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Although it lasted only one season, Freaks and Geeks continues to hold a special place in viewers hearts 25 years later.
On Wednesday, series creator Paul Feig and EP Judd Apatow celebrated the milestone anniversary of his breakout 80s-set high school series, which aired 1999 to 2000 on NBC, along with stars Seth Rogen, Martin Starr and Samm Levine.
“Freaks & Geeks premiered 25 years ago today on @nbc,” wrote Feig with throwback photos from the set. “It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and changed everything for me. Eternally grateful to @juddapatow for taking a chance on my little spec script about growing up in Michigan and making it happen with @dreamworks as well as to our stellar cast, writers, directors and crew for bringing it to life. I truly love you all.
Apatow wrote, “Happy 25th anniversary Freaks and Geeks!” Starr called his time on the show the “happiest I’ve ever been,” as Joan Jett shared the show’s opening credits, which is set to her 1980 hit ‘Bad Reputation’.
“Apparently it’s the 25th anniversary of Freaks and Geeks premiering, which is insane to think about,” wrote Rogen on Instagram. “This show changed my life in many ways, I’m still close friends with many of the people involved. They’re like family in a lot of ways. It’s rare to get to be a part of something so heartfelt and resonant, and I’m very grateful it was my first experience as an actor, and I’m honored to be amongst its cast.”
Levine captioned his own post, “25 years. Some days I can’t believe it’s been that long. Other days, it sure feels like a lifetime ago. But a quarter century later, I’m truly humbled at how Freaks and Geeks is still being talked about, still finding new fans, and still bringing joy to so many people.
“I’ll never be able to properly thank @paulfeig, @juddapatow and #JakeKasdan for giving an awkward, overconfident, comedy loving teenage nerd that kind of opportunity,” he added. “I’m eternally grateful.”
Freaks and Geeks followed Detroit teenager Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) and her younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley) as they navigate high school in 1980 with their misfit friends, played by Rogen, Starr, Levine, Jason Segel, Busy Philipps and James Franco. Joe Flaherty and Becky Ann Baker played Lindsay and Sam’s parents Harold and Jean Weir.
In 2017, Apatow explained why he’s not considering a reboot of the beloved series. “I don’t want to do more Freaks and Geeks because we liked how it ended, so I feel it’s unwrapping something and seeing if you can not screw it up; I don’t think we would do that,” he said. “Also, the world has changed so much. Back then in 1999, we were talking about the pre-computer and cellphone age that was before YouTube, Google, Snapchat. I don’t close the door on anything but my inclination is that we said all we had to say.”
