Why is freaks and geeks so good

Sam was the stand-in for Feig, who, as a teen, also bought a Parisian night suit and crushed on a sweet high school cheerleader out of his league. Obviously, the setting—along with a not inconsiderable amount of money and effort—also allowed for a truly impressive soundtrack. Music mostly factored into the storylines of the freaks, as Nick, Daniel, and Ken all played in a struggling band together, and what kind of music was freak music and what was geek music was something that Feig delineated in the series bible.

Disco was on its way out, but bell-bottomed fashions lingered; in the show, McKinley High guidance counselor Mr. Nick mourns John Bonham in the second episode. Great needle drops and sight gags aside, the setting was pivotal to this coming-of-age story because it was also in search of an identity. Nonetheless, Freaks And Geeks debuted to critical acclaim.

There was a lot to like about the series from the start, including a talented young cast full of breakout stars and a bevy of trenchant writers, including Mike White, who must have been prepping to bring another blond tornado of rage to the screen. Bill helped a jock like Coach Fredricks understand what it felt like to be picked last, which was a bigger win than tagging someone out after catching a pop-up.

That bully who terrorized Sam and his friends early in the season? Fleck Steve Higgins shares with the geeks to bolster their self-esteem. The actor tells EW the one-season show — which is finally streaming on Hulu — was "one of the best experiences" of his life. It's been more than two decades since Freaks and Geeks aired its only season, and the show's cult classic status has grown exponentially in that time.

Created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow , NBC's cancellation of the high school dramedy set in the early '80s is one of the biggest mistakes in the history of TV fight us on this, we dare you.

But another major mistake with this show has thankfully been remedied: Freaks and Geeks is now available to stream on Hulu with its original soundtrack one of the show's greatest assets intact. Now that the series is finally available to stream, it's getting a new, younger influx of viewers for the first time as well.

But Freaks and Geeks alum Jason Segel isn't sure that new, younger viewers will appreciate the iconic series in the same way as its original, pre-streaming fanbase. I don't know what the experience would be like to watch something from 20 years ago. That's insane to me. For me it was all just the past, you know what I mean? Today, that same sort of digital community around Freaks and Geeks just might be materializing again on TikTok , the social media favorite of the current youth. Now, in the same manner of the comment sections on Rookie and the notes and reblogs on Tumblr posts, I see people coming to the show by internet peer word of mouth—watching TikTok clips from the show, asking for the title, and gaining access to an illicit roadmap on where to watch it before it was legally streaming.

Videos tagged " freaksandgeeks" have over In the time since the show hit Hulu, more videos have been popping up, with seemingly more and more views, engagement, and comments from users extolling the show, celebrating its new availability , and lamenting its cancellation. A modern youth audience for a year-old show brings an updated perspective.

On TikTok, some imagine how each character would reply when asked what pronouns they use. Some imagine the characters' astrological charts.

She was telling the truth lol. In other videos , users faithfully recreate the Freaks and Geeks intro. One TikTok user's intro recreation caught the attention of Seth Rogen, who retweeted it, celebrating the enduring love for the show.

The fact that this show has lived on long enough to make things like this happen is fucking wonderful and mind blowing. Freaks and Geeks continues to resonate because it allows its characters to be themselves, even if it means illuminating the ridiculous things we all do at one point or another to impress others like redecorating your house pre-kegger , hoping to win affection and acceptance. Unlike commercially successful late '90s teen soaps like Beverly Hills: or Dawson's Creek , Freaks and Geeks resists the temptation to focus on attractive somethings who play wealthy teenagers seeking sex, success, and romance.

Acclaimed modern teen dramas like Euphoria aspire to authenticity, but can wind up alienating viewers whose own teenage reality is far from the show's version, where the characters have sex, get drunk, do drugs, and battle addiction, all while wearing cool outfits and looking ethereal in neon makeup. Freaks and Geeks provides a more welcoming entry point to adolescence, one that makes room for young people at varying stages of their lives and doesn't judge too harshly, no matter where you fit in.

From the very beginning, Lindsay is a protagonist who questions everything faith, sex, school, drinking, drugs and in doing so, makes it okay for the audience to question those things, too. She changes her mind and makes mistakes, like egging her own brother on Halloween, helping Daniel cheat on a test, or getting so high her first time smoking that she thinks she's living in a dog's dream.