Freaks & Geeks: The Complete Series (DVD)
Created by: Paul Feig
Starring: Linda Cardellini, James Franco, John Francis Daley, Joe Flaherty, Busy Philipps

It took quite a struggle for Freaks and Geeks to get released on DVD. After many online petitions created by fans and after settling copyright negotiations for the songs used, the series has finally made its way onto shelves. I find it sad that every reality show can get released on DVD the moment the series finishes, yet it was so hard to get this amazing show released on DVD.

What’s sadder is that the reality show trend may be the reason that this show got cancelled without a fair chance. You see, Freaks and Geeks came out in 2000, the same year that Who Wants to be a Millionaire was the most popular show on ABC. NBC (the network airing Freaks and Geeks) decided to compete with ABC by replacing Freaks and Geeks with a Millionaire rip-off, Twenty-One.

During the short time Freaks and Geeks aired, NBC constantly changed its timeslot. It started out on Saturday nights (who would be home to watch Freaks and Geeks on a Saturday night, other than geeks like me?), then it was switched to Monday nights, then to Tuesday and finally back to Monday.

Freaks and Geeks was constantly cancelled during basketball and baseball games and even experienced a 3 week hiatus in February. Coupled with the fact that NBC never promoted the show, it’s no wonder Freaks and Geeks had a hard time gaining popularity.

I believe another reason for Freaks and Geeks being cancelled was because it showed the harsh reality of what high school is like for the majority of people, whether they went to high school in the 1980’s (when the show took place), or not. Is it too painful for people to watch what really takes place in high school and is it just easier to tune into The O.C. to escape the reality of high school and teenage life?

Whatever the reason for its cancellation, I’m overjoyed that Freaks and Geeks is on DVD so those who never had the opportunity to get into it before can find out what an amazing show it is.

Each episode is an hour long and the complete series has 18 episodes (including 3 episodes which never aired on NBC). This is obviously a lot of Freaks and Geeks watching, which might seem overwhelming at first but the show is so addictive that you’ll be disappointed when you’ve finally watched every episode. You’ll be wondering if Nick and Lindsay would have ever gotten back together. You’ll wonder if Sam would ever outgrow his geekiness. You’ll wonder if Lindsey would have turned into a Deadhead. You’ll definitely wonder WHY DID THIS SHOW EVER GET CANCELLED?! But it’s okay because even after watching all 18 episodes, you still have 29 audio commentaries with every single actor, writer, director, network execs, parents of cast members, teachers (in characters), musical composers and even fellow Freaks and Geeks fans! There’s over 60 deleted scenes, outtakes with commentaries, cast auditions, bloopers and more if you can imagine! Talk about a lot of bang for your buck!

I used to think that maybe I felt such a strong connection to Freaks and Geeks because I was in high school at the time that it came out. While I insecurely tried to find my place somewhere in between the freaks and geeks and drifted away from old friends, I could really relate to the character of Lindsay Weir. However, after introducing this show to a number of friends, I think everyone can relate to at least one character in the show. Each character is so beautifully written, with so many dimensions. Just when you think you’ve figured out a character, you learn something new about them that completely changes your perspective. Bill’s mother was a stripper? Millie becomes a freak? Ken’s girlfriend is a hermaphrodite? (Again, what television show would ever deal with the issue of hermaphrodites and pull it off so well?).

Not only are the characters well written but I’ve never seen a show so well cast. Each geek is so believably geeky (and not Saved by the Bell or Revenge of the Nerds geeky – REAL geeky!). I always wondered how they cast Martin Starr as Bill Haverchuck and Stephen Lea Sheppard as Harris. From watching the auditions and hearing the stories on the audio commentaries, I could finally find out.

Freaks and Geeks has the perfect combination of humor, while it also tugs at your heartstrings. It’s funny without being cheesy and sentimental without being sappy (don’t deny you shed a tear when Bill ate the peanut or when Neal found the garage door!).

What I find great about Freaks and Geeks being on DVD is that a show which never had a fair chance to last on television, finally has the opportunity to gain more than just its small cult following. I think some new viewers will be amazed to discover that they missed out on television’s best kept secret while they were watching some trendy “make a quick million” game show in 2000. — Katie