More on "Freaks and Geeks"

A few blog entries back, I expressed some disappointment with writer/producer Judd Apatow’s recent film comedies. I also (briefly) mentioned his involvement with the wonderful T.V. show Freaks and Geeks in the late nineties.

I thought I’d add another short note about Freaks and Geeks, a show that, while off the air for the better part of a decade, continues to be better than many things that wind up on the networks. The writing was excellent, and the comic timing of the actors involved was also quite good.



One of the reasons that the show worked so well was that the writers remembered the humanity of almost all of their characters. Sure, they cracked some jokes at the expense of the teachers and parents – easy targets that have been the butt of many school-centered film jokes. Fortunately, the writers were smart – they may have gotten some comic mileage out of the adults, but the writers also allowed them a degree of intelligence and personality that other shows are often too lazy to try for.

The central characters’ father, for example, may occasionally verge on caricature, but because his shtick is allowed genuine context, and because viewers are able to see that he really cares about his kids, the character remains human. That humanity makes him even funnier – because, though his comedy may be broad, it has a recognizable foundation in reality.



Even the character of the high school gym teacher – that ancient lunkhead stereotype – gets a bit of depth here. Not an enormous amount of depth, mind you, but some depth all the same.

A truly excellent show.