Freaks and Geeks

Quite simply the best teen television series ever, Freak and Geeks perfectly captured the awkwardness of high school in its brief 18-episode run. Created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow, both of whom also served as director and/or writer on occasion, the show offered an endearing mix of understated humor and genuine emotion as it followed the students of William McKinley High School, most notably the perpetually embarrassed Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) and her sensitive younger brother, Sam (John Francis Daley). While Sam hangs out with his nerdy friends Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr) and Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine), Lindsay ditches her brainy classmates in favor of killing time with troublemaking Daniel Desario (James Franco) and his burnout buddies, including Ken Miller (Seth Rogen) and Nick Andopolis (Jason Segel). While pop-culture references abound and the 1980s setting is quite apparent, the series never feels forced or dated, since Feig, Apatow, and their collaborators always focus on the characters above all else. Though it's fun to spot the occasional guest appearances by familiar faces (Ben Stiller and Jason Schwartzman, among others), the real joy in watching Freak and Geeks is witnessing the nuanced performances of a remarkable young cast, many of whom went on to deserved success, particularly Franco and Segel. And, of course, this was an "Apatow production" before that term became its own comedy subgenre, revealing how entertaining both he and Feig can be when they hit the right marks.