- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Coaching Changes
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
re: What's the appeal of Freaks & Geeks?
Posted on 3/22/17 at 9:35 am to Breesus
Posted on 3/22/17 at 9:35 am to Breesus
It's not really nostalgia, as that implies a certain sepia-toned feel-good vibe that the show utterly lacks. Check out the first scene. It has two typical TV teens expressing their star crossed love, and then the camera pans to the kids under the bleachers. It was popular because it stands apart from glitzy crap like the OC, or even too-cool-to-be-real shows like Dawson's Creek. F&G looks back, but it tries to do so with clear eyes: terrible things happen to these kids, while its also the "best years of their lives". There is a real ambivalence there.
The cast is great, the writing is superb, but the show is also fearless. They have the main character Lindsey deny the existence of God in the first episode (while religion is rare on TV, atheists are even moreso for fear of protests). They push the special ed kid off the bleachers and break his arm. They had one of the first trans characters in TV history, and didn't make a huge deal about it.
Also, now that I watch it 10 years later, the show absolutely nails the parents. The Weirs are perhaps the best TV family ever. Just perfect. They are just as confused as the kids, but they give off the veneer of authority. And Mr. Weir's speech about always having the same meal is one of the most heartfelt and beautiful statements about married love.
The cast is great, the writing is superb, but the show is also fearless. They have the main character Lindsey deny the existence of God in the first episode (while religion is rare on TV, atheists are even moreso for fear of protests). They push the special ed kid off the bleachers and break his arm. They had one of the first trans characters in TV history, and didn't make a huge deal about it.
Also, now that I watch it 10 years later, the show absolutely nails the parents. The Weirs are perhaps the best TV family ever. Just perfect. They are just as confused as the kids, but they give off the veneer of authority. And Mr. Weir's speech about always having the same meal is one of the most heartfelt and beautiful statements about married love.
0
Posted on 3/22/17 at 9:36 am to Damone
quote:
Completely understand why it was cancelled.
It was on the wrong network. It had nothing in common with the laugh-track sitcoms like Friends and Frasier or the dramas like West Wing and Law & Order. NBC put it with the oddest shows they had (The Pretender and Profiler) but that wasn't enough.
About five or ten years ahead of its' time and on the wrong network.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:00 am to PenguinNinja
Bill Haverchuck is one of the greatest characters ever on TV. Throughout the series, most characters underwent change but Bill stayed that socially awkward and weak person but unwavered in unabridged honest thoughts and actions. It seems through all that, he provided the stability compared to everyone else.
LINK
LINK
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:06 am to PowerTool
quote:
No matter what they're saying, nobody liked it or claimed to like it until years later when the cast got famous. Now everyone likes it.
Actually it was critically praised but aired on Friday nights. So nobody watched it to like or dislike it. Like Arrested Development, nobody really watched it until after it went off the air.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:07 am to PenguinNinja
The soundtrack is really great too. Overall I think some of the acting is bad, but its still a great show.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:11 am to Damone
quote:
Posted by Damone on 3/22/17 at 8:58 am to PenguinNinja It is overrated for sure. It started off great, but you can tell by the end of it the storylines start unraveling, character behavior changes with every episode, and it just becomes a shoddy mess. Completely understand why it was cancelled.
The show started off on the chopping block and I believe they were cancelled with 3 episodes left so they had to chop together an ending as best as they could, hard to keep a slow burn show at its peak when you don't know if the next episode will air or not
I believe even the finale was recut and reshot to create a series finale in the last minute and wasn't shown for a long period on TV
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:11 am to Breesus
quote:
The scene when Segal finally auditions for the band is gut wrenching.
Maybe someday he'll add another piece for an even 20
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:14 am to Harry Caray
I literally cannot watch that scene. It's just too painful.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:15 am to Cdawg
quote:I think that Arrested Development had more of a following during its original run. It ran for three seasons and started out as a part of FOX Sunday night, which was a pretty strong night of the week for FOX.
Like Arrested Development, nobody really watched it until after it went off the air.
This post was edited on 3/22/17 at 10:16 am
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:17 am to Cdawg
Him and Harris were my favorite characters on the show.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:21 am to Harry Caray
quote:
Maybe someday he'll add another piece for an even 20
30
"Good luck with that 29 piecer man. Maybe someday you'll knock it up to an even 30!"
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:25 am to Fewer Kilometers
quote:You got me. That line was so damn brutal the first time I heard it
30
"Good luck with that 29 piecer man. Maybe someday you'll knock it up to an even 30!"
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:30 am to Damone
quote:
It is overrated for sure. It started off great, but you can tell by the end of it the storylines start unraveling, character behavior changes with every episode, and it just becomes a shoddy mess. Completely understand why it was cancelled.
In all fairness, they knew they weren't getting renewed and just threw stuff together in the last three or four episodes so it would have a "real" ending.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 10:50 am to PenguinNinja
A big time nostalgia factor coupled with the fact that it was cancelled prematurely kind of gave it a cult following.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 11:13 am to Fewer Kilometers
quote:
I think that Arrested Development had more of a following during its original run. It ran for three seasons and started out as a part of FOX Sunday night, which was a pretty strong night of the week for FOX.
Not really because it was cancelled because of low ratings. I know on this board there was only one person that would rave about the show and he would be ridiculed. Of course it was twain so that may have been the reason he was ridiculed.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 11:26 am to Cdawg
quote:
Not really because it was cancelled because of low ratings. I know on this board there was only one person that would rave about the show and he would be ridiculed. Of course it was twain so that may have been the reason he was ridiculed.
I remember some friends of mine LOVED Arrested Development and watched it every week. I was at their apartment one Sunday night and caught an episode and loved it, but it was like late S2 or maybe even S3 at that point. So I could tell it was a show I knew I would like if I had watched it from the beginning (similar to when I discovered The Office).
As for this:
quote:
What's the appeal of Freaks & Geeks?
It's just a good, honest show. I watched it when it aired and loved it, and I remember being sad that it was cancelled. It's a show that really showcases the part of high school that isn't normally portrayed. It's not about the jocks or the popular kids; it's about the "freaks and geeks." And even if you weren't really a freak or a geek, per se, just about all of the characters were completely accessible and relatable, so you connected with them and their stories.
And as some have said, it tackled some issues that other shows weren't really dealing with. It was ahead of its time in a lot of ways...the cast, the storylines/writing, etc. It was funny but not a comedy, sad but not a drama, etc...it was similar to that Wonder Years vibe.
Posted on 3/22/17 at 11:46 am to Baloo
I think that scene defines why he show was so great. It just felt real. It wasn't overdone and cheesy like most sitcoms .
The cast was phenomenal , the writing and directing was great and it was sad that it ended. I don't know how you'd replicate that today.
The cast was phenomenal , the writing and directing was great and it was sad that it ended. I don't know how you'd replicate that today.
This post was edited on 3/22/17 at 11:49 am
Posted on 3/22/17 at 12:19 pm to PenguinNinja
It's a fantastic show
Posted on 3/22/17 at 3:42 pm to Cdawg
Lol I miss twain
Page 2 of 2
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News