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Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Freaks and Geeks: the TV show that never should have been cancelled




It is described as "an American teen comedy-drama television series" by www.imdb.com but Freaks and Geeks was more than that. In this series  the groups of outcasts in high school were the main characters and not "the bad guys", the losers. We often see series about rich, popular, good looking and common kinds or young people in high school. The show usually is about their dramas and love life. In Freaks and Geeks we get to the other side of the coin, we see characters that are the outcast.

When I saw the first scene of the first episode, I was already hooked. You can see how the camera shows us literally a glimpse of a regular high school life: The cheerleader and the quarterback sitting in the stands of the football field, they are talking about their meaningful and fleeting relationship... but then, there's a change of music...Van Halen - Running With The Devil begins. We see our new heros, our main characters; the freaks: James Franco as Daniel Desario, Busy Philipps as Kim Kelly, Jason Segel as Nick Andopolis and Seth Rogen as Ken Miller. 

The camera pan to the right showing us the Geeks: Sam Weir (John Francis Daley), Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr) and Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine ) and of course they are not complete without their bullies. Luckily, they are saved by Sam's sister- Lindsay (Linda Cardellini ). Most of the show is based on Lindsay adapting to her new life, her new place in high school and in her family. She was a mathlete, a student who got good grades, but apparently she gets tired of it and she wants to join the freaks at her school. Their life is fun and exciting.







This show truly lets you look inside the lives of these young people, who are constantly described as lazy, weird, drug addicts and good for nothing. Dangerous people with whom we should not be associated. But the reality is, that each of this characters have different personalities, different ways to face life, different parents and they all live in a troubled environment. But all of this doesn't make them bad teens, and Lindsay can see it, they lead their own life. Lindsay first days with them are hard, they are constantly challenging her just to see if she is one of them, and she is.

This show just lasted one season! just one! but it became a cult classic among many people. I'm so surprised that shows with a positive message that analyze (not just joke about) issues like drugs, sex, bullying , friendship, relationships, etc didn't last! I hate how a tv show like Grace anatomy, 2 and a half men, Gossip girl, Real housewives, last so long! this shows only show sex scenes (all the time), women who are desperate for man's attention and...oh yes, just drama about who kissed who or who is sleeping with who. Just empty, superficial and stupid story lines that are repetitive (thanks to male writers and male directors). But I guess people (most female viewers-we watch more TV) are stupid and superficial, they don't see the difference between this tv show, and they think the show is boring when it actually tries to talk about real issues. 


There are also some amazing young actors that acted in Freaks and Geeks and that now are famous, very famous. You might now recognize them.
















I just hope as viewers (and as a woman living in 2014) we become more selective of what we watch, we should always know why we like it and if all the shows teach us something meaningful, for the society or just for us. It is so easy to make TV shows that make jokes about females, kids, sex, etc. But I believe we are smarter than them. I watch comedies and silly shows, yes I do. But I also know how to recognize a show that is sexist and just straight trashy and vulgar.


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