Listed as one of the greatest American comedy TV shows of all time, Freaks and Geeks continues to delight audiences years later with its mix of humorous dialogue, relatable characters, and timeless soundtrack. The storyline takes place in McKinley High School and follows a geeky mathlete Lindsay Weir, who befriends a group of ‘freaks’, and her brother Sam Weir, as he navigates teenage problems with his two other friends.
Although cancelled only after 12 episodes due to low ratings at the time, the show has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, with long-time fans committing to repeated viewings and introducing newcomers into the circle. Writers Paul Feig and Judd Apatow have since gone on to produce numerous commercially-successful projects such as Ghostbusters and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, further demonstrating how overlooked Freaks and Geeks was at the time of its release. Here, we take a look at 15 surprising facts you may not have known about the beloved coming-of-age TV show.
15 Fans Of The Show Successfully Convinced NBC To Broadcast More Episodes
Due to the show’s persistently low ratings, the series wrapped up with three unaired episodes. According to Gossip Sloth, fans were greatly disappointed by this fact which led to a campaign for NBC to broadcast the three remaining episodes. The campaign was successful and the rest of the show aired September of that year.
14 Onscreen Couple James Franco And Busy Philipps Hated Each Other In Real Life
Kim and Daniel are the most long-standing relationship on the show, but this onscreen romance did not reflect itself in real life. Unlike their characters, James Franco and Busy Philipps were not so fond of each other on set and encountered many difficulties whilst filming scenes together. Philipps even reported that he once pushed her to the ground without warning her during an improvisation scene.
13 Busy Philipps Originally Auditioned For The Role Of Lindsay Weir
Can you imagine Busy Philipps in the role of shy geek-turned-freak Lindsay Weir? Before the show entered production, she originally auditioned for the part, but the producers saw her inner feistiness come through in the form of Kim Kelly. After auditioning for Kim, she immediately landed the part and the iconic casting for the show began to take shape.
12 Jason Segel And Linda Cardellini Dated In Real Life
Although their characters broke up early on in the show, Jason Segel and Linda Cardellini actually dated five years offscreen after the show was cancelled. Despite the stigma of young relationships being immature and tricky, Segel had nothing but wonderful things to say about his ex years later, as he says in an interview “People are bound to talk, but she was a great girlfriend.”
11 John Francis Daley Was The Only Actor Who Was The Same Age As His Character
Hollywood has been known to cast older actors in their early twenties in the role of high school students. According to Buzzfeed, the only actor on the show who was the same age as his character was John Francis Daley in the role of 14-year-old Sam Weir. Linda Cardellini, who plays Sam’s 16-year-old sister Lindsay, was actually 24 during the process of shooting.
10 Busy Philipps And Linda Cardellini Were Classmates Before The Show
Although Lindsay and Kim fostered a rocky relationship at the start of the show, actresses Cardellini and Philipps actually go way back as classmates at Loyola Marymount University. Philipps was initially hesitant about taking on the role of Kim Kelly as her agent told her to wait for a bigger role, but it was Cardellini who thankfully persuaded her to do it.
9 The Writers Based The Show’s Narrative On Their Real Life Experiences
There’s a reason why the stories in Freaks and Geeks seem to resonate so well with teenage audiences, even years after its release. The stories were derived from Paul Feig and Judd Apatow’s embarrassing real life experiences in high school, a detail which adds to the authenticity and familiarity of both the dialogue and script.
8 Judd Apatow and Paul Feig Told The Actresses Not To Lose Weight For The Show
Contrary to many stories in Hollywood, the writers of the show told Cardellini and Philipps not to lose weight for their roles. According to Uproxx, the reason for this was because they wanted the actresses to look like real, believable kids who are struggling with problems in high school.
7 Paul Feig Mapped Out A Second Season That Never Came About
Unfortunately due to the show’s cancellation, Paul Feig’s vision for a second season of the show never materialised. According to Mental Floss, he has mentioned in several interviews that Kim Kelly would’ve gotten pregnant, Lindsay would’ve been dealing with drug addiction, and Sam and Cindy Sanders would’ve been running against each other for Student Body President.
6 Ben Stiller Made His Cameo To Stop The Show From Being Cancelled
As a personal favour to his friend Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller agreed to make a cameo in the 17th episode of the show in an attempt to prevent it from being cancelled. His performance as an overprotective bodyguard is hilarious and well-regarded by fans but by the time the episode aired, the show had already been cancelled.
