaks and Geeks was since recognized as one of the greatest TV-series of all time by several outlets. IMDb's users have voted it in at #59, between Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) and Arrested Development (2003), on their Top 250 TV chart. Feig returned as screenwriter with I Am David (2003) and as a show creator with Other Space (2015), also canceled after its first season. Cardellini returned in Legally Blonde (2001); Daley in Boston Public (2000-01)). Freaks and Geeks - season 1 is certified fresh at 100 % with an 9.67/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
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