70 Fun Facts About Freaks and Geeks

Who created Freaks and Geeks, drawing on his own high-school years in Michigan?

Paul Feig wrote the pilot at a low point: he had lost his acting job on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and sunk his savings into a film of his own.

Which producer said everything he had done since was 'revenge for the people who cancelled Freaks and Geeks'?

Judd Apatow kept hiring the show's actors for his later projects, and has called that his way of refusing to accept that the series was cancelled.

On which network did Freaks and Geeks originally air from September 1999?

NBC showed episodes out of order and kept pulling the series off the air for weeks at a time, so viewers who went looking for it often found it wasn't on.

In the Halloween episode of Freaks and Geeks, Bill goes trick-or-treating dressed as which 1970s heroine?

The Bionic Woman: Bill rehearses the part in front of a bedroom mirror before heading out, and the night ends with Lindsay, out egging with the freaks, hitting her own brother.

In Freaks and Geeks, the Weir siblings attend a high school named after which U.S. president?

William McKinley High is invented, but its town carries a real name: the show's creator, who went to Chippewa Valley High, set his series in a suburb called Chippewa.

Freaks and Geeks is set in the fictional town of Chippewa, a suburb of which city?

Detroit: the creator grew up just outside the city and says Sam's ordeal in the pilot, the bully and the cheerleader crush included, is lifted from his own school days.

Who played Sam Weir's older sister in Freaks and Geeks?

Linda Cardellini was 23 when cast as the 16-year-old, the one lead the creator had invented rather than based on someone he knew; he said she walked in as the exact girl in his head.

Who played Lindsay's younger brother, Sam Weir, in Freaks and Geeks?

John Francis Daley, 13, was cast after a long search; the creator recalls thinking him far too young at first, then being won over by eyes that showed every thought.

Which actor played the charismatic burnout Daniel Desario in Freaks and Geeks?

James Franco was cast as a small-town cool guy who wasn't as cool as he thought; the producers didn't think him handsome, even as the women around them called him gorgeous.

Who played Ken Miller, the sarcastic, wise-cracking freak, in Freaks and Geeks?

Seth Rogen was 16 when the producers found him at an open casting call in Vancouver, and they say he had them laughing from his first line.

Who played Nick Andopolis, the mild-mannered freak who falls for Lindsay, in Freaks and Geeks?

Jason Segel had played on a state-champion high-school basketball team, so the writers gave Nick the same past: a promising player who threw it away for pot.

Who played Bill Haverchuck in Freaks and Geeks?

Martin Starr was nothing like Bill: the vacant stare was his own invention, and the creator says he worked out so much that he had to be asked to stop turning up with big biceps.

Who played Neal Schweiber in Freaks and Geeks?

Samm Levine sent in a so-so audition tape from New York, then asked if he could do his William Shatner impression; the corny routine won him the part.

Who played Kim Kelly, Daniel's on-and-off girlfriend, in Freaks and Geeks?

Busy Philipps says she took the part against her agent's advice, when it was little more than a guest role, because the show's lead actress, whom she knew slightly, urged her to.

Who played Harold Weir, Lindsay and Sam's stern father, in Freaks and Geeks?

Joe Flaherty was the comedy hero of the set, an SCTV veteran, and Harold's vampire costume at Halloween is a nod to his SCTV host Count Floyd.

Who played Jean Weir, Lindsay and Sam's mother, in Freaks and Geeks?

Becky Ann Baker's Jean does Lindsay's dirty work by accident: told in confidence that her daughter wants to end things with Nick, she lets it slip to him herself.

Freaks and Geeks opens every episode with "Bad Reputation", performed by which artist?

Joan Jett released the song on her own label, Blackheart, after 23 record companies had turned her debut solo album down.

In Freaks and Geeks, Sam knows he and Cindy are doomed when she fails to laugh at which comedy on their date?

The Jerk: his friends had argued that laughter is the ultimate aphrodisiac, but Cindy scorns both the film and the heirloom necklace Sam gives her, and he ends it soon after.

Which channel first broadcast the three Freaks and Geeks episodes that its original network never aired?

Fox Family inherited them because the original network, having cancelled the show with six episodes unseen, burned off only three in a single summer night.

Which Freaks and Geeks episode did its original network shelve as too rough for viewers?

Kim Kelly Is My Friend alarmed executives because it was so much rougher than the pilot, so viewers saw Kim go from Lindsay's tormentor to her friend with no idea why.

In the Freaks and Geeks pilot, Lindsay traces her rebellion to the recent death of which relative?

Her grandmother: at the deathbed Lindsay asked whether she could see a light, and the answer was no, which shook the star student's faith and started her drift toward the freaks.

In the Freaks and Geeks pilot, Lindsay worries her parents by quitting which school team?

The mathletes get her back for one competition later in the season, where her competitive streak wins the day, then lose her again when she decides she has outgrown them.

Which actor played Eli, the special-education student Lindsay tries to protect in the Freaks and Geeks pilot?

Ben Foster's Eli breaks his arm running off after Lindsay's defence of him backfires, and she makes amends by leading him onto the floor at the homecoming dance.

In Freaks and Geeks, what do Sam and his friends secretly do to the keg at Lindsay's party?

Swap in fake beer: the geeks trade the keg for a non-alcoholic one, the guests act drunk anyway, and Bill gets genuinely plastered on the real stuff in Sam's room.

In Freaks and Geeks, which car does Kim Kelly drive, a hand-me-down from her aunt?

An AMC Gremlin: the little car does real damage later in the series, when Kim, with Lindsay beside her, runs over Millie's dog without realising what she has hit.

In Freaks and Geeks, what does Kim's friend Karen write on Sam's locker?

Pygmy Geek: Sam is blamed for defacing his own locker and set an essay on vandalism, and the label starts a row with his friends over which of them is the biggest geek.

Karen Scarfolli, Kim's locker-vandalising friend in Freaks and Geeks, was played by which actress?

Rashida Jones's Karen ends the episode on the wrong side of her friend: Kim catches her flirting with Daniel and very nearly runs her over.

In "Tests and Breasts", Lindsay helps Daniel cheat on a test in which subject?

Algebra: at the disciplinary hearing Daniel gives a tearful speech about being written off as dumb, and Lindsay bursts out laughing when she recognises the speech he used on her.

In Freaks and Geeks, Nick's father threatens to make him join what?

The Army: his strict father later gets rid of the thing Nick loves most, saying it is hurting his schoolwork, and Nick walks out and talks his way into staying with the Weirs.

In Freaks and Geeks, which instrument does Nick play in the freaks' band?

Drums: Nick owns a 29-piece kit, but the band, with Daniel on guitar and Ken singing, falls apart the moment he demands they take it seriously.

In "I'm with the Band", Lindsay gets Nick a disastrous audition with which band?

Dimension turns Nick down flat, and the kiss Lindsay gives him afterwards just to lift his spirits leaves her accidentally dating him.

Which composer scored Freaks and Geeks before recording the hit cover of 'Mad World' for Donnie Darko?

Michael Andrews also turns up on screen: he, the show's creator and one of its writers play, uncredited, the band that rejects Nick at his audition.

In "I'm with the Band", why does Sam end up streaking through the school?

Alan locks him out naked after Sam finally braves the compulsory shower he has been dodging, but his classmates assume he streaked on purpose and applaud him for it.

In Freaks and Geeks, guidance counsellor Mr. Rosso turns out to be the lead singer of which hot local band?

Feedback plays Alice Cooper's 'I'm Eighteen' with Mr. Rosso out front, no stretch for actor Dave 'Gruber' Allen, who had played in bands with the show's creator for years.

In Freaks and Geeks, Nick professes his love for Lindsay with a performance of which Styx song?

Lady: Nick leads her into a candlelit basement and talk-sings along to the record, then says he only wants to hold her, which leaves Lindsay more alarmed than wooed.

Cindy Sanders, Sam's crush in Freaks and Geeks, ends up dating which star basketball player?

Todd Schellinger gets the girl first; when Sam finally dates Cindy himself he finds her rude and demanding, and it is he who breaks it off.

In Freaks and Geeks, Shia LaBeouf appeared as Herbert, who holds what job at the school?

Mascot: when Herbert breaks his arm Sam takes over the costume to get near Cindy, then hands it to Neal, who clowns for laughs and wrecks the cheerleaders' routine.

In Freaks and Geeks, the freaks discover school spirit after being beaten up by students from which rival school?

Lincoln: after its basketball players jump them, the freaks arrive at the big game bruised and become their own school's loudest fans, purely out of spite.

In "The Diary", how does Bill protest being stuck in deep right field and picked last?

Prank-calling the coach with insults earns Bill a turn as team captain, and his big catch is pure Freaks and Geeks: the geeks celebrate so hard that a runner tags up and scores.

In "Looks and Books", what does Sam buy to impress Cindy?

A powder-blue disco jumpsuit, sold to Sam as a 'Parisian night suit', came from life: the show's creator wore the same outfit to his own high school and knew the moment he walked in that it was a mistake.

In Freaks and Geeks, Neal discovers his father's affair by using what to find a house?

A garage-door remote: Neal clicks it at house after house until a door lifts on his father's car, a storyline taken from the boyhood of one of the episode's own writers.

In Freaks and Geeks, Ken falls for Amy, a marching-band member the freaks call what?

Tuba Girl gave Ken his first real storyline: until then the writers had used the freaks' wisecracker only for one-liners, and they wrote the romance to put that right.

In Freaks and Geeks, Bill ends up in hospital after Alan secretly puts what in his sandwich?

Peanuts: Bill had told the class he was deathly allergic and Alan thought he was lying; at the hospital bedside the bully admits he likes comics and sci-fi too and resented being left out.

In "Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers", Bill is upset to learn Coach Fredricks is dating whom?

His mother: the coach tries to win Bill over with a go-kart outing and runs him off the track instead, and the two only make peace later in front of the television.

In Freaks and Geeks, Coach Fredricks was played by which actor, better known as Biff Tannen in Back to the Future?

Thomas F. Wilson's gruff coach shows a softer side when a dirty joke leaves Sam baffled in sex-ed: he takes the boy aside, off the record, and explains it.

In Freaks and Geeks, after Lindsay and Kim run over Millie's dog, grieving Millie joins the freaks to see which band?

The Who: before Lindsay may go, her parents play one of the band's albums to check it is decent and split over whether 'Squeeze Box' is really about an accordion.

In Freaks and Geeks, Neal copes with his father's infidelity by throwing himself into which hobby?

Ventriloquism: made to perform at his father's party, Neal has the dummy mock his dad in front of the guests, then tearfully tells Mrs. Schweiber, who already knows.

In "The Little Things", Ken questions his relationship after Amy reveals what?

She was born intersex: Ken spirals until a chance men's-room talk with Sam, who is about to dump a girl he has nothing in common with, shows him how much he likes Amy.

Which vice president visits the school in "The Little Things", and gets a defiant question from Lindsay?

George H. W. Bush's staff reject her question and hand her one about his favourite place to eat; at the microphone she asks instead why he is afraid of an honest talk with students.

In the Freaks and Geeks finale, Daniel's punishment for trying to pull the fire alarm is to join which club?

Audio/Visual has only the geeks for members, so the coolest freak in school is stuck with them; they freeze him out at first, then invite him to join their game.

In the Freaks and Geeks finale, the geeks invite Daniel to play which game, at which he unexpectedly excels?

Dungeons & Dragons: Daniel plays as Carlos the Dwarf, and afterwards Bill wonders whether it means he is turning into a geek or they are turning into cool guys.

Which actress played Sara, who teaches Nick to disco dance in the Freaks and Geeks finale?

Lizzy Caplan's Sara has remade Nick by the finale: he has given up pot, taken up disco and entered a dance contest, though the freaks suspect he is still pining for Lindsay.

In the Freaks and Geeks finale, Mr. Rosso hands Lindsay an album that makes her a fan of which band?

Grateful Dead: the album is American Beauty, and Lindsay, dreading the summer ahead, puts it on alone in her room and ends up dancing to 'Box of Rain'.

In the Freaks and Geeks finale, Lindsay pretends to leave for an academic summit at which university?

University of Michigan: her mother waves her onto the bus, but Lindsay gets off at the next stop, where Kim and a waiting van take her somewhere else for the summer.

In Freaks and Geeks, Harold Weir's dinner-table tales of people who misbehaved usually end with what happening to them?

They died: whatever Lindsay has just done, Harold knows of someone who did the same and came to a fatal end, until she storms off, sick of hearing it.

Ben Stiller's cameo in Freaks and Geeks was as what?

A Secret Service agent: Stiller's Agent Meara commandeers Mr. Rosso's office for the VIP visit and ends up being counselled on whether he would be happier making pancakes.

Jason Schwartzman guest-starred in Freaks and Geeks as Howie Gelfand, a disco-shop assistant who dealt in what?

Fake IDs: the freaks need them to see a band at a local bar, only to be spotted from the stage by the singer, their own guidance counsellor.

Leslie Mann guest-starred in Freaks and Geeks as which member of the school staff?

A teacher: Mann, the wife of the show's executive producer, played Miss Foote, the social studies teacher Bill tries to impress, who later sits at his hospital bedside.

The makers of Freaks and Geeks resisted their network's push for a guest appearance by which pop star?

Britney Spears was one of several network wishes the writers resisted, all at odds with a show that had set out to cast ordinary-looking kids.

Which hit game show was Freaks and Geeks scheduled against, one reason it never found an audience?

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire met a show already wounded: it had been pulled for weeks during the World Series, then shelved for two months and moved to a new night.

By its producer's account, why wouldn't the network advertise the Freaks and Geeks website?

Fear of losing viewers to the Internet: the producer said the network kept the address out of every ad because "they didn't want people to know the Internet existed".

On which night of the week did Freaks and Geeks premiere, when much of its teenage audience was out?

Saturday. After only two episodes the show then went off air for three weeks of October baseball, the first of many gaps in its run.

Which company finally released Freaks and Geeks on DVD in 2004 with all its original music intact?

Shout! Factory, a young label started by Rhino Records' co-founder, took on the costly song rights after tens of thousands of fans signed an online petition pledging to buy the set.

Freaks and Geeks' only Emmy win came in which category?

Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series went to Allison Jones and her team in 2000, months after the show had been cancelled; both of its writing nominations lost.

Freaks and Geeks' creator later said Lindsay would probably have ended up in which career?

A human rights lawyer was his guess for Lindsay, though only after a spell in her twenties as a performance artist in Greenwich Village.

Which one-season college sitcom did Freaks and Geeks' executive producer make next, using many of the same actors?

Undeclared reused several of the cast in new roles, and one of the freaks' actors, still a teenager, was also hired onto its writing staff.

Freaks and Geeks' creator went on to direct which 2011 hit comedy?

Bridesmaids reunited the pair behind the series, its creator directing and its executive producer producing; a comedy led by women was a change for a producer whose earlier films had mostly centred on men.

To lift ratings, network executives asked the Freaks and Geeks writers to give the characters more what?

Victories. The producers declined: the series was built on small defeats, and they said they were willing to go down with the show rather than soften it.

Which Freaks and Geeks screenwriter appeared on screen as Kim Kelly's oft-discussed injured brother?

Mike White wrote the episode that takes Lindsay into Kim's chaotic home, then turned up in it himself as her brother; he later created The White Lotus.

Which studio bought the Freaks and Geeks pilot script, then sold the show to a network?

DreamWorks was where the show's executive producer had a development deal, so when a friend sent him the script he had the studio buy it.