My friend Danielle recently got me hooked on a show called "Freaks and Geeks". It aired in 1999-2000 and was cancelled after only 18 episodes. However, it is AMAZING! It was created by Paul Feig, who
a) writes/directs for "The Office"
b) starred in the first season of "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"
c) starred in Heavyweights and
d) grew up in Clinton Twp, MI!
It was also produced by Judd Apatow, who in case you live under a rock is basically a genius. He has been involved in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, Pineapple Express, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Heavyweights, Anchorman, and a ton of other amazing projects. Plus he works with what Danielle calls "The Inner Circle", which includes Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, James Franco, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Steve Carell, Will Ferell, Leslie Mann, and a ton of others that are just basically brilliant.
Anyway, the show is awesome because it takes place in fictional Chippewa, MI, in 1980. Chippewa is based on Clinton Twp., which is about 5 miles from my house, and McKinley High School is based on Chippewa Valley High School, which I've lost to in softball many times. It follows the life of Lindsay Weir, a girl who used to be a Mathlete but decides she wants to hang out with the "freaks", or the burnouts. The other focus of the show is Lindsay's little brother Sam, who is a total geek and has two of the geekiest friends ever.
The thing that makes this show so awesome is that it's very real in the way that most teen shows/movies are not. It deals with some heavy stuff, but not in an overly dramatic way. For instance, the way Lindsay and Sam's parents handle situations is very believable--alternately dismissive and overbearing. The interactions between Lindsay and her old friends vs. her new friends are also very real-- one can easily imagine how difficult it would be to suddenly change groups of friends, and if, like me, you've gone through it before, you know EXACTLY how she's feeling. The show doesn't stereotype the geeks, and it doesn't stereotype the freaks. Both groups are outsiders in totally different ways, and it's very interesting to watch that.
I highly recommend this show to anyone who is a fan of comedy/dramas. There are parts that are very funny and parts that are almost heartbreaking. It's a real treat! I'm probably going to buy the DVDs soon so if you need to borrow it hit me up!
