6 Reasons Why You Should Watch 'Freaks and Geeks' Right Now

Freaks and Geeks is perhaps one of the best television shows to ever grace the small screen. Serving as a launching pad for actors like Seth Rogen, James Franco, and Jason Segel, the teenage "dramedy" created by Judd Apatow and Paul Feig was the first to portray high school in a realistic way. The only sad part is it lasted just one season. Even with only 18 episodes to offer, the show left quite an impact on viewers who watched regularly and it has since become a highly-treasured cult classic.

Although Freaks and Geeks has a devoted fan base almost two decades after the fact, there are still people who have never seen the show. Credit that to being canceled too early, but most viewers, including myself, take every opportunity to convince people who have never seen the show to give it a shot. So without further ado, here is my attempt to convince you non-viewers to give this show a try. It is seriously awesome.

Besides, it's all on Netflix.

6. All of Those Celebrity Cameos

Freaks and Geeks not only has a great main cast, but the number of cameos and minor characters is just as memorable. Actors who made their debuts or simply appeared prior to their big break include Shia LaBeouf, Ben Foster, Jason Schwartzman, Lizzy Caplan, Chauncey Leopardi, Rashida Jones, Alexander Gould, David Krumholtz, and many more. Some well-established actors such as Ben Stiller and Leslie Mann also made appearances throughout the series.

5. Face it. The show has great music.

A majority of the show's budget was spent on the music and it really paid off because the sounds are awesome. The music rights delayed the show's DVD release for close to five years, but the timely soundtrack resonates strongly with the decade as well as the characters.

I mean, really, who wouldn't want to be serenaded to Styx or Rush? Not only that, but the show's theme song is "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

4. The fashions are the absolute best.

Film and television often immortalize the fashion of the time period and Freaks and Geeks is no exception. Whether it's Lindsay's Army jacket, Sam's striped shirts, or the abundance of leftover big lapels from the prior decade, seeing our characters dressed in a variety of late-70s fashions resonates with the time period. It can also make us glad some styles have never come back. I don't think anyone wants to see Sam's "Ken Doll" outfit in the halls anytime soon.

3. It's ridiculously realistic and relatable.

Admit it, Hollywood versions of high school stereotypes and situations never happen in real life. The difference with Freaks and Geeks is that the situations are realistic and the characters are relatable and they do exist. Situations involving teen drinking, break-ups, friendship, crushes, and trying to change your clique are all real things we face in high school. Our characters go through realistic situations, not just Hollywood versions of them, and that is a rare thing to see on the big or small screen.

2. The main cast is perfect.

Just about everyone in the main set of characters has gone onto bigger and better things. The likes of James Franco, Seth Rogen, John Francis Daley, Martin Starr, Busy Phillips, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, and more are names that are even more familiar these days than they were then. Great chemistry between actors makes for great character development and aids in the viewer bonding with them. With this main cast, there is no shortage of rooting for these characters.

1. The humor is spot on.

Along with what I already mentioned about the portrayal of high school being realistic, the humor is also realistic for the age group. It's not jammed full of stupid, overly witty jokes and dialogue to make high school seem funnier than it actually is and it's certainly not making parents seem truly funny. The dialogue between the students is funny in a way that we all experienced and the adult humor is funny because of the sheer fact that as an adult now, we all deliver corny lines like that, especially to people younger than we are.

Of course there are more reasons why you should watch Freaks and Geeks, but those are a good starting point of what to expect going in. The great thing with this show as opposed to the typical high school, teen movie, or shows like Glee and Awkward is it's realistic, funny in a way that can really happen, and it taps into emotions that we all felt from grades 9 to 12.