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Product Description: The fans demanded it and so it has come. Freaks and Geeks the Emmy award-winning series about the trials and tribulations of outsiders 1980 Michigan is finally available on DVDiin its original form with all of its original music. The complete series includes all 18 original episodes; the director's cut of the pilot with never-before-seen footage; deleted scenes; outtakes; behind-the-scenes footage andi29 commentary tracks by the actors writers and directors who made the show. If you wanted it it's in here. Even if you didn't want it it's in here. So rock on and enjoy!System Requirements: Running Time 1080 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 826663482096 Manufacturer No: D6D34820 Amazon.com: The comedy/drama Freaks and Geeks limped through its sole season on NBC in 1999 before being expelled by the network--but not before earning critical acclaim and a devoted fan base that fought valiantly to keep it on the air. Now all 18 episodes have been released in this long-awaited boxed set, which allows longtime fans and first-timers alike to enjoy one of television's most poignant and funny programs about high school. 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 Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-04
I cried when the last show ended.
I have just recently discovered Freaks and Geeks, and now I don't know how I could have missed it when it was on television, well, probably because only 18 episodes aired, so that sure did not help my initial chances. But thank god for netflix, where I was able to discover this show and watch all 18 episodes in about three weeks. I LOVE ALL THE CHARACTERS! and even last night had a dream that I was hanging out with Kim and Nick. Now how is that for twisted? I love them! And when the Grateful Dead rolled the ending credits and Leslie and Kim jumped in that van to go hear them, I balled like a baby. I think I relived a little bit of my youth at that moment. I will purchase this DVD box set without hesitation and watch it faithfully. I am in love with this show and can relate to so much of it. I am glad it existed if even only for a brief moment in television history. Rating:
Date: 2008-06-08
I loved it!!!!
I watched this show when I was younger and then saw it at a video store and watched it again. Now im hooked... Rating: 
Date: 2008-06-02
A set bursting at the seams with goodies
When people list shows that were cancelled before their time, "Freaks and Geeks" will frequently come out. With NBC basically clueless about what to do with it despite rabid and passionate fanbases, the show moved to bad timeslots and pre-empted episode showings before getting the axe. And while there's a huge devoted following to the show, I only heard of the show recently and finding it on sale at the store, I figured I'd see what the big deal is and while I'll admit it's funny and well-written, I wouldn't say it's when of the perfect shows out there.
The show, set somewhere around 1980, centers on the title groups, the "freaks" or the ones that are too cool to attend all their classes, prefer lazying around and rocking out, and the "geeks" who love Steve Martin and "Star Wars". In the center of both groups is Lindsay and Sam Weir who try to find their place in high school as Lindsay sheds her mathlete image and hangs with the misfits while Sam struggles with young adolescence and being in love with someone that tells you the dreaded f-word: "friend".
Even though I graduated from high school a few years ago, many of the themes and character moments presented in the show are just as familiar to me as anyone. From the faculty member who thinks he's cool from the punks who think they're better than everyone, there's a lot here people can relate to. Getting away from the overdone melodrama of Dawson's Creek where everyone will inevitably sleep with everybody, this show had least had the intelligence to follow these characters realistically. While future Apatow movies like "40 Year Old Virgin" combined this with more raunchy humor (to a strange disconnect for me, personally), it's this and his follow-up series "Undeclared" that I prefer for taking on more universal themes.
Ironically, the problem I have with the show is some of the characters. While some I loved having such as nerdish Bill, school's badboy Daniel or central character Lindsay, some of the others kind of irritated me. Nick Andapolis, a frequent stoner with ambitions as a drummer, is incredibly creepy and no girl I know would find anything he does romantic and even a bit uncomfortable. Ken, played by Seth Rogan of "Knocked Up" fame, is basically the dry-humored guy who puts down almost everything and doesn't stray too far from that while Sam is incredibly whiny and can barely get through a line without cracking a smile. At least the adults like Tom Wilson, Larry Flaherty and Dave Allen add some spark to the show.
One thing that I can appreciate is the amount of love the creators had for the show as evidenced with the DVD. Attractive book-like packing that reminds me of the old "Smallville" sets, there's lots of featurettes and surprisingly, many commentaries. I'm talking at least 29 commentaries for 18 episodes here folks with people who worked on the show, starred in the show, actors on the show in character and fan commentaries. While most of us probably won't even check out half of em, it's nice to see such a huge assortment of goodies available to fans as opposed to the rather anemic ones on other sets (2 commentaries and 3 featurettes? Booooo).
I'd recommend Freaks and Geeks since there's bound to be people that love it but there's plenty of other shows that I absolutely love and there's some I like, and well...I like Freaks and Geeks. Rating:
Date: 2008-06-01
Classic
"Freaks and Geeks", although shortlived, is one of the most relatable and hilarious accounts of high school ever created. I guess the closest comparison I can think of would be my personal favorite, "The Wonder Years" which is a huge compliment to this show. This is a great series for people of all ages, young and old, and it's great seeing how a bunch of these young and talented actors got their start. Rating:
Date: 2008-05-27
so AWESOME it hurts to think about it!
Disclosure: I was one of the diehard fans that petitioned creator Paul Feig to put his series on DVD after it was cancelled. Now that you know where I'm coming from, I have to tell you that the set is FANTASTIC! It was clearly put together with much love and dedication for an awesome series that was tortured by NBC before getting the ax. I splurged and got the "yearbook" edition, [...]. The DVDS come packaged in a yearbook with tons of cast photos, essays, interviews and episode notes. Even without all that stuff, though, this collection is a must-have for all Judd Apatow fans (and now there are many, thanks to "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up"). The only downside is that after you watch the last episode you CANNOT BELIEVE this show was cancelled and you will ache for more. |
