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Does anyone have any solid info on this great series coming out on DVD? I cant believe how the ratings on this thing could warrant a cancellation of the whole show, it was fantastic. Such a great cast and soundtrack (although I hear the payment of the rights for this is causing much of the dvd problem).
So far the only snippet of information that it maybe happening is this, from the start of july.
Quote
We're not quite sure how he did this, but Jimme actually wrote a column this week whose contents range from the upcoming Freaks and Geeks DVD (and you won't believe the price tag) that any true TV fan *must* run-not-walk to buy to 24 spoilers for next season.
There's this petition, but its been around for ages:
http://www.freaksandgeeks.com/dvd/form.php
Makes me sad when most of television is reality crap.
Freaks and Geeks = 2nd best TV show of my youth. at least in terms of how much i wish there were more episodes. if the simpsons had been cancelled during season 5 it couldn't hav been more unjust.
no shit, just the one episode "The Little Things" (http://epguides.com/FreaksandGeeks/guide.shtml#ep014) should be seen by every kid in high school. fills my heart with much joy even when they dump reruns at like 2am.
doubt a dvd will happen anytime soon.
Yeah... that show was great... I only ended up seeing like six episodes, but they were really good. I even watched the movie "Cheaters" just because it had that tall skinny dorky kid in it (played (N)Applebee in the movie, forget the character's name).
DVD would be nice, but unlikely. Wish I could at least find some reruns of it.
07.11.03: Freaks and Geeks coming to DVD
Source: Jimmy Manning - PrimetimeTV.about.com
Okay, TV fans, as promised I've got the inside scoop on a new Freaks and Geeks DVD set. But with the scoop comes some good news and some bad news. The good news: the show will almost certainly be available on DVD by Christmas time according to the show's creators. The bad news: it's going to cost around $120.00. That's right. It's crossing the century mark in terms of George Washingtons you'll have to give for it. Why the steep price? It seems the only thing that's been holding back the release of the series by a major DVD distributor at this point was the high legal fees associated with securing the rights to all of the music used in the series. "All the original music must remain intact," said Paul Feig, a writer for the series. "But (our new distributor) is with us on that."
120? Shit, I liked that show...
Cheers Mac. About 18 episodes, plus there's bound to be some cool features. Im ok with the price.
Ben Stiller was so funny in 'The little things' episode.
Damn... good thing I've got Netflix and a DVD burner (um... I didn't say that)
Quote from: RegularKarateDamn... good thing I've got Netflix and a DVD burner
and my home address, and plenty of good will.
Quote from: RegularKarateDamn... good thing I've got Netflix and a DVD burner (um... I didn't say that)
I still can't figure out how to rip DVD's...the few programs I have tried don't work, or unexpectantly quit mid-process....help (gulp)...
...I thought I was like the 1 veiwer this show had....it had it's moments...
Quote from: PQuote from: RegularKarateDamn... good thing I've got Netflix and a DVD burner
and my home address, and plenty of good will.
Will it get to you if I just write on the envelope:
P
You Know Where
(Not America)
Seriously tho, once this comes out (and hopefully to Netflix), PM me and we can see if we can work something out.
As far as DVD copying goes, it takes some figuring out... ACWJJ, I can help you if you have a Mac... if you have a PC though, I really have no sympathy, it's supposed to be easier to figure out.
Quote from: RegularKarateAs far as DVD copying goes, it takes some figuring out... ACWJJ, I can help you if you have a Mac... if you have a PC though, I really have no sympathy, it's supposed to be easier to figure out.
I have both.....even on my PC I have had troubles though.....it's new to me....
Well, I can help ya out if you have a Mac.
does your Mac have a DVD burner? Or are you just trying to rip the discs?
If you're trying to copy, you'll need some stuff...
DVDextractor (or something similar, thing about this one is that you have to run it in OS9) - to rip the files to your HD.
Roxio Toast - to burn 'em back to another disc.
This is all you'll need for single layer disc copying, but if you're gonna do a dual layer (and the majority of comercial DVDs are dual now days), then you're gonna need DVD Studio Pro and some patience.
What you end up doing is peeling away the layers of crap that fill up the disc (alt. languages, subtitles, DTS track, etc...) and putting everything else back together using DVD Studio Pro.
It's quite a little project, but once you get it done once, you get a feel for it and it's pretty easy and usually worth it.
well...I don't have studio Pro....so I guess I will go the PC way....1000 thank you's though for tryin'.....I am still lost...lol....
Yes, this is one of the greatest and most criminally underrated television shows of the last ten years.
Paul Feig told Variety recently that a March date can be expected for the F&G set. Check out the F&G messageboard at the official site, where he's posted more than once about the release...
aw
Damn, I don't care at all about the price...I'd buy 'em right away
It used to air every sunday afternoon on cable here in Portugal. Those were the days :) Made me stay home to watch it (what the hell am I saying? I always stay home on sunday afternoons..... 'cause I hate sunday afternoons)
Freaks and Geeks Set On April 6
Shows the power of an online petition.
The freaks have spoken and the geeks at DreamWorks Television have listened. "Freaks and Geeks, the short-lived but highly praised television series will finally debut as a six-DVD set on April 6. No price is available yet.
Set in the early 1980s, the show starred Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley and James Franco. It followed Cardinelli and Daley as brother and sister high school students in a Detroit suburb.
When series producers Paul Feig and Judd Apatow discovered nearly 40,000 fans of the show had signed an online petition pledging to buy a future release of the DVD, they got to work. The six-disc set will contain 18 episodes, three of which never aired, plus more than 40 hours of bonus material.
The bonus material includes a director's cut of the pilot episode with behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, outtakes, alternate cuts, blooper reels and 28 audio commentaries by the cast, crew and even parents of cast members and fans. The disc set will also come with a 28-page collectable booklet contains a Q&A with Apatow, an essay by Feig and plenty of geeky photos.
THERE IS A GOD,.
very good news indeed.
Thankyou. Thankyou. Thankyou. Thankyou.
Aww man this will be $100+
Quote from: Pas RapportAww man this will be $100+
i'm willing to pay it.
there used to be repeats of Freaks and Geeks at like midnight on Mondays I used to sneak up at night and watch it. I loved that show. Gd I love that show...... ::tear::
for you superfans...
Well, it's now official - there will be a limited deluxe edition of Freaks and Geeks available to hard-core fans. Available now at the official site (and for a limited time only), the deluxe edition set features everything that will be on the regular box set, plus two additional DVDs packed with exclusive material. These two discs will feature three live "table reads," a one-hour Q&A with cast and crew at the Museum of Television & Radio, more audition footage, deleted scenes, outtakes, promos, raw single-camera footage, behind-the-scenes footage, guidance counselor Jeff Rosso & Feedback live in concert, the full original EPK, a script for an epiosde never shot, music and photo gallery, easter eggs, and more! This deluxe edition will be packaged in an expanded 80-page foil-stamped and embossed yearbook (itself filled with a ton of photos and memorabilia). The Freaks and Geeks Limited Deluxe Edition will cost a cool $120 and will not be available at retail.
--------------------------------------
i never saw this till reruns on some other channel, and i really liked it. but what about Undeclared? did anybody watch that? i loved that show.
Quote from: themodernage02
i never saw this till reruns on some other channel, and i really liked it. but what about Undeclared? did anybody watch that? i loved that show.
I remember Undeclared. It wasn't a bad show.
it was also a Judd Apatow creation and was very funny and had great characters. plus, it had some great cameos for such a short run.
I liked undeclared, well at least the two episodes I saw and then it dissapeared. I don't watch much tv so I always get excited when something I enjoy comes around. I'm still reeling from no more strangers with candy and mr show episodes. Long live titanica.
I saw a few episodes of Undeclared when it was on fox. I enjoyed the premise of the loser getting the hot girl that was cool I guess. Freaks and Geeks though was a great show that definitely shouldn't have been cancelled. I don't know if I'm willing to part with 130 dollars to buy it though.
for you more casual fans...
Sony Music will release a more affordable six-disc box set on April 6th. Featuring the complete series presented in its original 4:3 full screen aspect ratio, extras include the "Director's Cut" pilot episode, no less than 29 audio commentaries by the actors, writers, directors, network executives, parents of cast members, teachers in character and dedicated fans of the show, an additional 60 deleted scenes and outtakes with optional commentary, a Q&A with producer and writer Judd Apatow and illustrated by "extremely geeky photos," cast audition footage, and a 28-page booklet with an essay by creator Paul Feig. Retail will cost you $69.95.
I really dont think I can afford the Geeks edition and its very reaosnable price for the standard, I cant believe - 29 commentaries (including cast members parents!) Most excellent.
i knew when the show aired on saturday it wouldn't last. i was bummed from the start, because it was such a cool show. the cast was great...seth rogan is hilarious. undeclared was a great show as well. can't wait for the geeks.
Amazon sent me a mail today regarding the standard edition. It's starting price is $49 which is quite reasonable considering the $125 the site wants. Granted the SE is bound like a yearbook and has 2 extra discs, it's nothing warranting an extra $75. All the needed features are there in the regular edition - commentaries to the point of excess and all the original music.
A great show finds justice. I'm glad the petition idea worked for once (I was on it 4 times).
April 6 will be a great day - F&G and the new Local H record.
Quote from: GoneSavageI'm glad the petition idea worked for once
i know, i can't get over that.
it goes against everything i believe in.
I'm getting really excited about seeing the show again and I managed to find some clips here. http://www.freaksandgeeks.com/otherjunk/videoclips.html
Obvious but last time I went they'd been taken down.
This is a show that is going to treasured for decades to come and since I am on a budget I will have to get the standard edition not the deluxe. Anyway no problem, I am still really psyched.
Anyone watch this dvd yet? I just picked it up on my lunch break but won't have time to watch it till the weekend. Give some impressions.
Quote from: StefenAnyone watch this dvd yet? I just picked it up on my lunch break but won't have time to watch it till the weekend. Give some impressions.
Okay here's my De Niro:
"You talkin' to me? Huh? Hey, you, talkin' to you! Okay? You talkin' to me? Well.. I'm the only guy here so I bet you're talkin' to me! So.. are you? ... ARE YOU?"
Okay, here's my Jerry Seinfeld:
"What's the deal with the medulla oblongata?"
And finally, my Billy Crystal Fernando:
"You... look.. mahhvelous.."
Thank you.
Quote from: CinephileQuote from: StefenAnyone watch this dvd yet? I just picked it up on my lunch break but won't have time to watch it till the weekend. Give some impressions.
Okay here's my De Niro:
"You talkin' to me? Huh? Hey, you, talkin' to you! Okay? You talkin' to me? Well.. I'm the only guy here so I bet you're talkin' to me! So.. are you? ... ARE YOU?"
Okay, here's my Jerry Seinfeld:
"What's the deal with the medulla oblongata?"
And finally, my Billy Crystal Fernando:
"You... look.. mahhvelous.."
Thank you.
The Deniro one sucked (too much huskie voiceness on your part). I liked the Seinfeld, and Crystal one though. Are you taking requests? STALLONE!!!! PLEASE!!!!
In TV's afterlife, fan loyalty rules
The DVD release of the short-lived series 'Freaks and Geeks' gives testament to the power of the viewer who is truly hooked. Source: Los Angeles Times
When the acclaimed NBC series "Freaks and Geeks" premiered in the fall of 1999, the show's creator, Paul Feig, and executive producer, Judd Apatow, unleashed a keenly funny, unapologetically painful and antiheroic gem about the struggle to live through puberty and high school.
The adolescents at the heart of the show, lead by bored A-student-turned-"freak" Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini from "ER") and her younger "geek" brother Sam (John Francis Daley), weren't the Dorothy Parker wits of "Dawson's Creek" — what Feig calls "the revenge of guys in their 30s writing for teenagers" — but real kids, with perma-sneers, roiling emotions and awkward behavior.
When a network note asked to include more "victories" for the lovable losers, Apatow recalled, "We said, 'Isn't the victory that you survived a failure with your humor intact?' They're like, 'No.' "
Despite aggressive outpourings of love from a committed viewership, "Freaks and Geeks" — yanked, relaunched and jostled around during its short life — was canceled in March 2000 after airing just 15 episodes.
But a school reunion of sorts hit stores Tuesday when the six-disc "Freaks and Geeks" DVD set was released. If nothing else, it underscores how important fan loyalty is to a show's afterlife, and sets a new benchmark for series completeness, at least for a show that didn't even survive a full season.
A fan's bounty, it boasts all 18 episodes, deleted scenes, auditions, outtakes and a free-time-crushing 29 commentary tracks that include the musings of the actors, creators, cast members' parents, fans, executives and even a few performers in character.
Then there's the limited edition eight-disc set, sporting videotaped table reads, a Museum of Television & Radio seminar, and a photo-and-essay-packed 80-page "yearbook" for the show's fictional 1980 McKinley High class. It's arguably the most comprehensive case of closure for a short-lived series. Indeed, for a few years after cancellation such a package wasn't a given. But the vehemence of the show's loyal fans made all the difference.
DVD was mostly a movie medium four years ago when "Freaks and Geeks" was in its death throes. There were VHS copies available of major cult hits like "The X-Files" and "Star Trek," but especially for a quickly canceled show, the only hope was another network or a berth on rerun-hungry cable.
Of the remaining "F&G" episodes that were still being edited together after NBC gave the ax, Apatow would joke to Feig, "Well, we're doing it for the museum," referring to the Museum of Television and Radio, which would eventually hold packed marathon screenings of the unaired shows. But a new home was looking less likely.
"People don't like to pick other people's trash out of the garbage," Apatow said. The big stumbling block for any "Freaks and Geeks" afterlife was the song rights, and for a series that memorably scored its characters' ups and downs to the time-specific sounds of the Who, Billy Joel, Van Halen and Supertramp, music was essential.
MTV had offered to produce new episodes, but at a third less of a licensing fee; Apatow and Feig wouldn't consider it. Eventually the international version — with half the tunes replaced — ran on the Fox Family Channel, but when Feig and Apatow began to scout out a DVD release, they wanted the original music — nearly 100 songs — intact. Anything less would be anathema to fans.
So they went back to the show's website, which had stayed up and running since cancellation. To gauge DVD interest, Feig and Apatow in late 2002 posted a petition, word of which got to websites like www.tvshowsondvd.com (where fans of forgotten TV can play lobbyist), and before long 35,000 people had signed.
That caught the eye of Shout! Factory, a relatively new entertainment company started by former Rhino Records executives, where some employees explored how to clear the music. They devised a "favored nations" setup where all master rights holders and publishers were paid the same fee.
After nearly half a year of full-time clearance work, all the artists re-upped, including the Grateful Dead — whose music had been crucial to the show's de facto "finale" episode, "Discos and Dragons," but who nonetheless had to OK the use of "Box of Rain" again for DVD.
The music rights make the sets pricier than most TV-related DVDs (list price: $69.98 for the six-disc set, and $120 for the yearbook version available only at www.freaksandgeeks.com). Apatow and Feig clearly seem concerned that some people will think they're overcharging, even though they personally aren't making money on it.
"It's uncomfortable for us to market to [fans] because they're so loyal," Apatow said. "Paul always said, 'Let's have a relationship [with them] that's based on how we all feel about the show.' "
To that end, Feig and Apatow recruited from the disciples in their quest to make the DVD the only "F&G" keepsake one would ever need. A few volunteered to design menus, and in a intrepid feat of fan immersion, 34-year-old Los Angeles attorney Tami Lefko spent more than a month at Apatow Productions in Santa Monica with a notepad scanning every episode's dailies and outtakes for stuff she thought fans like her would want to see.
Among the hidden treasures Lefko picked out: actor Martin Starr (Bill) kissing Samm Levine (Neal) after a take, and a three-minute, uninterrupted angle on lanky Jason Segel (Nick) disco dancing in the last episode.
Feig and Apatow would love to see their DVD sell the way the DVDs for the short-lived Fox animated series "Family Guy" did last year, notching over a million copies. But Shout! Factory acknowledges that 100,000 sold would be a more realistic sign of success.
Recently, Fox said "Family Guy" was going back into production because of its DVD selling power. While that isn't in the cards for "Freaks and Geeks," Feig — who just directed the season-ending episode of Fox's own ratings-challenged, critically loved comedy "Arrested Development" — now thinks a timely DVD could lead to a reprieve for a struggling show.
"You do a season and the numbers aren't great, but there's a hard-core audience," he said. "I feel [a network] might be more apt to order a half-season of it because the DVD will come out in September and maybe give it more life."
Four years ago, Lefko was one of many dejected fans unable to save a series she was emotionally connected to, but now things are different. "If we had looked at it as setting the groundwork for an eventual DVD, I think we would have been a lot more pleased with ourselves," Lefko said. "Is it worthwhile to go to those lengths for a show? I think it is."
So I'm still debating getting this set. I've been watching my Strangers With Candy and Upright Citizens Brigade DVDs religiously (PICK THESE UP!).. what kind of humour is this show? Again, I've been enjoying SWC and UCB but will I enjoy this??
You might not know, but I like UCB and SWC. Something else I like (less) is Freaks and Geeks. I did not get these DVDs because I am cheap.
Choose wisely
Freaks and geeks humor is not anything like swc at all. It's more of a subdued humor, wes anderson style I guess. Its one of those things that will make you feel uncomfortable numerous times throughout an episode. Some things you aernt supposed to laugh at you find yourself laughing at. I had only seen a couple episodes before bought it and now I think its one of the best dvd's I own. If you aernt very familiar with the culture of lates 70's, early 80's american teens you might enjoy it less, but pick it up definetely.
Quote from: StefenSome things you aernt supposed to laugh at you find yourself laughing at.
I need examples now.
Quote from: 50 CentiphileQuote from: StefenSome things you aernt supposed to laugh at you find yourself laughing at.
I need examples now.
Well in one episode one of the main characters Linda feels bad for the retarded kid and asks him to the dance, then the retarded kid breaks his arm.
Or an episode where one of the geeks is getting his first kiss. It's so uncomfortable leading up to the kiss that you feel bad.
Quote from: StefenIts one of those things that will make you feel uncomfortable numerous times throughout an episode. Some things you aernt supposed to laugh at you find yourself laughing at.
and strangers with candy isn't that?
Quote from: meatwadQuote from: StefenIts one of those things that will make you feel uncomfortable numerous times throughout an episode. Some things you aernt supposed to laugh at you find yourself laughing at.
and strangers with candy isn't that?
Not really, cause swc is intended to be funny, freaks and geeks most of the time isn't. It just plays on that awkward teenage angst. Whereas strangers with candy is littered with unbelieveable but hilarious characters.
Think American Splendor
Quote from: StefenNot really, cause swc is intended to be funny, freaks and geeks most of the time isn't. It just plays on that awkward teenage angst.
If this is the case, then I won't be getting it..... somebody want to shoot down Stefen's point?
Quote from: 50 CentiphileQuote from: StefenNot really, cause swc is intended to be funny, freaks and geeks most of the time isn't. It just plays on that awkward teenage angst.
If this is the case, then I won't be getting it..... somebody want to shoot down Stefen's point?
You are a heartless bastard. I am right. and it is good. trust me on this wanksta.
American Splendor? I think more like a nice version of Welcome to the Dollhouse or parts of Rushmore or the film version of Marty. You know, you laugh out of identification--that you've lived through it.
kind of like The Wonder Years but in high school. and without the narration or the fond reminiscing. i saw an episode or two and it seemed good, so i'm going to check it out netflix style soon.
forget any comedy in it, it's more touching than humorous.
there's no speck of fakeness in it, it's realistic and what pete said. mostly the appeal is that u fall in love with the characters as real ppl, and if u don't then u hav emotional problems.
it works on more levels than UCB/SWC (blasphemy?), it's subtle.
Quote from: Pubrick
there's no speck of fakeness in it, it's realistic and what pete said. mostly the appeal is that u fall in love with the characters as real ppl, and if u don't then u hav emotional problems.
I'm considering buying the set, but it seems sort of sad to fall in love with these characters for 18 episodes, and then that's it. No more episodes to watch.
Quote from: RaviQuote from: Pubrick
there's no speck of fakeness in it, it's realistic and what pete said. mostly the appeal is that u fall in love with the characters as real ppl, and if u don't then u hav emotional problems.
I'm considering buying the set, but it seems sort of sad to fall in love with these characters for 18 episodes, and then that's it. No more episodes to watch.
P nailed my feelings on it. And yes, it sucks when you see the last episode and know you will never see any more of it. Maybe just watch until episode 16. That way you know you always have two more episodes to watch, even though you never will.
what the hell is this? it's a dvd boxset and you're suggesting ravi pull a dancer in the dark all up on this motherfucker? what's wrong with you.
buy it, watch it, lament why there aren't any more good shit out there, then go out and make some kickass movies.
Fuck you pete. That was funny as shit.
Quote from: Pubrickforget any comedy in it, it's more touching than humorous.
there's no speck of fakeness in it, it's realistic and what pete said. mostly the appeal is that u fall in love with the characters as real ppl, and if u don't then u hav emotional problems.
it works on more levels than UCB/SWC (blasphemy?), it's subtle.
It's not blasphemy because it's true. UCB/SWC is really just silliness that is often improv-based but a lot of times it happens to be satirical. FAG is something altogether. You were right when you said it's more touching than humorous, which is the best point to make because from a PURELY comedic point, which is probably what Cinephile first started out with, it isn't funnier. Wes Anderson films are a good comparison as well.
Quote from: petewhat the hell is this? it's a dvd boxset and you're suggesting ravi pull a dancer in the dark all up on this motherfucker?
Haha, thats great.
I think its more like Rushmore but with the sensibilities and understatement of Bottle Rocket.
Here's the first 8 minutes from the pilot episode. Not really that representative, as its basically just setting up the characters but its a nice taster.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/FreaksandGeeksTheCompleteSeries-1129931/trailers.php
IGN are doing a ten question's thing with the cast of Freaks and Geeks...
Martin Starr (Haverchuck)
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/511/511505p1.html
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John Daley (Sam)
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/509/509708p1.html
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Sam Levinne (Neil)
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/513/513971p1.html
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Puberty is funny.
You would know.
Quote from: CinephileYou would know.
When you hit puberty so will you.
i LOVE LOVE LOVE this show. like i mentioned a page or two back i had not seen any of it when it originally aired but caught about 30 minutes once and 10 minutes another time on the Family Channel reruns. i really had no idea. THIS IS THE GREATEST SHOW this side of twin peaks! (not that they're related at all but, i'm having a similar obsessive compulsion to just burn through all the episodes but having to use restraint to not watch more than 1 a day).
i'm only 5 episodes in, but the show is so good, so incredibly real and funny i cant believe it. during every episode atleast once i find myself stopping just to nudge my girlfriend and go 'god, that is so true.' or 'i did that.' or 'i knew somebody just like that'. but even more than thousands of little touches that make it ring so true to adolescent life, the way the show goes out of its way to steer away from conventional sitcom traps.
parents go out of town and kids throw a party. okay, i've seen this before. but WAIT! mom and dad dont call to say theyre coming home early and kids scramble to pick up the house and get it done just in the nick of time and they dont get caught, and exchange 'whew' glance after theyre off the hook, except for the one lamp that got broken as you hear mom yell offscreen and credits roll! NO! the fucking episode ENDS before you see any of that! BRILLIANT! why? because you've seen it before! and WHY? because ITS NOT IMPORTANT. and really WHY? cause thats not real life.
kids get caught cheating and are in teachers office with parents. if only troubled kid can answer ONE question right, they'll be off the hook. you SO WANT him to just know this ONE question and start inventing excuses in your head. he could've learned it when he got tutored, he might've known it all along, somehow he could just guess it! but NO! denied, THATS not real life! the way that episode ends before you get the 'outcome' of that meeting is BRILLIANT! it ends in the fucking office with lindsey in hysterical laughter. brilliant.
i love this show. theres more, but thats enough for now. i hope its ALL as good as this. cause its SO GOOD.
It gets better. Watching it for the first time is like getting goatsed for the first time, but in a good way.
Quote from: StefenIt gets better.
you werent kidding. well, i finished Freaks and Geeks tonight and now i'm incredibly depressed. something happened during the course of this show i wasnt ready for. it was always great, the way it was written, how true to life it was without any BS, but somewhere along the way you really REALLY begin to care for the characters. the storylines start getting more serious and the stakes/friendships are higher and then they've really got you.
during the course of the show i kept thinking 'if twin peaks 00-14 is an A+, this is probably an A.' but no, this is an A+ and possibly/probably my favorite show of all time. its not that its neccesarily a better show than twin peaks, its just that i can relate to this more and selfishly in music/movies/etc. is what i usually prefer most of the time: something that hits me on an emotional level. when i was a few episodes from the end, knowing i wouldnt get to spend much more time with these characters i'd grown to love was devastating. i mean, just crushing. especially in the last few episodes, and now...... nothing.
even more depressing, its not like any of these actors, who are all so fantastic in these roles i cant believe it, with the exception of james franco have really gone on to do a whole lot. most of them probably can hardly get work, and thats terrible.
the only thing i have to look forward to now is the rumored SPRING 2005 release of the Undeclared DVD which is supposedly getting loaded with tons of extras right now being prepped for release. now that i've seen F&G the episodes, which are a dim memory at this point anyways will take on a whole new meaning with all the F&G cameo's etc.
also:not sure how old or how wild a rumor this is but....
Quote from: some dude on imdbWell Paul Feig (spelling?), the guy who worked with Judd Apatow on Freaks and Geeks...is set to start a brand new show about young twenty something's...I'm guessing they're gonna be nerds...but the type of nerds that most cool people are (I know that makes sense to someone out there) well anyway...it's gonna be on a cable station like HBO so it might have a better chance of survival then Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared...
I'm not sure if Judd Apatow is involved with the project but I'm pretty sure that many of the mainstay actors (Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, etc.) will be on the show...so I'm guessing it'll be awesome... .
this would be the greatest thing on the planet. has anybody heard anything about this?
'Virgin' Marks First Time for TV Veteran Apatow
Judd Apatow, who created the college comedy "Undeclared" and executive produced "Freaks and Geeks," will make his feature directorial debut on "The 40 Year-Old Virgin."
Apatow co-wrote the script for the Universal Pictures project with actor Steve Carell ("Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy"), who will star in the comedy.
Apatow and Carell came up with the idea for a middle-age coming-of-age tale while working on DreamWorks' "Anchorman," on which Apatow was a producer.
"I was constantly amazed how funny Steve was on the set of 'Anchorman' and wanted to create an opportunity where he was the lead," Apatow said.
Apatow pitched the idea to Universal, and the duo spent the summer writing. Apatow already has several other projects at Universal. He is executive producing the Will Ferrell starrer "Kicking and Screaming" and also has an untitled college-themed comedy set up at the studio.
The film will go into production early next year in Los Angeles.
Apatow directed episodes of both "Undeclared" and "Freaks and Geeks." He wrote "Fun With Dick and Jane" with Nicholas Stoller, which is in production at Sony with Jim Carrey starring. Carell was a correspondent on "The Daily Show" and appeared opposite Carrey in "Bruce Almighty." He is attached to star as agent Maxwell Smart in "Get Smart" at Warner Bros.
There is a loose connection between Mike White, Miguel Arteta (who directs many F&G episodes) and Apatow... I think White would be the one I'd single out as the most identifiable creative force, so if you enjoy Freaks and Geeks, I'd absolutely suggest the White/Arteta feature collaborations: Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl. Arteta's Star Maps is very worthy, too. He's directed episodes of Six Feet Under, as have many fine directors.
I have yet to see School of Rock, but it's on my list for the White connection alone...
Oh, I should mention I think Freaks and Geeks was brilliant. I cherish my DVD set and have been through it twice over the summer, exposing my other half and a friend to its brilliance.
...I wish they would release Undeclared on DVD...
yeah i saw The Good Girl in the theatre and liked it and i just watched Chuck and Buck recently on IFC and it kind of weirded me out. undeclared is coming in the spring!
Quote from: themodernage02i just watched Chuck and Buck recently on IFC and it kind of weirded me out.
But in a good way, right? I loved the ambiguity of that movie, and also how generous it was with every one of the characters while still remaining irreverently funny. White is obviously much more of an optimist and a humanist than, say, Todd Solondz. I guess the subject matter and the discussions of childhood sexual experimentation might make some uncomfortable... but as much as movies can make us feel good by falsely presenting characters in tidy categories, I appreciate it more when they're inscrutable the way Mike White's character is, or the friendship that's seen in such completely disparate ways by the two protagonists. You could say White's character is slightly autistic or mentally/emotionally stunted, and you could also say he's gay... but the film doesn't bother to make a big deal of those things, because they're much less important than the fact that he's a human being learning how to cope with some difficult emotions (a rather singular human being, but that's all the better, really, isn't it?). The fact that they made such a genuinely kind, good-hearted movie, happy ending and all, without being sappy for a single second really amazes me every time I see it. Very, very few of the films I love could be described as those things. I find the same qualities in
Freaks and Geeks... they eventually undermine that easy audience impulse to hate the "bad" characters, to show how complicated and contradictory people can be, and to both acknowledge the pain it can cause and celebrate the good (or funny) surprises that can spring from that kind of human fallibility and unpredictability.
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according to amazon and dvdaficionado this will be out on Aug 16th.
SWEET. :yabbse-grin:
Judd Apatow: The Undeclared creator discusses his new DVD, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, and his future in films and television.
by Todd Gilchrist
August 12, 2005 - Judd Apatow might just be Hollywood's most successful failure. Like few other TV writers and producers working today, he has seen more projects canceled than continued (think The Ben Stiller Show, The Critic, Freaks and Geeks among others), and yet maintains a position as one of the industry's most acclaimed, respected and sought-after artists. Thankfully, DVD has offered him a second chance to find appreciative audience for his programs: Freaks and Geeks was released last year with a flurry of attention, vindicating the show as a great chronicle of teen angst; and now he's hoping that the same mania will claim viewers again with the release of Undeclared.
IGN recently caught with Apatow via phone to discuss the release of Undeclared on DVD. In addition to his comments about the celebrated, ratings-deficient show, he reveals a few secrets about the forthcoming 40 Year-Old Virgin DVD, and explains how the making of Anchorman gave birth to not one but two full-length feature films.
IGN DVD: How's everything today, Judd?
Judd Apatow: Good, good. We've got the [40 Year-Old Virgin] movie coming out next week. It's one of those ones that oddly fell into place and came out well, and isn't a nightmare.
How much are you having to juggle that and the promotion for the Undeclared DVD set?
Apatow: Well, I timed Undeclared to come out the week before the movie came out so every time anyone asks me about Virgin, I can push the Undeclared DVD. I'm doing press junkets this weekend, and we're trying to get some people to pay attention.
IGN DVD: When you first started Undeclared, did you approach the show any differently given the fact that Freaks and Geeks, your other, similarly-themed series, was ultimately cancelled?
Apatow: Well, we thought if we did a show that was half and hour instead of an hour and was more of a comedy than a drama... actually, we used to say that Freaks and Geeks was a drama that had comedy in it, and we said that this was a comedy that had some drama in it! Flip the 60-40 percentages, with more comedy than drama, and we could do something fun because high school is inherently painful for a lot of people, but college is the reward for having survived. So we thought this was a way to do something that would be different because the setting is different but our approach to the work would be the same, to be honest and truthful and revealing.
IGN DVD: When you went back to revisit the material, was there anything you insisted be included to make sure that audiences understood the show better, or could appreciate it more?
Apatow: Well, there was this episode that never aired called "God Visits, which was about Steven getting approached by one of the Christian groups and getting really into it, and at the same time, Charlie Hunnam's character Lloyd gets flipped out by a philosophy professor who's teaching existentialism. It was a fun episode that never aired - of course they promised us it would air - because I thought, 'how could you not air an episode? You paid for it! How would it be better not to air it?' But apparently there was some financial motivation for not airing an episode they paid for. So it's great that's on the DVD, and there's also an episode that we shot two versions of.
What happened was we shot six episodes because at the time, Fox was in dire straits and didn't have any hit shows. So they ordered six episodes before even seeing a pilot, and by the time we finished the six, they had a bunch of hit shows. They didn't need us, so they didn't air the first episode until almost ten or eleven months after we shot it. But in that time, everyone was sitting around thinking a little too much about how the episodes were, and they asked for some adjustments in some of the episodes, and one of the episodes was about taking the girl he likes, Lizzie, to a Ted Nugent lecture. I guess maybe they found that a little too obscure a concept, so we shot another version of the date where they go see American Pie outside. We liked both of them equally, but it was one of those things where we said 'well, if the network will like us more and not cancel us as quickly if we listen to some of their thoughts, then let's do it.' Of course, that didn't work at all and they canceled us one episode quicker than Freaks and Geeks, after promising that they would never do that to us, and that NBC was a bunch of fools, and then they do the exact same thing.
So that I'm excited about, and then there's a Loudon Wainwright concert on the DVD that we videotaped in Los Angeles that I think is amazing and is worth the price of the DVD right there. It has a lot of funny, bitter, sweet songs that have inspired my work for a long time.
IGN DVD: So what ultimately do you think led to the demise of the show?
Apatow: Well, when I'm working I just try to do what I think is truthful and funny and I don't pay too much attention to the trends. We did experiment with different types of episodes - some were broader than others, some had more dramatic moments than others - but I think it's really hard to launch a show three weeks after 9/11. It made us feel foolish talking about our little show after that happened. We were supposed to air I think the 26th of September, and then 9/11 happened, and it definitely knocks out all of your press, because no one's talking about new TV shows, but you do end up airing mid-October, and I don't know if people are in the mood to laugh at some silly new show.
I think a lot of people went back to their old favorites; when you're terrified, you go back to your old friends - you're not in an experimental mode - and it also messed up all of the networks' schedules. It changed when the World Series was, it had a lot of effects on the schedule that year, and at the same time it was real hard to try to be funny after that. It was difficult writing and producing the show in the shadow of that. But then as I say in the liner notes on the DVD, I saw Garry Trudeau on Nightline, and he was talking about how hard it was to write Doonesbury after 9/11, and about how he wasn't sure if there was any purpose to what he does for a living.
He slowly realized that he does make an important contribution to society even if it's only making people happy for a very brief moment during the day and making them think a little bit, and that was inspiring to me and helped us get our groove back. But it affected our ability to launch the show, and they give you very little time to get traction, so it's hard to say why we didn't. I've always felt most good shows take a little while to find their audience, especially comedies.
IGN DVD: What did you learn from the experiences of making Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared that you took to future projects?
Apatow: It taught me to make movies (laughs). It made me to make Anchorman and The 40 Year-Old Virgin - that's what it led me to - or make shows for basic cable or HBO or Showtime. That's how I would do it next time, because I don't want to change what I do or how I see things. It's also a sad fact that these shows are getting shorter and shorter because they're adding more commercials and promos, and a 'half hour' show is about 21 minutes of story, and over the years for five or six minutes of story to disappear, it changes the whole idea of a half-hour comedy. It's hard to take your time with that limitation. It was much easier on Freaks and Geeks to just sit there and have three kids talking on a street corner for like three or four minutes. You can't do that in a half-hour show; it rushes you a little bit.
What's your favorite of the Undeclared episodes, or the one that you're proudest of?
Apatow: I'm proud of the fact that the pilot is so strong. It has a lot of personal ideas in it; I had a long distance relationship during college, and it's got some funny, honest jokes about that, and I think it's a pretty good pilot where there's a kid coming to school and his parents decide to get divorced the second he leaves, as if they've been waiting for that moment his whole childhood, and then a girl who has a long-distance boyfriend has sex with him in spite of her boyfriend back home (laughs). It's an idea I'm proud of, and I think it launched a funny relationship of trying to get that girl to ever do it with you again.
I like the episode with Will Ferrell where he plays a speed freak who will write your term paper for fifty bucks. Will did that when he was finishing up his last season on Saturday Night Live, and it was fun to do an episode with him and have fun with him as an actor, because at that point it was before Old School or Elf or any of those things. We were just very lucky to have fun and play with him before he got big.
I also think that the Truth or Dare episode that Seth Rogen wrote. It's just a great, funny episode where they try to plan everything they're going to say in advance in a Truth or Dare game with the girls they like. It just works really well, and any time something really comes together and all of the pieces fit it's pretty exciting.
IGN DVD: How much has DVD become sort of a second chance for your shows to find an audience after their network runs have ended?
Apatow: I've always loved the DVD format and I look forward to getting anything I do out on DVD. Right now we're working on the 40 Year-Old Virgin DVD, and I'll work for months with an editor just for the DVD of The 40 Year-Old Virgin just cutting great versions of deleted scenes and gag reels and footage. There's nothing worse than when you create something and it just disappears never to be seen again, so I worked really hard to get Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared out there.
Luckily, Shout! Factory is the type of place that is willing to take a chance and put us out because we're not cheap to put out; they have to clear a lot of music and they do their best to get everything. It was a real risk for them to put out Freaks and Geeks; they paid for a million dollars' worth of music for a show that got canceled after thirteen or fourteen episodes aired. There was certainly no great evidence that they would climb out of that hole so the fact that it did well and allowed us to do Undeclared was really gratifying.
IGN DVD: Do you have any plans for an Undeclared soundtrack like the one released for Freaks and Geeks?
Apatow: We never talked about doing an Undeclared soundtrack. I don't know; we'd have to see how well the DVD does. But there was great music on the show, and the score was done by Joey Santiago, the lead guitarist for the Pixies, and it's an amazing score. It's just way too good for the show. It's like a lost Pixies album. We put it on all of the menus so any time you hit a menu it plays a different Joey Santiago cue.
IGN DVD: So your next project is finishing up the DVD for 40 Year-Old Virgin?
Apatow: We're finishing that up and the movie comes out on the 19th, and it came out really well. I'm just excited for people to see it; sometimes I refer to it as the best episode ever of Undeclared, because when I shot it I tried to shoot it with the same approach that we took when we made Undeclared: the visuals are somewhat simple, but we allowed the actors to take their time and improvise and really own their characters.
[Also,] when we were casting Undeclared, I just looked for funny kids and then I wrote the show after I found them, and that's how we did 40 Year-Old Virgin; we looked for funny friends for the virgin to help him in his cause, and one of them was Seth Rogen, who was also a co-producer on the movie, and he's just so funny that it's great to force him to come to the set every day and pitch jokes to everybody.
I'm producing a movie - I'm going to North Carolina next week - and it's called High, Wide and Handsome and it's the follow-up to Anchorman. it was written by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and directed by Adam McKay and it's about a NASCAR legend.
IGN DVD: Is that the same thing as Talladega Nights?
Apatow: The name has changed. We're about to shoot that in September.
Is it the same kind of immersive, comic world that made up Anchorman, or is it more realistic in its depiction of NASCAR?
Apatow: I'm sure we will think it's going to be more real-world based and then it will come out in like an Anchorman world.
Speaking of Anchorman, how did the idea for a separate DVD-release movie come about?
Apatow: That was the original plot and we tested it and it didn't test well; but we thought it was hilarious but maybe a little too sophisticated compared to other aspects of the movie; I mean, it was making fun of the SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army), and not many people are thinking about the SLA these days (laughs).
So we shot some different scenes where she falls in the bear cage at the zoo. And then we just had so many scenes we couldn't put in the movie, Adam said, 'what if we just cut all of these scenes together and make another movie and use crazy Bill Curtis voiceover to force it to make some kind of sense. It's al alternate universe version of the movie. Although, none of the jokes are the same; even though the chronology is the same, nothing is identical - we made a point of doing that.
Actually, we had some scenes that are among our favorites and some that we like better than in the real movie, that are just so odd and self-indulgent that you couldn't put them in the real movie. But you could put a five-minute scene of how much Dave Koechner loves Will Farrell and wants to marry him and what he wants to do with him sexually, and you could put that in an alternate movie.
Quote from: modageApatow: That was the original plot and we tested it and it didn't test well...
...But you could put a five-minute scene of how much Dave Koechner loves Will Farrell and wants to marry him and what he wants to do with him sexually, and you could put that in an alternate movie.[/size]
That scene had me crying. Too funny.
Back to F&G, I caught maybe two episodes when it was first on the air. Then a friend had me watch a couple more about a year or so ago. I really liked them all. For whatever reason I've just now Netflixed all of the discs. I've finished the first three discs, and so far my favorite episode has been Carded and Discarded. I do and don't look forward to finishing the series up. Man the show is great so far.
Said friend also had me watch some episodes of Undeclared, one of her friends had taped all of them, which I also liked, guess I have something else to look forward to now.
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Started watching this yesterday, and I'm enjoying it a lot. It's a very relatable show that's not goofy fluff (Saved by the Bell) or overly melodramatic (Degrassi, at least the current one, I haven't seen the earlier ones). Just a low-key show that wonderfully captures what its like to be an insecure teen trying to struggle with lots of things.
I really like how they use the younger Sam and older Lindsay to show two different stages of teenager-hood. Sam is on the edge between childhood and adulthood, and Lindsay is older but she too is going through her own period of discovery.
Feig cares for 'Minors' at Warners
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Paul Feig, the creator of "Freaks and Geeks," has been hired to polish and direct "Unaccompanied Minors" for Warner Bros. Pictures. "Minors" is based on a Jan. 6, 2001, segment of "This American Life." In a nine-minute radio essay, Susan Burton recounted her childhood experience of being snowed in at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport the day after Christmas, stranded with other kids from divorced families who spent the holidays flying from one parent to the other. The kids end up bonding and create a makeshift holiday for one another. The project is being described as "The Breakfast Club" at an airport. The project is slated to shoot in February.
I'd just like to share that I'm a bit closer to this show having met Russ T. Alsobrook (the DP) earlier today. :yabbse-smiley:
So, I watched this whole series again the last few days and I just gotta remind everyone how fantastic it is.
Even though there aren't many episodes, it really feels like a long time line. We learn so much about the characters during the small time we had with them.
I really want Apatow to do something like this again. Heart first. His movies have heart, but they're always comedy first, heart second. Freak And Geeks is the opposite and that's what makes it great.
Arrested Development bugged when it ended, but I had let it go. This? I still haven't let it go. It's like how my mom feels about Dukakis.
I've heard nothing but great things about this and undeclared and we got the DVD box sets in at my video store months ago and I finally watched both series and you know what? I don't get it. It's (Freaks and Geeks) not that funny or clever or original for that matter. Its an OK show. I'll just put it this way: It's about as good as Okkervil River.
Freaks and Geeks isn't a comedy. It's a coming of age series. It's got comedic elements but it's a drama through and through as far as I'm concerned. If you're looking for 40 YOV or Knocked Up, you're going to be disappointed.
It's just very genuine. It doesn't feel phony. It's a breath of fresh air and I think that's why it ultimately failed.
what the fuck is going on here?
the show was a COMEDY. it was consistently funny.
stfu loser. you're a comedy.
It's definitely got comedic elements, but it's a coming of age drama to me. It's not like 40 Year Old Virgin or Knocked Up which are straight comedies with drama mixed in to make the audience give a shit about these comedy losers. It's drama first and comedy second. It's not laugh out loud funny.
I'm only on episode six and I love it. So many good quotes. Seth Rogen has the best lines ever.
Freaks and Geeks- We can relate. marquee that.
just finished this with my gf last week and were still in that post-geeks depression... god this was good...
and for whoever missed out on the limited edition "yearbook," i guess it's getting re-released (http://www.amazon.com/Freaks-Geeks-Yearbook-Francis-Daley/dp/B001B73PTO?%20ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1214176697&sr=1-2)!!! sweet!
Quote from: Redlum on May 27, 2004, 05:07:17 PM
IGN are doing a ten question's thing with the cast of Freaks and Geeks...
Sam Levinne (Neil)
http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/513/513971p1.html
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woah - check question 10 - i wonder if QT saw it and then cast him?
Anywho, I had seen no eps, but bought this after seeing Mac list it. I had read/heard about it a lot over the years and just decided to buy the whole thing during the DDD sale.
I'm up to ep 8 or so I think.
Favorite scene so far:
Cindy Sanders cuts the cheese (or does she)?*
and
Nick's drumming woes (the tryout, 29 pieces, etc).
*on the commentary they joke about showing longer takes of him testing the chair - is this anywhere on the DVD's as a bonus or easter egg?
This is 2 years old but I just read it today.
SF Sketchfest: Freaks and Geeks Speak!
Source: Dead Frog Blog (http://www.dead-frog.com/blog/entry/sf_sketchfest_freaks_and_geeks_speak/)
Ian Lendler, our man in San Fran, gives his second report from the Sketchfest. Freaks and Geeks may not seem like a natural for Dead-Frog, but this is exactly the show I would have picked as well.
It's good to catch up with old friends. That, in effect, is what several hundred of us did at Cobb's Comedy Club in San Francisco over the weekend, when we attended a reunion of the cast for one of the greatest television shows ever made: Freaks And Geeks.
Again, with such an unbelievable line-up on offer during the San Fran Sketchfest, it's incumbent our Your Dead-Frog Correspondent (YDFC) to justify why he chose this event over, say, the wildly popular Match Game with Jimmy Pardo, Patton Oswalt, or the newest latest thing, Whitest Kids You Know. So why, out of all of these did YDFC choose Freaks And Geeks?
Well, you could argue that the Judd Apatow school of comedy (which is actually the James Brooks school of comedy...discuss...) now rules Hollywood. 40-yr-old Virgin and Knocked Up were easily the best comedies of the last few years. And Freaks And Geeks, as creator Paul Feig remarked during the show, was the prototype of shows that have become gospel in the last few years. With it running story lines, mixture of comedy and drama, and large cast of characters that evolve from episode to episode, Freaks and Geeks could easily fit in alongside Lost, Sopranos, Mad Men, and The Wire.
You could argue all these things. But why bother? The reason YDFC went to this shows was that Freaks and Geeks kicked ass. And YDFC, like the hordes of fans that have driven the Freaks and geeks cult, wanted to glean any information that could shed light on how the show managed to kick so much ass.
But as moderator Patton Oswalt noted, we talk endlessly about the greatness of this show, but that's not why we were at Cobb's and that's not why anyone is reading this now. So let's get to the good stuff:
The participants in the show included creator Paul Feig, Linda Cardellini (Lindsay), an unrecognizably tall John Francis Daley (Sam), Samm Levine (Neal), a very possibly stoned Martin Starr (Haverchuck), Busy Phillips (Kim), David Allen (Mr. Rosso, who's character, due to legal reasons, was almost named Mr. Del Monte), and Steve Bannos (Mr. Kowchevski)
So what did we learn?
* Paul Feig is the unluckiest man on earth. Anyone who has read his memoir, "Superstud", will know that the majority of the most embarrassing moments from the show (Sam's Parisian night-suit, Lindsay's car accident) were taken directly from Feig's life. But it was revealing to learn that every moment on the set when Feig was in charge managed to devolve into slapstick disaster. When Feig organized an on-set softball game, actor John Daley took a fly-ball directly to the face, delaying shooting. And Feig was directing the scene (in "We've Got Spirit") that sparked an actual brawl between James Franco and Busy Phillips. Though they're now good friends, Franco and Phillips notoriously hated each other during the shooting, a fact which the writers gleefully exploited to get more tension out of their scenes together.
* Even better, we learned the direction that characters might have taken if their had been a second season. Paul Feig knew exactly what the first scene of the second season would have been: Lindsay at a Grateful Dead show on a stretcher having a bad acid trip.
* The Geeks were going to go their separate ways: Haverchuck, under the guidance of Coach Fredericks (the thinking man's Mr. Woodcock) was going to turn into a jock. Sam was going to start to hang out with the popular kids. And Neal, well, Neal was going to stay a virgin for a loooong time.
* But perhaps the best potential story-line was that Kim Kelly, under the increasing influence of Millie, Lindsay, and her experiences following the Dead, was going to a) try out for the school musical b) get cast and c) become the school's theater geek, much to the bemusement of all.
There was general gossip of the "wasn't it fun being on set together?" sort which is always fun to listen to but doesn't really read very well in print, so YDFC will spare you.
The floor was then thrown open to some surprisingly nut-job-free Q&A. The only fairly dull question being: "What are you guys doing now?" (Answer: That's what imdb is for. Stop wasting everyone's time. Although it must be noted that Feig's answer, "I've got a series of young-adult sci-fi novels coming out," took everyone by surprise.)
However, the answers (ER, Bones, the writers' strike, etc.) weren't as instructive as the fact that every one of those actors have gone on to totally decent careers. It's rare feat for a cast that included three 14-yr-olds and a bunch of 19-yr-olds to go on to bigger things (just ask Gary Coleman and Danny Bonaduce). And it provides some clue as to the show's enduring qualities.
Paul Feig, Judd Apatow, and Mike White set out to create a show in which teenagers were portrayed as they actually are— awkward, gawky, frustrated, and misunderstood. There were no snappy one-liners. No witty repartee. So was it any surprise that when they asked a cast of teenagers to just be themselves, that's exactly what they got?
------------------------------------------
A little more (http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2007/08/freaks-and-geeks-rewind-discos-and.html):
For what it's worth, I asked Apatow what remaining plans he had for a second season that didn't get used up by episodes like this and the Sam dates Cindy arc, and this is what he wrote:
I wanted to write about Lindsay having a real drug problem. Bill's mom would marry the gym teacher and Bill would be forced by his step dad to play on the school basketball team. And I would have explored Neal's parents' divorce trial and his life as he lived with his mom and saw dad on Sundays.
If Paul Feig or any of the other writers are out there and want to share any other stories they hoped to do in year two, fire away. Clearly, though, there was lots of material still to be written about these characters. (Lindsay having a drug problem -- no doubt part of her time with the Dead -- would have set up an unexpected role reversal with the suddenly-clean Nick.) But do you think the show could have still been the show we all worshipped if it came back? And what would you have wanted to see in a second season? (As I mentioned last week, my big hope was for some scenario, any scenario, that put Bill and Kim Kelly in a room together for a few minutes, just to see what happened.)
did you look that up after seeing this imaginary summary of season 2 (http://splitsider.com/2011/01/imagining-freaks-and-geeks-season-two/) based on the stuff revealed at sketchfest?
Yes, I did!