edit: 4/25/05WOW! Thank you for visiting this page! I cannot believe how many hits I’ve received since the beginning of the year, but this page has become the most popular hit every month for the past few months because of my graphic above! I’ve tripled my bandwidth because of these hits! I hope that all of you Freaks and Geeks fans enjoy the photos. I might have to actually add more soon because there are a few that I haven’t posted. And, I have two videos that I could upload as well, but I don’t want my bandwidth to just go insane. So, if there’s enough interest, please let me know and I’ll consider adding more!! Again, thank you for your interest!
I will now take an opportunity to talk about one of my obsessions of the last 5 years. It was fall of 1999, the semester was back in full swing, and a promising amount of television premiered that fall season. Up until that time, I kept up with only a few television shows, such as The Simpsons or King of the Hill. 1999 changed all of that.
On NBC, there was this show called Freaks and Geeks which I instantly knew I had to check out. See, as many of you might know, I was such a nerd in school. In fact, I’d rather think I was a geek because nerd reminds me of someone who is book smart and I don’t believe I had much book smart with my mediocre grades. So this show was an instant draw to me just by its title. After seeing the first scene where Sam get picked on, I knew I found a new favorite show.
Five years have ever so rapidly passed since I first found out about this new show called “Freaks and Geeks”. Before the show even premiered, all of the commercials I watched eagerly compelled me to see the authenticity of the show, and the pilot proved my curiosity which secured my future love. Thus, I was completely hooked. I believe that just following the end of pilot show, I posted one of the first 10 entries on the wildly popular and still very active message board at the website for Freaks and Geeks. I have felt so many emotions because of what happened to the show since the announcement of its cancellation, but I religiously watched and recorded the show each Tuesday night when it was broadcasted on Fox Family Network starting September of 2000.
I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen a show with the quality caliber of Freaks and Geeks in my whole life of mindlessly watching television. Although I am only 25, I have never in my life seen a series that was so true to the American experience in high school. Not only did the creators, the directors, and most importantly the actors completely and thoroughly portray a group of kids going through the wayward years of adolescence, I can relate to Freaks and Geeks on many levels. If I were a teacher or professor, I would probably be inclined to use this show numerous times as a study or example to kids of how life can be harsh, how life can be wonderful, how life is very similar to this show.
If Freaks and Geeks was a book, I believe it would be deemed as a classic.
If Freaks and Geeks was a radio show, I believe it would have gone down in history for ratings.
If Freaks and Geeks was a music album, I believe it would go multiplatinum in sales.
If Freaks and Geeks was a movie, I believe it would be in the top 10 movies greatest movies of all time.
If Freaks and Geeks was real, I believe people would completely identify with it.
Unfortunately, Freaks and Geeks was none of these. It is simply a television show that had the utmost potential to become a strong running series. And that’s it. Potential.
Now, I’m left with memories… and a brand new DVD set! It took them 5 years but they released a DVD set, which I immediately preordered and since have watched all of the episodes again.
This past Thursday, I had the rare and awesome opportunity, probably the last of its kind for this show, to meet some of my favorite actors from the show. I missed the biggest opportunity back in April when almost every single actor from the series made a guest appearance in LA to promote the DVD set. So I knew a month ago that this event was an absolute must.
It was held at the San Diego Comic Con. Upon arriving to the room where the session would be held, I immediately recognized Paul Feig, the creator, walking with Steve Bannos, one of the teachers. It was then that I realized how amazing this was really going to be! We initially watched the last episode of the series “Discos and Dragons”. I must admit that watching the show with over 1000 people laughing at the same jokes and enjoying the same things really is a unique and incredible experience! So it was okay that I had already seen the episode many times before then.
Then it happened. Paul Feig, the writer and creator of the series, and the actors all walked up to the stage and Paul at the podium welcomed us there. Wow. I was just smiling because it was so surreal! Then began the F&Q. Most of the questions were directed to Paul who graciously answered questions but the rest of the cast finally answered a few questions. It was really awesome hearing their opinions about their roles as well as what they were up to now.
While I took this photo above, there was a line forming for autographs just a few rooms away. When I went to get into line, they had already closed it off because it was overflowed. I was so upset because I even brought my DVD set to get it autographed. So, I decided that I wasn’t going to give up and blew off some time walking around the convention center. I headed back up a few times and still no luck. So, finally when the line was about 20 people long, I begged security people who kept saying no and I told them that I drove all the way from LA and had brought the DVD set for just this. I would even buy their last set if they let me in line! After talking with a few people, they let me in!! I was so happy!!! So I made it to the front and was able to talk to, take pictures of, make a little video of and thank the few members of the cast and crew that were sitting behind the table.
From left to right, Natasha Melnick, John Francis Daley, and Samm Levine.
From left to right, Me, Martin Starr, and Natasha Melnick.
What a wonderful day, a wonderful television show, and a wonderful memory I made! To conclude, here’s a little letter I wrote on a bulletin board on NBC.com in support of Freaks and Geeks.
Qualities that define a long lasting and successful television series:
1. strong plot
2. compelling story
3. well defined actors and actresses
4. *FAN SUPPORT*
NBC has overlooked such a strongly fan-supported series for their fall line-up. Not only have thousands of Americans scrutinized then embraced Freaks and Geeks, but to my pleasant surprise, the rest of the world has been tuning into this unobjectively irresistible series. NBC’s ignorance in canceling this more than entertaining show is a mistake by which the choice fan must pay. By the grace of the wisest man at NBC or any other television station that sees the light will this interminably awesome series be never-too-lately resurrected.
That is a seriously awesome show! I loved watching it when I could…
-Seth
Thanks Micah! I really enjoyed reading. I’m glad you were able to get into the line!
Thats amazing, i didn’t think Cindy Sanders was very good looking, but Natasha Melnick is hottt
Natasha,i love you
When my fiance first told me about the show , i was like…that sounds really lame. I didn’t want to give it a chance. But I am so glad that I did. The show kicked ass and I now own the series on dvd. He ended up meeting a few of the characters on the show… I forget which ones during some kind of convention… but seriously…if there was one show that i would die to see a second season of , this would be it. T.V. doesn’t get any better.