Just finished the season on Netflix. Last time I saw it was when it was originally aired so I basically got to watch it fresh all over again with just a few small memories (like Neil's dad cheating). Man, what a great show. The writing and acting was so crisp once you hit the second half of the season. Shame it never got to be continued. Googled what the ideas were for season two and it really sounded like it could have really been a magical run.
Freaks and Geeks
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I loved that show. It's interesting to me to see how many of its young cast members, all unknowns when it aired, went on to have decent or even outstanding careers. But for me, it wasn't the active but the show's ability to more closely show the realities of high school at the time.
Maryn, who should rewatch it
Maryn, who should rewatch it
The amount of stars that came from that show was incredible. Also, the writing was just superb, it had such character and the plot lines were so balanced between the freaks and geeks.
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Our kids were teens when we saw it--I think a year after it aired?--and even though it was set before they were born, they agreed it was very true to the experience of being a white teenager from the middle-class suburbs.
I admired the writing enormously. Unlike a lot of TV shows, no character existed just to be a comic foil (unlike the typical wise mom, bumbling dad, and young teen giving one-liners worthy of a fifty-year-old comedy writer), and no character was entirely good or bad. Just like real people!
I admired the writing enormously. Unlike a lot of TV shows, no character existed just to be a comic foil (unlike the typical wise mom, bumbling dad, and young teen giving one-liners worthy of a fifty-year-old comedy writer), and no character was entirely good or bad. Just like real people!
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I vividly remember seeing the pressure on Daniel, the coolest of the freaks, at home. The viewer knew almost nothing about his home life, and when we finally do, it's bad.
And it was done so well. It wasn't anything extreme like his dad being a raging alcoholic that beat him. If they went that route it would have been too cliche for me, but they weaved in a type of pressure that could be relatable to many (taking care of their parents/family in some way).
Also the episode where Nick stays a Lindsay's house and you get the ever so slight hint that her dad had a really rough upbringing from his dad. There are few shows where I have been so invested in characters (Lost, Person of Interest, and Freaks and Geeks).
I had watched a few interviews and two things stuck out that I think made it so great. One, the writers all agreed they would adjust the characters based on when they found the actors and two, episodes were written based on things the writers had experienced in high school.
Also the episode where Nick stays a Lindsay's house and you get the ever so slight hint that her dad had a really rough upbringing from his dad. There are few shows where I have been so invested in characters (Lost, Person of Interest, and Freaks and Geeks).
I had watched a few interviews and two things stuck out that I think made it so great. One, the writers all agreed they would adjust the characters based on when they found the actors and two, episodes were written based on things the writers had experienced in high school.
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I'm so tickled to have found a fellow fan. I think I may need to rewatch the series.
I, too, remember the implication that Lindsay's and Sam's dad had a rough upbringing and that's part of why he was so good with Nick, because he saw how Nick's dad was like his dad had been, although he never said that in so many words. And getting him to actually take lessons in drumming was a huge success for them both.
I, too, remember the implication that Lindsay's and Sam's dad had a rough upbringing and that's part of why he was so good with Nick, because he saw how Nick's dad was like his dad had been, although he never said that in so many words. And getting him to actually take lessons in drumming was a huge success for them both.