QNBS: Freaks and Geeks

Chuck has ended and Once Upon A Time won. But the opportunity to criticize in a justified manner is so addicting that I have decided to continue my Quest for the Next Best Series. I will not rename it because I don't have enough creativity to think of a new one.

I will adopt the original QNBS method for judging a show. 1. A friend recommends a TV show or I see an interesting review or a sarcastic rant about it in the Internet. 2. I watch two episodes. 3. Write down what I think, Pros-Cons style.

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Many series exist in TV world but today I will write about Freaks and Geeks.

Plot: Two siblings deal with the awkwardness of being in high school in 1980, from homecoming dances to leaving the Mathletes.

PROS:
1. The Weir kids. Linda Cardellini as the Army-jacket-wearing Lindsay Weir and John Francis Daley as Sam Weir deliver good performances in this 1999 TV show. They have the chemistry of siblings, and exude enough individuality to carry out their stories: Lindsay is an awkward girl having identity crisis and joins the Freaks, and Sam is a lanky 103-pound boy labelled as one of the Geeks despite his efforts to shed the image.

Lindsay Weir is the Juno of the 1990s (sans teen pregnancy).

2. The Freaks. The cool guys of the 2000s are the Freaks of the 1990s. High school is so awkward that even the cool guys were labelled as Freaks. Chuck was correct when he said that nerds are this millenium's jocks. Geeks have inherited the Earth.

Buddies: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel

Super gwapo!

3. The Geeks. Sam's buddies, Neal Schweiber (played by Samm Levine) and Bill Haverchuck (played by Martin Starr), are the perfect high school buddies--funny, honest and supportive.

(l-r) Neal, Bill and Sam

4. When people say things like, "You gotta find your big, gigantic drum kit." to refer to finding one's life passion or his/her essence, I am definitely hooked. Metaphors are my favorite figure of speech. Metaphors from occasionally stoned drummer kids are just magic.

"You gotta find your big, gigantic drum kit."

5. It's fun to see today's actors in their teens. John Francis Daley is the most improved while James Franco, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen and Samm Levine looked the same.

The Freaks and Geeks: then and now

6. The show lasted for 18 episodes only. It's easy to catch up to when compared to Friends, Scrubs or Doctor Who.

7. It's funny hilarious. From the main characters to the supporting ones like Kim Kelly (Busy Philips) and Millie Ketner, who says things like: "I am going to have more fun than all you... sober." Yes, Millie was speaking to drunks at a party.

8. A decent soundtrack. First, the fact that a show has a soundtrack--whether decent or otherwise--is a plus. Second, the fact that the songs range from fairly decent to fantastic is a double plus.


CON:
I am too biased to notice. Sorry.


THE VERDICT:
If Rushmore and Juno had a child, that kid will be Freaks and Geeks. Yes, that's how impressed I am by this show, only after watching two episodes. I was a goner, so to speak, after Nick delivered the big, gigantic drum kit line. This show is made of stuff that good movies (or movies that I like) are made of. Paul Feig and Judd Apatow are my heroes now.

Too bad the show was shortlived. All things I like others don't find too amusing. That's a fact.



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You may want to look back on how other TV shows fared on the QNBS scale:

Bent
Once Upon A Time
The Inbetweeners
Game of Thrones 2
Sherlock
Suits
Game of Thrones 1
The IT Crowd
Rizzoli & Isles
Community
Awkward
New Girl
Outsourced