In this week’s Fandom Flashback, we take a look back at the halls of another McKinley High in 1980s Michigan with Freaks and Geeks!

Fandom Flashbacks are a weekly Hypable feature that takes a look back at old shows (classic, vintage, and freshly dead) and takes our readers onto memory lane as we express our favorite moments, characters, and plots.

Before the halls of McKinley were known to bust into elaborate song and dance routines, another high school named after the 25th President in Michigan housed a different group of outcasts. Freaks and Geeks follows the Weir siblings, Lindsay and Sam, as they navigate high school in their respective cliques.

“Neal: What is wrong with them? Why do they think that hitting people with towels is so funny? Bill: If it wasn’t us, it would be kind of funny.”

Lindsay, a sophomore brainiac, decides to break away from her mathlete persona following her grandmother’s death and a loss of faith. Unsure of what direction to head in next, she decides to join the intimidating group of “freaks,” working her way into their inner circle. Sam, a freshman, takes up his role in the geek crowd with his comrades, Neal and Billy. However, unlike Lindsay’s choice to join the freaks, the freshman take their label with chagrin.

The unusual focus on the kids of lesser popularity in the more popular setting of high school hallways caused Freaks and Geeks a bit more trouble than success. The show, which began its run on NBC in September of 2000, stayed true to creator Paul Feig’s vision to tell the real stories of kids in high school. Not everyone is trying to make the football team or ensure that they are in a relationship at all times. Feig describes the show perfectly when he said to Vanity Fair, “[High school] is horrifying, but all you should really care about is getting through it. Get your friends, have your support group. And learn to be able to laugh at it.”

Freaks and Geeks is full of familiar faces. Most of the casting selections were about finding the right person, not necessarily someone to fill a mold. Once casting made their selections, the characters were built around the personalities each actor brought to the room. Jason Segel, Seth Rogan, and James Franco were unknown faces of the time who made their acting debuts. Paul Fieg’s hope to keep the stories and the actors as real as possible as long as they could convey the emotional sides to not-so-glamour sides of the high school experience.

Another remarkable element of the show, in terms of rewatching, is the gaggle of guest stars that make their way through the episodes. These include, Rashida Jones, Ben Stiller, Matt Czuchry, Shia LaBeouf, and Jason Schwartzman.

	Lindsay Weir An ex-mathlete, Lindsay drifts to the “Freaks” following her grandmother’s death. Donning a signature army jacket, Lindsay initially has a rough time melding into the group until she calls them all out on their lack of future direction. She briefly dates Nick Andopolis. She molds herself into the “Freaks,” while also holding onto her friendship with her straitlaced friend Millie and her academic prowess.		Kim Kelly Kim’s reputation around the school may give off the vibe that she is a drugged up bully, which to the first time viewer does not seem that far off. Often seen at odds with on-again-off-again boyfriend, Daniel Desario, there is no denying that they actually care about each other. Kim Kelly comes from a rough home life with an abusive mother and step-father who constantly tear her down for her choice of friends and low academic standards. Kim and Lindsay eventually become close friends.
	Daniel Desario Daniel may blend into the group of “Freaks” and come off as the type of high school stoner that everyone picks on. However, Daniel may in fact be one of the coolest kids in the school. Choosing to have skipping classes be his reputation over football, Daniel does not place any effort into his school work and that comes at a cost. After being held back for two years, Daniel secretly struggles with the conception that he can never be smart enough to excel at anything.		Nick Andopolis A rock star in his mind, Nick Andopolis is the sentimental stoner of the group. Once the star of the basketball team, Nick was kicked off the team after drugs were found in his possession. Nick’s father pushes him to drop the rock-and-roll dream and focus on his school work so that he may pursue a military career. He dates Lindsay Weir for a time and develops an unreciprocated admiration for her.
	Ken Miller The quiet guy in the background, Ken Miller sticks around to round out the “Freaks.” Not heard from much, except for the occasional sharp quip, Ken’s moments arrive later in the series, unfortunately timed with an early cancellation. Ken’s smarter than most of his comrades and is the only member of the “Freaks” with a clear vision of his future.		Sam Weir Sam Weir, the freshman brother of Lindsay and member of the “Geeks” struggles with his smaller than average build and unrelenting love for head cheerleader, Cindy Sanders. His best friends, Bill and Neil, have their fair share of good times together, but the bullying at school often leaves his confidence a bit lacking.
	Neil Schweiber Easily the most confident of the “Geek” group, Sam’s comic knowledge certainly exceeds that of his knowledge of the ladies at McKinley High. Neil’s denial of his “geekiness” does little to keep him from hanging out with Sam and Bill. His father, Dr. Schweiber, may be making enough money for the family to live comfortably, but his affair throws Neil for a loop.		Bill Haverchuck Bill Haverchuck is the final member of the “Geeks” and definitely looks the part. Contrary to what people may deduce from his looks, Bill is not the most academically conscious individual and prefers to spend his afternoons watching Dallas and eating copious amounts of food. Except peanuts. Those things will kill him.

Freaks and Geeks is chock full of memorable characters. Over the 18 episodes, most of the characters explore a deeper side of their personality from the high school persona they cast for the masses. Complex in their own ways, one character consistently receives laughs, light-hearted moments, and empathy from the audience.

Previously a basketball star, Nick Andolopis’ recreational drug use took away his team membership and bright future. Nick’s heart of gold and dreams are big enough to compensate for the entire group’s lack of direction. Unfortunately, Nick’s talent does not match up with the rock star drumming career he desperately wants. Most of us can relate to those moments of singing at the top of our lungs to sold out crowds only to open them and realize we are about to drive our car through a red light. While Nick does everything to keep at his dream, including creating a band with Daniel and Ken called, “Creation,” the odds are stacked against him. He has his prized drum kit, but neither the natural talent or familial support for him to succeed.

Jessie Eisenberg was the second choice for Sam Weir.

His tale may appear tragic, but it is the support of his friends, including the one he finds infatuating, Lindsay, that keeps Nick as someone you not only root for, but look forward to seeing every episode. When he miserably fails an audition in “I’m in the Band,” Lindsay kisses him to cheer him up, inadvertently setting off an entirely different passion. Ahead of Nick’s courtship of Lindsay, we already have a glimpse at the side of Nick she finds deterring. His constant need to walk through life stoned pushes Lindsay away from ever seeing through to his pure heart and desire for love and acceptance.

Nick’s father insists that he place more emphasis on his academics and follow the Andopolis men into military training. His father even goes as far as selling his son’s drum kit to make a point. Fragile and directing his love to misguided places, Nicks’ breakup with Lindsay appropriately arrives when he runs into Mrs. Weir in the grocery store. Lindsay never found the right time to break the news to Nick after she discovered that Nick went off the emotional deep end following his last break up. However, removing herself from leading Nick on any longer was a catalyst for Nick to explore different options. One of which includes… Disco? Though his new fling with Sara could simply be a way to make Lindsay jealous.

Quite a few years after the final episode aired, the future of Nick Andopolis is something that you may be able to piece together. Judd Apatow has a knack for keeping his favorite stars around in his projects, each of them holding onto a bit of their Freaks and Geeks roots. So which future do you wish for Nick? We like to think that writing puppet rock operas suits his past dreamer quite well.

The best episode of Freaks and Geeks is, ironically, the episode that ended the show’s run on NBC. Considered to be the “Say No to Drugs” episode of the series, “Chokin’ and Tokin'” focuses on Lindsay’s first experiment with drugs and Nick’s few days without them.

During a “pot drought” the freaks are left without pot for over five days. Nick’s new found clarity makes him realize that sitting around listening to music on a couch does not quite have the same appeal as it does when he is high. His sobriety may not lead to any huge revelations for Nick personally, but it does show Lindsay a side of him that she finds appealing.

Lindsay on the other hand, dabbles with pot after an argument with Nick over whether or not he can put the drugs down long enough to live a clear and focused life. When he offers her his complete stash, Lindsay the amateur over does her first solo trip and forgets all of her obligations. Showing up to babysit for a local couple, they are too eager to leave the house to notice that their babysitter is lit up. Panicking, Lindsay calls the one friend who can not only calm her down, but prove that the people she left behind are not as far as she thinks.

Millie shows up and takes care of the children until she takes the time to have a heart to heart with Lindsay about beliefs and the depth of her commitment to an old friend. We’ve all been either Lindsay or Millie; the mess who needs the unconditional support of a friend, or the person who steps up to provide it. Lindsay is not about to have a major life-altering realization, and neither is Nick.

“My drums are interfering with my schoolwork. I think my schoolwork is interfering with my drums.” – Nick

The only person who ingests something that may possibly bring about a near death experience arrives when Bill eats a peanut slipped into his sandwich as prank. However, this leads to the other members of the geeks facing the possibility of what life would be like without the third member of their trio. While Bill fits the title Neal and Sam are always trying to run from, the two friends realize that even though Bill tends to serve as the butt of their tiny ego boosts, they’ll never trust another person to fill that role.

It is no surprise that Nick Andopolis’ lovey-dovey side gets the best of him and claims the Cringe-Worthy Moment section. In an attempt to woo Lindsay Weir, Nick plans a romantic evening in his basement for just the two of them. Expecting that Nick will try to have sex with her, Lindsay is hesitant to take a seat in his “love nest” arrangement of pillows. However, the event that follows may make her even more uncomfortable than Nick trying to take her pants off.

Have you ever experienced second-hand embarrassment so painful that you want to crawl in a ball and watch it while at the same time shielding your eyes from it? That is exactly how you can expect to take in Nick’s rendition of the Styx song, “Lady” that he performs as a testament to the way he feels about her. As uncomfortable as the scene may be, it shows the extent to which Nick throws himself into a relationship and the vast difference between what he believes to be romantic, versus reality.

Jason Segel decided not to go to college to act on Freaks and Geeks.

This scene also reveals Nick’s past as a basketball star before drugs came into his life. Lindsay, already set on ending their relationship realizes the extent to which his life is affected by marijuana. Combine that with his upcoming performance and desire to simply lie down together, the contrast from Lindsay’s expression and Nick’s reveals her struggle; make Nick happy and live unhappy or break it off and send him into an emotional downward spiral? You can watch the entire scene below.

The most emotional moment arrives early in the season, but in the original timeline of the show, did not air on NBC. Episode 4, “Kim Kelly is My Friend,” was in 1999, an extremely controversial episode that shows the less than ideal home life of Kim Kelly. In the episode, Kim invites Lindsay over for dinner and audiences, as well as Lindsay, gets a glimpse into the mold that formed the bully.

Over a dinner of take out fried chicken, audiences see Kim trying to defend herself in front of her parents who only grasp onto one D grade instead of her other numerous successes. The setting adds to the overall feeling of a broken home; skeleton frames of walls, construction draping, and a passed out sibling on a couch lies in the adjacent “room.” Finally, when Kim’s mom threatens to take away her car, Kim tries to flee the scene and demands Lindsay get to the car while she physically struggles against her mom.

A choice that the creators made, was to score the section with a funky bass line more fitting for a comic and playful scene. If the actions played out in complete silence, the situation may have been worthy of an HBO drama, not a primetime NBC “dramady.” The rest of the episode follows the aftermath of Lindsay’s leaving, including an emotional confrontation with Daniel. Best of luck trying to place your emotions for this one, folks.

“You guys have such a nice house. Do you think it’d be cool if I hung out here for a bit? My house is such a nightmare right now.”

Freaks and Geeks‘ TV run came to a close on March 20, 2000 after episode 13 aired in its original Saturday night time-slot. There were still six unseen episodes of the show remaining, including episode 4, “Kim Kelly is My Friend.” The show opted for the unglamorous side of storytelling, the story of the underdogs that never desired to overcome their situation, but it was not fitting for a major network primetime slot.

Judd Apatow claims that his entire career serves as revenge for the show’s cancellation.

Perhaps if the show started out on HBO or even as an FX original series, the cult classic would have a fighting chance. When the President of NBC, Garth Ancier took over after the pilot went into production, red flags started flying. When the network no longer sees your vision and Cops brings in double the ratings in its tenth season, making the weird work became a much harder job. Honest story telling about the halls of a Michigan high school did not appeal to the viewers looking to bet on the cheerleader and quarterback going to prom together.

Ultimately, the last episode was filmed around episode 13, just in case. Series creator, Paul Feig, took Judd Apatow’s advice to write a conclusion to ensure that he at least had something to finish. There were no victories for Freaks and Geeks during its initial run. However, the cult classic and the successes of those involved post-mortem gives significance to the beauty the eighteen episodes achieved that most shows today could not. The vision was never lost with Freaks and Geeks and is perhaps the most admirable quality about the series.

Freaks and Geeks is available in its entirety on Netflix. FXX has also been known to throw the show on for a mini marathon every now and then! Be sure to check your local listings in case there is a Sunday morning binge session airing.