Freaks, Geeks

I seem to latch onto cult shows long after the conversation is over on them, but last week I started on Freaks & Geeks, the mid-'90s one-hour 1980-set dramedy from Judd Apatow. It's one of those things that's pretty much made for me--I'll probably be 85 years old and still identifying with the high school geek in love with the cute cheerleader. The fear of showering because you're a pee-wee and your pubes haven't come in yet--I've been there, and was made fun of by a black basketball player. A totally stereotypical scene, but very true. I don't think I had to go through the thing where the girl you like just thinks of you as a friend she can confide in about a guy she has a crush on, but I had similar humiliations. I knew I'd seen Linda Cardellini here and there, and I guess I'd seen Jason Segel, but it's a lot of fun to see actors like that when they're kind of starting out, and on something where they really get to stretch their muscles instead of the more formulaic or run of the mill dramas and sitcoms. The episode where Segel's character, buoyed by new girlfriend Cardellini, attempts to put his dreams of being a rock drummer into reality, and then comes crashing down from failure, to eventually settle back into the comforting fantasy state, is a particular highlight in the writing and performance aspects, at least in the first third of the series I've seen so far. And, it's also fun to see appearances from people like Jason Schwartzman, Trace (MST3K) Beaulieu (and an uncredited Joel Hodgson in one episode), Shia LaBoeuf, and of course the underrated James Franco and Busy Phillips. I'm loving it. And yes, I'm sure after I get through this I'll watch Undeclared.