For today, I will depart from the regular movie-based focus of this column due to an amazing TV show recently available on Netflix Watch Instantly: “Freaks and Geeks.”
The TV show aired for less than a season from 1999 to 2000 on NBC. Created by Paul Feig (director of “Bridesmaids”), it revolves around two groups of friends classified as the “Freaks” and the “Geeks” of William McKinley High School. Lindsay Weir, played by Linda Cardellini, is a new member of the Freaks, which is a drastic change from when she was a top student and a member of the mathletes.
Surrounded by burnouts, Daniel Desario, Ken Miller, Nick Andopolis and Kim Kelly, played by James Franco (“127 Hours”), Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”), Jason Segel (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Busy Philips (“Cougartown”) respectively, Weir finds herself between the high expectations of her parents and teachers, and the desire to be cool with her friends.
In the Geeks, we have Weir’s younger freshman brother, Sam Weir (John Francis Daley). The diminutive younger Weir has two longtime friends, Neal Schweiber and Bill Haverchuck, played by Samm Levine (“Not Another Teen Movie”) and Martin Starr (“Knocked Up”) respectively, and neither is in any way cooler than the other.
Although I was neither a high school student of the ‘80s nor a fully conscious human being when the show aired, I find that “Freaks and Geeks” looks at a section of the cafeteria that is generally avoided by high school TV shows. I don’t necessarily look at “Freaks and Geeks” as an accurate portrayal of high school. However, I enjoy that the show defies the genre high schools filled with jocks with soft insides and snarky pretty girls often found on television.
“Freaks and Geeks” has a great cast filled with now-famous faces. You’ll like it if you enjoy high school movies and TV, Judd Apatow productions and if you’ve always wondered if Jason Segel was always a giant of a man. SPOILER: He was.
Awesome Movie you’ve already seen: “Meet the Parents” (2000)
I’d be intimidated if my fiancée’s father was Vito Corleone, Jake LaMotta and the Fearless Leader from the Rocky and Bullwinkle movie.
For more Netflix suggestions, follow Bakr Saliq on Twitter: @BakrSaliq
