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Freaks and Geeksnails the awkwardness of teen life so well that it delivers the best “first time getting high” episode ever on TV. What’s even more impressive is that it pulls this off while also being a surprisingly low-key anti-drug episode.
The show expertly balances humor with heart, skillfully working its way through the tricky waters of censorship. All thanks to the clever writing that the show manages to address such a sensitive topic without getting preachy. Here’s howFreaks and Geeksbeat the system while offering a realistic, unforgettable look at life.
How Paul Feig’sFreaks and GeeksTricked the Censors
In its early days, Paul Feig thoughtFreaks and Geeksto be “like an HBO show”, raw, honest, and full of the things he saw in high school, swearing, pot smoking, and all things ugly.
“We’re not gonna make it”: Jason Segel Got a Not-So-Subtle Hint About ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Getting Canceled Only to Achieve Cult Status Years Later
Although the original pilot was more suited for HBO, Feig still managed to sneak a lot past the NBC’s censors. Speaking about this aspect in a chat withCollider, Feig explained,
The pot episode [“Chokin and Tokin”], which was the last one that ever aired, and there’s a lot of people say that it got us cancelled, we used to call the censor to ask what we could get away with. And you would always find out something you could get away with that you didn’t think you’d get away with. And out of one of those conversations came something about pot. Because we were kind of like, they’re freaks.
In this standout episode,Chokin and Tokin, Lindsay tries pot for the first time after Nick challenges her “good girl” persona. The catch? She is babysitting and has to deal with the effects of her high while managing a naughty kid, with Millie there to help through it all.
Meanwhile, the Geeks are at the hospital, worrying over Bill, who’s having an allergic reaction after eating a peanut secretly slipped to him by their bully, Alan White. In the end, Alan’s confession, that he is mean because he wants to be included, reveals the heart of the series, we are all more alike than we think. Feig further explained,
You never see them doing anything like that. So we should at least have a pot thing, but could we show it? They’re like, “Well, you can show it, but only if it has a negative impact on the character.” I was like, “Oh, cool. That’s great. Lindsay’s going to have a really terrible time with pot.” (laughs) Which, for me, makes sense because in my life, I smoked pot twice, and it was a horrible experience both times. So we were just kind of like kids in a candy store. Like, oh good. Here we go.
How brilliant was the show? Itnailed real teen struggleswith humor, honesty, and heart, effortlessly pushing the boundaries of what network TV would allow. So then why was it canceled?
Why WasFreaks and GeeksCanceled?
Despite its brilliance,Freaks and Geekswas canceled after just one season. One major factor? It had an odd timeslot, Saturday at 8 pm. Even though NBC moved the show to Monday nights in January 2000, hoping for a bump in viewership, it didn’t quite work out.
Why? Well, it was up against some stiff competition. In 1999, Fox had the long-running reality hitCops, CBS aired the fantasy-dramaEarly Edition, and ABC hadSaturday Night at the Movies.
“The idea of having it return in some substandard way was too scary”: Judd Apatow ‘Easily’ Turned Down Freaks and Geeks Season 2 Despite MTV Offering a Deal for Revival
With all these shows pulling in viewers,Freaks and Geeksstruggled to find its audience. Unfortunately, this drop in ratings led to itsuntimely cancellation, cutting short what could have been a cultural phenomenon.
All episodes of Freaks and Geeks is streaming on Hulu.
Sampurna Banerjee
Articles Published :1803
Sampurna Banerjee is an Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, and she’s written over 1,700 articles! She covers everything from celebrity news to the latest superhero buzz, streaming shows, and fan theories. If it’s trending in pop culture, Sampurna’s probably already on it.When she’s not working, you’ll probably find her rewatching The Office (again), getting into debates about Marvel’s timeline, or diving deep into Christopher Nolan movies for the hundredth time. She’s not just writing about entertainment, she’s living it.
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Freaks and Geeks
