Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series

No TV series better captured the complexities of adolescence or the subtleties and dynamics of the high school caste system than this sharp, funny, and poignant 1999-2000 TV series from creator Paul Feig and executive producer Judd Apatow. Linda Cardellini stars as Lindsay, the former class brain who drifts toward the "freaks," a group of stoners and underachievers led by rebel without a clue Daniel (James Franco, looking perpetually stoned). John Francis Daley defines the "geeks" as her Steve Martin-quoting, Dungeons and Dragons-playing little brother, who hangs with his friends, pines for a pretty cheerleader, and tries to avoid the mean-spirited pranks and hazing. Set in 1980 Michigan and executed with a dead-on sense of fashion, music, and pop-culture zeitgeist, the series used humor in an often sneaky way to explore the pain of teenage nightmares and social rites of passage. Freaks and Geeks is compassionate without losing itself in sentimentality, displaying a deft understanding of the crises that drive these kids to their often self-destructive behavior, but without letting them off the hook for their decisions. The show also launched the careers of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, and Busy Philipps. This collector's edition presents all 18 episodes in two separate versions: the original broadcast presentation in full-frame ratio, and a special widescreen TV version. Extras include episode commentaries, audition footage, deleted scenes, outtakes, bloopers, behind-the-scenes segments, a new interview with Feig and Apatow, and a booklet with essays. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)