Freaks and Geeks - The Complete Series

Created by writer-comedian Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow (The Larry Sanders Show), Freaks and Geeks followed the Weir siblings--former math whiz Lindsay (Linda Cardellini of the Scooby-Doo feature films and ER) and her younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley)--as they navigated the perils and pleasures of a Michigan high school circa 1980. What separated Freaks and Geeks from most other scholastic series was its brutal honesty--Lindsay and Sam, as well as their friends and parents, were given very human personas that showed failure, malice, indecision, and moments of great clarity. Likewise, the plotlines rarely offered pat solutions to the characters' conflicts--the show unfolded in a naturalistic manner, which was a welcome respite for viewers tired of flashy high school dramas. When combined with its smart dialogue and winning performances (the cast included SCTV veteran Joe Flaherty and Spider-Man star James Franco, as well as the sublime and criminally underrecognized Martin Starr and Seth Rogen as Sam's pal Bill and dry-witted Ken, respectively), the show became a haven for fans of quality television, if only for a brief period of time.

The six-disc boxed set provides over 40 hours of supplemental material, which should satiate even the most obsessive of fans. Twenty-nine separate commentaries from the show's creators, cast (and as some of their parents!), composer Mike Andrews, and fans are included, as are 60 deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and cast auditions. However, the most striking extra is the warmth that radiates from the commentary participants--their pleasure in taking part in such a quality program is palpable, and will undoubtedly be echoed by all who watch these discs. --Paul Gaita

29 different commentary tracks (keep in mind there were only 18 episodes) borders on the obsessive, but if you're a geek, this is bliss. They got all the key cast members, including Linda Cardellini and James Franco, as well as writers, directors, television executives and even the parents of John Daley, Sarah Hagan and Martin Starr and some fans. There are some great bloopers and behind the scenes clips where people are completely out of character. And they also included the original audition tapes for the major characters, which are pretty interesting. If you go on the Freaks and Geeks website you can watch a couple clips including Samm Levine's famous impersonation of William Shatner that landed him a part on the show.

In addition to this DVD, they also have a collector's edition that comes with a yearbook and 2 more discs of extras. But that's a limited edition they stop selling in March 2004 and you can only get it through their website. Haven't seen that, but if it's anything like this set, it will rock.

They obviously put in a lot of work on the DVDs. I've seen other TV collections and they look like they've been thrown together. Here, every menu on every disc has a different image from a scene. And every time you change menus (on EVERY disc) a different dialogue clip plays, followed by some of Mike Andrews' original compositions for the show. Some of them go on for a couple minutes and most of these are songs I've never heard before. I'm a hardcore fan and I was prepared to rip them if they screwed with the legacy of the show....but this DVD blew me away. Freaks and Geeks will become the standard by which all other TV show DVDs will be judged.


It's about time!   February 3, 2004
Dario M. Zagar (New York, NY United States)
74 out of 82 found this review helpful

Yes! F&G is finally coming out on DVD!

For those of you who weren't lucky enough to watch F&G during its all-too-brief run, you'll soon have your chance to experience a true television gem on DVD. Freaks & Geeks ran sporadically on NBC during the 1999-2000 series, and then in reruns on the Fox (now ABC?) Family Channel. In short, it's the story of two siblings: Lindsay & Sam Weir, and their trials and tribulations as high school students in Michigan circa 1980. Lindsay is a junior and a former overachieving whiz-kid who undergoes a crisis of self after the death of her grandmother, and tries to find herself as a new member of a clique of underachieving stoners. Her brother Sam is a sensitive, nerdy guy trying to make his way through freshman year with a tight band of dorks and misfits.

As I write this, I realize that a brief summary doesn't begin to do justice to this multi-layered show. It's hysterically funny, poignant, often painful, and never tries to have the neatly tied-up generic sitcom ending. The secondary characters are as well realized as Sam & Lindsay, and really make the show special (including SCTV's Joe Flaherty as the ambivalent Mr. Weir, Samm Levine as Neil, and Martin Starr as Bill Haverchuck). There are so many moments on the show that I personally identified with, and I can't imagine anyone who was subjected to the tortures of high school life that wouldn't be able to at times. (Though it helps if you lived through the early 80's or can connect with references to the Jerk, Dallas, Dungeons & Dragons, and/or Neil Peart of Rush...). I could keep on going about the show, but I'll let you find out the rest for yourself. Now, to the DVD...

The standard edition of the DVD is described in some detail here, and includes the 6 episodes that never aired on NBC, as well as many extras. However, especially if you are a fan of F&G, you owe it to yourself to check out the limited Deluxe Edition that's available directly from the creators of the show at www.freaksandgeeks.com. Here's the description from the site:

"In this Deluxe Edition, we put it all into an expanded 80-page foil-stamped and embossed yearbook presented in true Freaks and Geeks style loaded with photos and memorabilia from the show. The yearbook is filled with personalized notes, tons of photos, even photos of many of you, script pages, a quiz, a letter from Paul [Feig, creator of the show], a Q&A with me [Judd Apatow, exec. producer], details about every show, a letter from Mr. Rosso, poetry, rock and roll lyrics, reprints of articles about the show, and lots more.

three live "table reads" of some of our best episodes
a one-hour Q&A with Judd, Paul & the entire cast at the Museum of TV & Radio in LA shot a few days before we got cancelled
tons more auditions, deleted scenes, promos and outtakes
some of our favorite scenes in the raw footage from a single-camera perspective
guidance counselor Jeff Rosso & Feedback live in concert
the full original electronic press kit, filled with interviews with the cast and crew
a script that was never shot
a special music and photo gallery
surprise Easter eggs
even more behind the scenes footage edited by Jason Segal and Martin Starr
and other things that are weird and hard to describe"

It runs for the steep price of $120, but the way I figure it is, this is the only season of F&G you're going to get, so you may as well do it right! However, you won't go wrong with either version, so do yourself a favor and check it out.


No stretch to claim that F&G is the best T.V. series EVER!!!   December 11, 2002
Daisy Randone (Chicago's North Side (Edgewater))
52 out of 58 found this review helpful

Most critics put this show as the best of the 1999-2000 season. Yes, even above Sorpranos. What's more is that even, as of this writing, after this show was moronically cancelled by NBC, this show found a hugh and cultish following on college campuses. I was just starting college in August 2001 (University of Chicago) and during the first weeks (before 9/11) the campus had many showings of F&G. As time went on, more and more people crowded around to watch and what's more was the amazing silence during, which was only broken by the laughter (which of course there was a lot of). After 9/11 none of us wanted any showings until after the holidays because admittingly we felt guilty about laughing and not thinking about the tragedy. Our dorm started showing it again in January 2002 and the get togethers have not stopped. This show will stick with everyone, because the story's are (collectively) all of ours. The acting, all around, on all levels was phenomenal for television and a list of standouts is impossible. Just to say that some careers that were launched here are Linda Cardellini (Legally Blonde and Scooby-Doo) and James Franco (James Dean & City by the Sea). The parents on this show may not have been main storylines but they were extremely important and extremely well played by Becky Ann Baker, Joe Flahery, Amy Aquino and I feel terribly upset by this but I cannot remember the actress who played Bill's mother so brilliantly, she must be mentioned. I have worn out my tapes to near destruction and the version being shown on ABCFamily Channel are terribly cut up and dull looking. A DVD would be true justice to something like Freaks and Geeks and with some extras that only the creators could give. I will breathe now.


Freaks and Geeks DISC 1 REVIEW. Stunning!!!   February 22, 2004
26 out of 29 found this review helpful

Freaks and Geeks Disc 1 Review.

I have just finished watching the promotional DVD of Disc 1.

As a big fan of the show when it aired I was thrilled when I heard it was finally coming to DVD, but very apprehensive about what the DVD's themselves would look like, especially after being let down so often by other companies TV shows on DVD.
I would have settled for decent video and audio transfers and a few extras, but this disc is something else.
It's INCREDIBLE!!!

The video quality is amazing.
The bit rate on every episode averages 7 Mbps!
I have never seen anything close to that for a TV show before.
I read somewhere that the people who author the "Lord Of The Rings" DVD's also did these, and it really shows.

The original stereo mix and a 5.1 mix sound fantastic and the extras couldn't be better.

There are ...

Multiple deleted scenes (with or without commentary by Judd Apatow, John Daley and Martin Starr) for each episode.

5 Commentaries (2 each for the "Pilot" and "Beers and Weirs" and one on "Tricks and Treats")

2 Auditions (Linda Cardellini & Jason Segel)

A "Behind the Scenes" piece

Original Promotional Ad's used by NBC

And this is only Disc 1.

However, the best part IMO, are the menus. There are 16 menus on this disc and each one completely different. Each has its own piece of music from the show and most have dialog from the show itself.

If there are any DVD producers reading, this release will hopefully set the standard for what a TV show on DVD should be. If they give out awards for DVD's expect to see this win a few. It's absolutely amazing.
For those of you that have never seen the show read some of the other comments that testify to it brilliance. It's the best blind buy you'll ever make.
I'm going to see if I can still get my order in for the Limited Edition set!


please release this on dvd!   July 17, 2003
23 out of 25 found this review helpful

freaks and geeks was one of the best shows ever to grace television sets. this was not just some show that focused on the teenage generation but instead was something that everyone in the family could be entertained with. although the target audience was probably teenagers since the majority of the characters were of that age. my favorite character was bill. some of the funniest quotes and scenes are from this show. take a look at the quotes page. very funny lines. please help to get this timeless series produced on dvd. write reviews and spread the word. go to freaksandgeeks.com and sign the petition to make this a reality. it really is a shame that a show with a message, with clean jokes, and that was a quality family program had to be cancelled. reality tv has taken over. we need more shows like this one on the air. don't give up trying to make this happen. thank you