Andrew Robinson
NBC’s short-lived dramedy Freaks and Geeks didn’t last for long, but boy did it make an impression. The 1999-2000 show focused on high school kids currently sports an 8.8/10, and is the #49 rated show of all-time, both according to IMDb.com. Its cast, which includes James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, Busy Philipps, Samm Levine, and Martin Starr, features an impressive number of high-profile actors who were relative unknowns at the time. Focusing on two distinct groups of high school kids – the crowd that doesn’t take school seriously; “freaks” (which are the upperclassmen, including Rogen, Cardellini, Franco, Segel, and Philipps), and the “geeks” (freshmen Daley, Levine, and Starr) – Freaks and Geeks has a cult following, including yours truly.
The most remarkable part of the show is most definitely the cast. Much like Stranger Things, NBC’s short-lived drama features a cast of incredibly impressive young actors.
And, as I suspect Stranger Things will prove to do in the future, many of the Freaks and Geeks kids have grown up to be well-known actors. While I’m not a fan of James Franco because of his off-the-set issues, including disturbing sexual assault allegations, he is certainly well-known. When on set for Freaks and Geeks, the “freaks,” included Franco, who was 20 years old; Rogen was 17; Segel was 18; Cardellini was 23; Philipps was 19. Now, almost 20 years later, Franco and Rogen are household names, Segel is very well-known, and Cardellini and Philipps have both accumulated impressive credits on their resumes. Even on the show, it is clear that they have “it” – it’s obvious that they’re good at their craft. Rogen has more of a backseat role, but he kills every scene that he takes part in. Segel plays the lost-in-love Nick, and has some surprisingly poignant scenes, along with many funny ones. Cardellini portrays Lindsay, the show’s main focus from the “freaks,” and makes her descent from mathelete to “freak” entirely believable, while also managing to maintain the audience’s ability to empathize with Lindsay.
Philipps and Franco portray an on-again off-again romantic pair that hates school, and does everything possible to entertain themselves, often by making horrible decisions. The chemistry amongst all the “freaks” is evident, and the conversations they have – the things they do – simply feel real.
In a show that is set in a high school starring mainly teenagers, as Freaks and Geeks is, it is easy for things to seem a bit fake, and for storylines to grow dry.
While the show only lasted for 18 episodes, the storylines remain brilliant, and the acting is incredible. The cast makes that possible.
The “geeks” include Daley, who was 13; Levine, 16; and Starr, 16. Daley’s character, Sam, is arguably the main character (Cardellini’s Lindsay, Sam’s sister, being the other one vying for this position), and Daley portrays the merger of innocence and growing up to irrevocably lose that innocence masterfully. In most cases, Daley would be the break-out actor of the show.
However, Freaks and Geeks features such an incredible cast that Daley’s great performance isn’t the only one that is noteworthy. Levine and Starr, who portray Sam’s best friends Neal and Bill, also do a fantastic job, and manage to steal more than a few scenes of their own. The trio provides many comedic moments, while seamlessly forcing the viewer to feel for their characters; to want to be there to stand up for them. Everything they do feels entirely authentic; everything that they go through is relatable.
It doesn’t take long for the viewer to warm up to the “geeks,” and to begin rooting for them to succeed.
Freaks and Geeks is a modern marvel because of its incredible cast. It is rare that so many actors from one show become so well-known; Freaks and Geeks may be the most successful show in this regard in the history of American television. Imagine if some combination of Jacob Tremblay, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Dafne Keen, Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Millicent Simmonds, Brooklyn Prince, and Iain Armitage joined forces in 2019 to create a television show (this needs to happen now!!). That’s pretty close to what Freaks and Geeks had going before it was abruptly and unforgivably cancelled.
Freaks and Geeks is one of the best television shows of all-time, and features one of the most impressive casts in recent memory. It’s possible that the novelty of the ascent of the cast of Freaks and Geeks will never be matched.
