Millennials who are also fans of the tragically underrated showFreaks and Geeksare about to get some good news. This turn of the century, short-lived comedy-drama is about to be made available for purchase on some of the most popular streaming platforms today. Best of all, it is finally going to be available with the show’s original music intact.
Freaks and Geekswas created byPaul Feigand produced byJudd Apatow. It’s a show that “explores the universal experience of being a teenager as lived by the regular old freaks and geeks in a Michigan High School Circa 1980”. It aired episodes weekly between the fall of 1999 and summer of 2000 on NBC. There were 18 episodes in total (only 12 of which made it to live TV), featuring such show-appropriate titles as “Tricks and Treats”, “Tests and Breasts”, and “Chokin' and Tokin'”.
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The show was so influential that it launched the careers of some of the most well-known Hollywood stars today. It starredLinda Cardellini(Avengers: Age of Ultron),John Francis Daley(Bones),James Franco,Seth Rogen,Jason Segel(How I Met Your Mother), andBusy Phillips(Cougar Town), among others. Despite the fact that the show received lavish praise from critics, it’s premature cancellation was largely due to internal politics happening behind the scenes at NBC. Network higher-ups wanted a more lighthearted, generic, “cool” storyline (something more akin to their biggest cash cows at the time,SeinfeldandFriends) which Apatow actively pushed back against. Thankfully for fans of “slice of life” -style TV shows, Apatow went on to produce a series of similar and even more successful shows which he isquotedas saying were “revenge for the people who canceledFreaks and Geeks”.
While the show has been available in one way or another for a while, the original music used in the shows was never available, due to issues with licensing. Now, the show can finally be experienced the way it was meant to be watched, with songs by everyone from Van Halen and Deep Purple, to The Who and David Bowie.
Currently, you can streamFreaks and Geekson Hulu or on Paramount+ with a $5.99 subscription via Amazon Prime. But starting on June 28th, fans will be able to purchase episodes of the entire series via Amazon, iTunes, or Google.
KEEP READING:Exclusive: Paul Feig Talks ‘Freaks and Geeks’ on Streaming and Why It’ll Never Stream With the Wrong Music
