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- [Jason] High school is where
yyou kinda become who you are.
2
00:00:17,484 --> 00:00:20,120
- [Linda] Those years
are tough years.
3
00:00:20,153 --> 00:00:24,357
Your emotions and your hormones
and everything runs so high
4
00:00:24,391 --> 00:00:26,526
in a way that you've never
experienced them before.
5
00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:29,662
- [Judd] All of those
things are universal
6
00:00:29,696 --> 00:00:31,798
and will never change.
7
00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:37,771
- You grow up, you
get different clothes
8
00:00:37,804 --> 00:00:40,473
and become more confident
in your guesses.
9
00:00:40,507 --> 00:00:42,442
- In high school, I wasn't like
10
00:00:42,475 --> 00:00:44,110
at the bottom of the totem pole
11
00:00:44,144 --> 00:00:45,412
and I wasn't at the
top of the totem pole,
12
00:00:45,445 --> 00:00:47,147
but kinda somewhere
in the middle.
13
00:00:47,180 --> 00:00:48,648
- When I was a kid,
I always thought
14
00:00:48,681 --> 00:00:52,485
nobody understands
what's special about me.
15
00:00:52,519 --> 00:00:54,120
I felt very alone.
16
00:00:54,154 --> 00:00:57,257
- Childhood sucks and
adolescence sucks,
17
00:00:57,290 --> 00:01:00,126
so I was like I want to
be anything but myself.
18
00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,530
- Wait, does everyone's
life suck in high school?
19
00:01:03,563 --> 00:01:05,698
Yeah, kinda.
20
00:01:05,732 --> 00:01:07,700
- Those are growing pains.
21
00:01:07,734 --> 00:01:09,736
You think you know so much
but you're just so relatively
22
00:01:09,769 --> 00:01:12,472
small in the world, you're
just so young in the world.
23
00:01:12,505 --> 00:01:17,510
- I'm so glad that the most
awkward moments in my childhood
24
00:01:17,544 --> 00:01:19,279
were actually captured on film
25
00:01:19,312 --> 00:01:21,347
in the context of a
really great show.
26
00:01:21,381 --> 00:01:24,651
- This tiny little show, that
only lasted a couple months
27
00:01:24,684 --> 00:01:29,456
from '99 to 2000 has
found so many people.
28
00:01:29,489 --> 00:01:31,624
- They've all gone on not
only to be famous actors
29
00:01:31,658 --> 00:01:35,261
but they're amazing writers,
producers, directors.
30
00:01:35,295 --> 00:01:37,730
- And we all have,
I certainly do,
31
00:01:37,764 --> 00:01:40,333
have a little freak and
a little geek in me.
32
00:01:40,366 --> 00:01:42,202
- Did you ever go
to high school?
33
00:01:42,235 --> 00:01:43,303
Yeah.
34
00:01:43,336 --> 00:01:44,337
Okay, then it's about you.
35
00:01:46,406 --> 00:01:48,942
And then 18 episodes later
they go that dude was right.
36
00:01:48,975 --> 00:01:52,745
Dumbledore at the
mall was right.
37
00:01:52,779 --> 00:01:57,584
♪ I don't give a damn
about my reputation ♪
38
00:02:00,420 --> 00:02:05,191
♪ You're livin' in the past,
it's a new generation ♪
39
00:02:08,228 --> 00:02:12,298
♪ A girl can do what
she wants to do ♪
40
00:02:12,332 --> 00:02:15,502
♪ That's what I'm gonna do
41
00:02:15,535 --> 00:02:20,240
♪ And I don't give a damn
about my bad reputation ♪
42
00:02:22,942 --> 00:02:26,513
♪ Oh no
43
00:02:26,546 --> 00:02:30,650
♪ Not me
44
00:02:30,683 --> 00:02:32,519
♪ Oh no
45
00:02:32,552 --> 00:02:34,521
♪ Not me
46
00:02:35,722 --> 00:02:38,892
(electronic pop music)
47
00:02:44,597 --> 00:02:47,200
(dramatic music)
48
00:02:55,608 --> 00:02:59,412
- The Ranch was the place
where we all kinda converged.
49
00:02:59,445 --> 00:03:00,780
It was just a really
shitty ranch house
50
00:03:00,813 --> 00:03:04,984
in North Hollywood that
we trashed, of course.
51
00:03:05,018 --> 00:03:06,953
- You know, it was a
bunch of lazy fat guys
52
00:03:06,986 --> 00:03:07,954
hanging around mostly.
53
00:03:10,290 --> 00:03:11,391
- Among the people
who went there
54
00:03:11,424 --> 00:03:13,626
was Feig and Judd Apatow.
55
00:03:14,928 --> 00:03:16,663
- We'd all go do stand-up
and then we'd come back
56
00:03:16,696 --> 00:03:18,665
at the end of the
night every night
57
00:03:18,698 --> 00:03:21,801
and we would just stay up and
play poker and drink coffee.
58
00:03:21,834 --> 00:03:25,505
- [Judd] No drugs at all,
just Pepsis and cigarettes.
59
00:03:25,538 --> 00:03:27,407
- [Steve] Judd was
younger than all of us.
60
00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:28,808
- He had a really
funny stand-up act.
61
00:03:28,841 --> 00:03:30,343
He does this thing
with his forehead.
62
00:03:30,376 --> 00:03:31,644
Have you ever seen that one?
63
00:03:31,678 --> 00:03:32,979
You should ask him
about that one.
64
00:03:33,012 --> 00:03:35,815
(squeaking)
65
00:03:35,848 --> 00:03:37,717
- That was as good
as my stand-up got.
66
00:03:39,452 --> 00:03:41,854
It was just a lot of dreaming
of what we hoped we could do.
67
00:03:41,888 --> 00:03:42,889
I didn't really
have a sense that
68
00:03:42,922 --> 00:03:44,557
any of us would pull it off.
69
00:03:47,627 --> 00:03:51,798
(soft music)
(typing)
70
00:03:54,701 --> 00:03:56,669
- [Paul Feig] I had the
idea for a while
71
00:03:56,703 --> 00:03:58,638
of wanting to do something
about high school.
72
00:03:59,806 --> 00:04:01,608
It really came out
of just the fact that
73
00:04:01,641 --> 00:04:04,611
I hadn't seen myself or the
people we went to school with
74
00:04:04,644 --> 00:04:07,280
represented properly in
any high school show.
75
00:04:08,915 --> 00:04:11,050
Everything at that time
you watched on television
76
00:04:11,084 --> 00:04:12,752
was either about LA or New York.
77
00:04:13,987 --> 00:04:15,488
The middle of the country
78
00:04:15,521 --> 00:04:17,056
was just treated
sorta despairingly.
79
00:04:17,090 --> 00:04:19,392
- Michigan in winter.
80
00:04:19,425 --> 00:04:20,727
The late '70s.
81
00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:22,629
All that stuff made
for an odd show.
82
00:04:24,597 --> 00:04:25,798
- [Paul] It's based on
the town I grew up in,
83
00:04:25,832 --> 00:04:27,533
which is Mount
Clemens, Michigan.
84
00:04:29,869 --> 00:04:32,705
I need to be an advocate
for the Midwest.
85
00:04:32,739 --> 00:04:34,741
I want to be an advocate
for real people.
86
00:04:36,576 --> 00:04:38,511
It's where most of us grew up.
87
00:04:41,981 --> 00:04:43,950
And so, I really started writing
88
00:04:43,983 --> 00:04:45,618
and it just really
poured out of me.
89
00:04:48,821 --> 00:04:50,590
I was in love with
the head cheerleader.
90
00:04:51,658 --> 00:04:52,992
- [Cindy] Hi Sam.
91
00:04:53,026 --> 00:04:54,627
- [Sam] Oh, hi Cindy.
92
00:04:54,661 --> 00:04:55,528
- [Cindy] So, um,
what are you doing?
93
00:04:56,729 --> 00:04:57,563
- [Sam] Just going home.
94
00:04:57,597 --> 00:04:58,731
How about you?
95
00:04:58,765 --> 00:04:59,999
- I'm cheering at the game.
96
00:05:01,668 --> 00:05:06,072
- Oh, (chuckles) well
you're dressed for it.
97
00:05:06,105 --> 00:05:08,374
- I wanted to ask her
to the homecoming dance
98
00:05:08,408 --> 00:05:10,643
but I just kept putting it off
and the day of I asked her,
99
00:05:10,677 --> 00:05:12,378
which is ridiculous but
she was really nice,
100
00:05:12,412 --> 00:05:13,913
oh thanks, I have a date.
101
00:05:13,946 --> 00:05:15,548
- I'm already going
with Dan Lewis,
102
00:05:15,581 --> 00:05:17,750
he asked me two weeks ago.
103
00:05:17,784 --> 00:05:18,584
- [Paul] So, I thought,
okay we can make that
104
00:05:18,618 --> 00:05:20,553
the story for the geeks.
105
00:05:20,586 --> 00:05:24,757
- Oh okay, I mean yeah
just thought I would ask
106
00:05:24,791 --> 00:05:26,426
just in case you didn't
have anyone to go with.
107
00:05:26,459 --> 00:05:27,860
- I wanted it to be about
a brother and sister
108
00:05:27,894 --> 00:05:29,696
because I was an only child,
109
00:05:29,729 --> 00:05:32,065
and I always wanted
an older sister.
110
00:05:32,098 --> 00:05:33,866
What would Lindsey's story be?
111
00:05:33,900 --> 00:05:36,436
And I just remembering think
well she's such a rebel,
112
00:05:36,469 --> 00:05:38,071
what if she decided
she was gonna ask
113
00:05:38,104 --> 00:05:40,006
the mentally challenged kid,
114
00:05:40,039 --> 00:05:42,608
kinda an act of screw you
to the rest of the school.
115
00:05:42,642 --> 00:05:44,410
- Hey Eli,
116
00:05:44,444 --> 00:05:46,412
do you want to go to the
homecoming dance with me?
117
00:05:46,446 --> 00:05:47,680
- Yes, yes, I do!
118
00:05:47,714 --> 00:05:49,048
Yep, please.
119
00:05:49,082 --> 00:11:39,636
- Good.
120
00:05:51,851 --> 00:05:54,120
- We used to call the
burnouts, we called them Freaks
121
00:05:54,153 --> 00:05:57,156
and so I was like, geeks
that rhymes with freaks.
122
00:05:57,190 --> 00:05:59,125
Let's call it Freaks and Geeks.
123
00:05:59,158 --> 00:06:00,860
My wife put her hand up and
she goes give me a hand five
124
00:06:00,893 --> 00:06:02,695
and like, high fived me,
125
00:06:02,729 --> 00:06:04,497
and goes like this is
the one you send to Judd.
126
00:06:04,530 --> 00:06:06,699
- I did a deal with DreamWorks.
127
00:06:06,733 --> 00:06:10,570
Very early on in the
deal, I said to Feig,
128
00:06:10,603 --> 00:06:14,207
"Hey if you ever have any ideas
for anything, let me know."
129
00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,876
Not necessarily
thinking he would.
130
00:06:18,211 --> 00:06:20,847
He didn't talk to me about
it while he was doing it,
131
00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,783
he just laid it on me
and it was impressive.
132
00:06:25,017 --> 00:06:26,886
- [Paul] He goes, I love
it, were going to buy it
133
00:06:26,919 --> 00:06:29,155
and it was just like oh
my god this is happening.
134
00:06:31,524 --> 00:06:33,626
- I was the president of
DreamWorks Television.
135
00:06:33,659 --> 00:06:36,562
Justin came into my
office one day and said
136
00:06:37,930 --> 00:06:42,535
Judd has this spec script
written by this guy Paul Feig,
137
00:06:42,835 --> 00:06:44,604
and I'm like who's Paul Feig?
138
00:06:44,637 --> 00:06:46,706
You know, "I said
what's it about?"
139
00:06:46,739 --> 00:06:48,608
And he said well, "Well,
it's set in a high school
140
00:06:48,641 --> 00:06:49,942
"in the Midwest
in the late '80s"
141
00:06:49,976 --> 00:06:52,078
and I was like, "We'll
never sell that,
142
00:06:52,111 --> 00:06:53,913
"we'll never sell it."
143
00:06:53,946 --> 00:06:58,084
- [Judd] The '99 shows
weren't as challenging.
144
00:06:58,117 --> 00:07:00,987
(upbeat jazz music)
145
00:07:03,089 --> 00:07:05,258
- [Jake] It was also a time
when network television
146
00:07:05,291 --> 00:07:07,760
was still most of television.
147
00:07:07,794 --> 00:07:09,595
- [Steve] NBC had
been a really dominate
148
00:07:09,629 --> 00:07:11,230
number one in young viewers.
149
00:07:11,264 --> 00:07:12,999
- Boy, those were the days, huh?
150
00:07:13,032 --> 00:07:15,802
- [Shelley] Must See TV
was like a really big deal.
151
00:07:15,835 --> 00:07:18,771
- [Busy] There was like the
proliferation of teen TV
152
00:07:18,805 --> 00:07:21,774
in part due to the massive
success of Dawson's Creek.
153
00:07:22,875 --> 00:07:25,278
- [Seth] WB was popular.
154
00:07:25,311 --> 00:07:27,113
- [Garth] Charmed,
and 7th Heaven,
155
00:07:27,146 --> 00:07:29,182
and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
156
00:07:29,215 --> 00:07:31,717
- [Scott] Frasier,
Will & Grace, Friends.
157
00:07:31,751 --> 00:07:32,785
- [Joe] What was that other one?
158
00:07:32,819 --> 00:07:34,053
Uh, Malcolm in the Middle.
159
00:07:34,086 --> 00:07:36,622
- A really great
show but you know,
160
00:07:36,656 --> 00:07:40,793
a very heightened version of
childhood and the teen years.
161
00:07:40,827 --> 00:07:42,895
- It was wish-fulfillment
television.
162
00:07:42,929 --> 00:07:44,664
You know, soap opera type shows
163
00:07:44,697 --> 00:07:46,165
but I think what we
were trying to do
164
00:07:46,199 --> 00:07:47,667
was some sort of alternative.
165
00:07:47,700 --> 00:07:48,935
- At that point,
there was really
166
00:07:48,968 --> 00:07:50,736
four places you
could sell the show.
167
00:07:50,770 --> 00:07:52,238
Fox, NBC, ABC and CBS.
168
00:07:53,940 --> 00:07:55,641
We collectively thought the
place where we could sell this
169
00:07:55,675 --> 00:07:57,777
is Fox and we're
going to sell it
170
00:07:57,810 --> 00:08:00,947
as the next
iteration of a 90210.
171
00:08:00,980 --> 00:08:02,648
Immediately, Fox passed.
172
00:08:04,083 --> 00:08:05,751
We're going to have a harder
time with this than I thought.
173
00:08:05,785 --> 00:08:09,222
Then of course, CBS passed
and then ABC had passed, too.
174
00:08:09,255 --> 00:08:11,023
We didn't hear anything
from NBC on Monday
175
00:08:11,057 --> 00:08:13,226
and then on Tuesday
we got a call.
176
00:08:13,259 --> 00:08:14,861
- I don't even remember
why they brought
177
00:08:14,894 --> 00:08:16,262
it to us because it
didn't really seem like
178
00:08:16,295 --> 00:08:17,263
an NBC show at the time.
179
00:08:17,296 --> 00:08:19,198
- I know.
180
00:08:19,232 --> 00:08:21,634
- So, Shelley called and
said, "This is unbelievable."
181
00:08:21,667 --> 00:08:23,569
It spoke to her.
182
00:08:23,603 --> 00:08:26,806
- And her famous line was
"If we don't make this show,
183
00:08:26,839 --> 00:08:28,341
"I'm quitting the
television business."
184
00:08:28,374 --> 00:08:30,977
Nobody says that, you know,
185
00:08:31,010 --> 00:08:33,746
everybody is in the ass
protecting business.
186
00:08:33,779 --> 00:08:36,649
- They so perfectly
captured that aching,
187
00:08:36,682 --> 00:08:40,853
awkward pain of teenage years.
188
00:08:40,887 --> 00:08:43,789
- It was a weird moment at
NBC because the president
189
00:08:43,823 --> 00:08:46,692
of NBC programming
had just stepped down.
190
00:08:46,726 --> 00:08:49,128
So, Scott Sassa, who
was the guy above
191
00:08:49,161 --> 00:08:53,666
the head of programming, he
really wasn't the creative guy.
192
00:08:53,699 --> 00:08:55,801
- It was the first
show when I read
193
00:08:55,835 --> 00:08:57,737
the script that
really spoke to me
194
00:08:57,770 --> 00:09:00,306
because it was how I
grew up in high school.
195
00:09:00,339 --> 00:09:03,309
- It happened very fast,
NBC was super enthusiastic
196
00:09:03,342 --> 00:09:05,144
and they were ready to go.
197
00:09:05,177 --> 00:09:06,879
- They were like "We don't
even have any notes,"
198
00:09:06,913 --> 00:09:08,814
which you're like "Oh my
god, I can't believe that."
199
00:09:08,848 --> 00:09:10,650
- We just said we'll make it.
200
00:09:10,683 --> 00:09:12,385
We don't want to touch it,
we just want to shoot it.
201
00:09:12,418 --> 00:09:14,654
Yeah.
- Yeah.
202
00:09:14,687 --> 00:09:17,023
- It was such a whirlwind from
writing this thing on spec,
203
00:09:17,056 --> 00:09:18,391
not knowing what to do
with it and suddenly,
204
00:09:18,424 --> 00:09:20,626
oh my god we're going
into production.
205
00:09:23,162 --> 00:09:24,997
(soft music)
(people chattering)
206
00:09:25,031 --> 00:09:27,333
- [Judd] A lot of the work
was figuring out who would
207
00:09:27,366 --> 00:09:29,135
play these characters.
208
00:09:31,037 --> 00:09:34,640
- I wanted an
awkward, normal cast,
209
00:09:34,674 --> 00:09:35,875
who were going to come
in and bring their
210
00:09:35,908 --> 00:09:38,010
personality and bring
their weirdness.
211
00:09:38,044 --> 00:09:41,013
- I said, "Let's
find amazing kids."
212
00:09:41,047 --> 00:09:42,782
- I seem to drawn to projects
213
00:09:42,815 --> 00:09:45,651
where I don't have to
cast beautiful people.
214
00:09:47,019 --> 00:09:47,720
Not interesting.
215
00:09:49,322 --> 00:09:51,290
- [Jake] Allison started
setting up sessions.
216
00:09:51,324 --> 00:09:53,359
- [Paul] Throw the doors open
wide, I want to see everybody.
217
00:09:53,392 --> 00:09:55,227
Don't weed anybody out
if they don't even sound
218
00:09:55,261 --> 00:09:56,662
like the description
of the kids.
219
00:09:56,696 --> 00:09:58,698
- [Judd] Let's let
anybody show up.
220
00:09:58,731 --> 00:10:00,900
- [Allison] Everybody's
niece and nephew.
221
00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:02,902
- [Judd] Let's do
open call auditions.
222
00:10:02,935 --> 00:10:05,404
- We sit down with the network,
alright this is the vision.
223
00:10:05,438 --> 00:10:06,939
They're going to
make us cast a bunch
224
00:10:06,973 --> 00:10:08,975
of handsome models
and call them nerds
225
00:10:09,008 --> 00:10:10,810
and put tape on their glasses
but they're all super hot.
226
00:10:10,843 --> 00:10:12,778
- Anybody who read
it, it was obvious,
227
00:10:12,812 --> 00:10:14,213
you didn't want
those kind of kids.
228
00:10:14,246 --> 00:10:15,448
You needed the kids
who got picked on.
229
00:10:15,481 --> 00:10:16,716
- A thousand people
would show up.
230
00:10:16,749 --> 00:10:18,317
1500 people would show up.
231
00:10:18,351 --> 00:10:20,720
Given a line or two
and if someone was good
232
00:10:20,753 --> 00:10:22,288
maybe we'd give
them a page to do.
233
00:10:25,891 --> 00:10:27,693
- [Allison] Franco must have
been one of the first kids
234
00:10:27,727 --> 00:10:29,028
that I brought in
for that because
235
00:10:29,061 --> 00:10:30,730
he was so clearly that kid.
236
00:10:30,763 --> 00:10:34,300
- Judd said just be you
and I was like, "Okay."
237
00:10:51,784 --> 00:10:53,719
- and I didn't even think
James Franco was handsome.
238
00:10:53,753 --> 00:10:55,388
We just thought he was
a weird looking dude.
239
00:10:55,421 --> 00:10:58,424
He had this big
mouth and an attitude
240
00:11:00,092 --> 00:11:02,194
and then people started looking
at the tape at the office
241
00:11:02,228 --> 00:11:05,064
and seeing his headshot,
all the women were swooning
242
00:11:05,097 --> 00:11:06,465
and we were like "Really?"
243
00:11:06,499 --> 00:11:08,734
- Oh no!
244
00:11:08,768 --> 00:11:09,869
Now I don't want him on the
show, I didn't know he was hot.
245
00:11:09,902 --> 00:11:11,437
I thought he was goofy looking.
246
00:11:11,470 --> 00:11:14,507
- My wife said,
"He's the kinda guy
247
00:11:14,540 --> 00:11:17,443
"who works at the newsstand
who you make out with."
248
00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:37,329
- It was me and James
Franco next to each
249
00:11:37,363 --> 00:11:39,265
other in the waiting room
to go into the screen test.
250
00:11:39,298 --> 00:11:41,867
James went in and then I
went in and did my thing
251
00:11:41,901 --> 00:11:43,836
and then we waited
and then they told us
252
00:11:43,869 --> 00:11:45,471
that we both got cast.
253
00:11:45,504 --> 00:11:47,773
We were walking back to
the parking lot together
254
00:11:47,807 --> 00:11:49,241
and I was so excited and
was trying to figure out
255
00:11:49,275 --> 00:11:51,177
how it was going to work.
256
00:11:51,210 --> 00:11:54,547
And I said, "Well I guess
maybe I'll be the goofy one
257
00:11:54,580 --> 00:11:56,482
"and you'll be the cool one?"
258
00:11:56,515 --> 00:11:58,451
And he went, "Yeah."
259
00:12:03,422 --> 00:12:04,523
- [Allison] Seth
opened his mouth
260
00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:05,791
and I'm sure they like him.
261
00:12:07,059 --> 00:12:08,794
- I have a super
thick Canadian accent
262
00:12:08,828 --> 00:12:10,529
that I don't really have
any more, in my audition.
263
00:12:10,563 --> 00:12:13,265
Yeah, but who
cares, it's church.
264
00:12:13,299 --> 00:12:14,400
The whole place is
full of paintings
265
00:12:14,433 --> 00:12:16,936
of a bleeding guy on a cross.
266
00:12:16,969 --> 00:12:19,438
That's way nastier than
any album cover I have.
267
00:12:19,472 --> 00:12:21,540
I was doing stand-up
comedy at the time
268
00:12:21,574 --> 00:12:23,909
I'd done that
since I was like 13
269
00:12:23,943 --> 00:12:25,244
and it was like clear
I was just like
270
00:12:25,277 --> 00:12:27,913
not going to graduate
high school.
271
00:12:27,947 --> 00:12:29,982
- [Jake] It's just
this crazy story, right?
272
00:12:30,015 --> 00:12:32,585
The kid walks into
an audition in Vancouver
273
00:12:32,618 --> 00:12:35,187
and six years later
or whatever is one of
274
00:12:35,221 --> 00:12:37,590
the biggest comedy
stars in the world
275
00:12:37,623 --> 00:12:39,458
and he kinda never went home.
276
00:12:39,492 --> 00:12:41,227
- I think what a lot
of people attribute
277
00:12:41,260 --> 00:12:43,863
to some character choices
is literally just me
278
00:12:43,896 --> 00:12:46,599
not quite understanding
what the hell I'm doing.
279
00:12:46,632 --> 00:12:49,335
I had never acted,
ever, in anything.
280
00:12:50,603 --> 00:12:52,371
- We didn't know what it was,
281
00:12:52,404 --> 00:13:00,179
we just thought "That is
a weird. hilarious dude."
282
00:13:00,212 --> 00:13:02,615
- What Paul had written
was very specific.
283
00:13:02,648 --> 00:13:06,952
A smart, young woman who had sat
284
00:13:06,986 --> 00:13:08,954
with her grandmother
while she died.
285
00:13:12,291 --> 00:13:13,993
- She's questioning everything
286
00:13:14,026 --> 00:13:15,494
and that leads her to
hang out with the freaks
287
00:13:15,528 --> 00:13:17,496
instead of the smart kids.
288
00:13:17,530 --> 00:13:19,398
So, you needed a girl that
looked like she could
289
00:13:19,431 --> 00:13:20,933
straddle both worlds.
290
00:13:22,902 --> 00:13:24,436
- I had concocted this image
of this girl in my head
291
00:13:24,470 --> 00:13:27,106
who I didn't know, and
so when Linda walked in,
292
00:13:27,139 --> 00:13:30,276
it was exactly the person
who I had envisioned.
293
00:13:30,309 --> 00:13:32,444
- All the other
characters I had read were
294
00:13:32,478 --> 00:13:34,880
rebelling against
their parents in a way
295
00:13:34,914 --> 00:13:37,316
where you couldn't
actually still feel love.
296
00:13:37,349 --> 00:13:39,218
The thing that separated
Lindsay is that she really
297
00:13:39,251 --> 00:13:41,053
loved her parents, but there
were still those battles in
298
00:13:41,086 --> 00:13:42,588
herself to rebel.
299
00:13:42,621 --> 00:13:43,522
It's a great role.
300
00:13:51,096 --> 00:13:53,399
- [Jake] Originally, Kim
was not in the pilot.
301
00:13:53,432 --> 00:13:56,168
The character was supposed to
enter in the second episode.
302
00:13:58,938 --> 00:14:01,340
- [Judd] We realized
that she was very special
303
00:14:01,373 --> 00:14:04,343
and would need to be a
big part of the show.
304
00:14:04,376 --> 00:14:07,012
- I wasn't outwardly
Kim Kelly in high school
305
00:14:07,046 --> 00:14:09,048
but that's like, that
was my soul, like,
306
00:14:09,081 --> 00:14:11,217
that's who I was, was that girl.
307
00:14:13,052 --> 00:14:14,653
- Sam Levine, radio.
308
00:14:14,687 --> 00:14:17,456
- Sam had sent in a video
of himself auditioning.
309
00:14:17,489 --> 00:14:19,592
Not a great audition.
310
00:14:19,625 --> 00:14:21,093
- [Woman] Uh oh, Incoming.
311
00:14:25,164 --> 00:14:26,532
- [Woman] Hi, is
this your jacket?
312
00:14:29,134 --> 00:14:30,336
- [Woman] You left
it in science.
313
00:14:30,369 --> 00:14:31,670
I didn't want it
to get all dirty.
314
00:14:34,607 --> 00:14:36,942
- [Judd] The worst
audition, ever.
315
00:14:38,377 --> 00:14:40,346
- The sides I was reading
said he likes doing
316
00:14:40,379 --> 00:14:43,449
impressions with his friends,
so I finished the read and say
317
00:15:02,568 --> 00:15:06,605
I'm talking like this because
my girdle is killing me.
318
00:15:09,008 --> 00:15:11,543
And that is the William
Shatner impression
319
00:15:11,577 --> 00:15:13,078
that got me on Freaks and Geeks.
320
00:15:17,216 --> 00:15:19,051
- I remember walking out
into the waiting room
321
00:15:19,084 --> 00:15:20,986
and Martin was sitting
there with suspenders on,
322
00:15:21,020 --> 00:15:23,255
looking like such a goober.
323
00:15:23,289 --> 00:15:24,957
I was, like, "Oh please,
oh please, be good."
324
00:15:35,100 --> 00:15:36,702
- I fell in love with
Martin immediately,
325
00:15:36,735 --> 00:15:38,704
because he was so
much like the kid
326
00:15:38,737 --> 00:15:41,573
I had based this on, which
was, he was a friend of ours.
327
00:15:41,607 --> 00:15:43,642
He was in special ed
some of his classes,
328
00:15:43,676 --> 00:15:45,544
but he wasn't in others.
329
00:15:45,577 --> 00:15:47,613
- He was so authentic in
that role that everybody just
330
00:15:47,646 --> 00:15:50,082
figured that was him,
which is what everybody
331
00:15:50,115 --> 00:15:51,450
assumed for years.
332
00:15:53,485 --> 00:15:55,421
- So many like, weird
characters that couldn't exist
333
00:15:55,454 --> 00:15:57,122
if you were casting
anything else.
334
00:15:58,524 --> 00:16:00,359
All these pieces fit
so well together.
335
00:16:00,392 --> 00:16:01,160
It's very rare.
336
00:16:09,401 --> 00:16:10,169
Think about it, that's
the future, death.
337
00:16:12,304 --> 00:16:14,273
-All right, no boarders,
all right...
338
00:16:14,306 --> 00:16:16,642
- I could actually audition
as a gym teacher in my sleep.
339
00:16:16,675 --> 00:16:19,111
- Well they based Harris
on their impression of me.
340
00:16:24,817 --> 00:16:25,451
- Watch this, ready?
341
00:16:25,484 --> 00:16:26,552
Gruber.
342
00:16:26,585 --> 00:16:27,353
- Oh hey, how's it going?
343
00:16:27,386 --> 00:16:28,387
Ah, Mr. Rosso.
344
00:16:30,222 --> 00:16:31,757
- [Allison] Lizzy Caplan
was great right away.
345
00:16:31,790 --> 00:16:34,727
- [Paul] Rashida Jones
was just a young actress.
346
00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:36,829
- [Allison] Ben Foster
is so great in it too.
347
00:16:36,862 --> 00:16:39,665
- [Jake] Shia was a trip,
even when he was twelve.
348
00:16:39,698 --> 00:16:41,734
- I was so envious
of all those actors
349
00:16:41,767 --> 00:16:45,037
and I wanted to be a regular
on that show, so badly.
350
00:16:46,472 --> 00:16:48,607
You know, I totally forgot
what my character's name was.
351
00:16:51,176 --> 00:16:53,712
- Within the first
week, we had, like,
352
00:16:53,746 --> 00:16:55,781
half of the principle cast.
353
00:16:57,182 --> 00:16:58,751
The one character who
we were really sort
354
00:16:58,784 --> 00:17:02,154
of struggling to find was Sam.
355
00:17:03,422 --> 00:17:04,623
- [Judd] We were watching
the tapes from New York,
356
00:17:04,656 --> 00:17:06,458
and there's John Francis Daly.
357
00:17:11,730 --> 00:17:13,599
- [Judd] He was really
young, I think he was 13.
358
00:17:13,632 --> 00:17:16,668
- Producers only want to use
kids who are 18 to look 13.
359
00:17:16,702 --> 00:17:19,571
- (laughs) I sounded
totally like a girl,
360
00:17:19,605 --> 00:17:22,574
so I didn't think that I had
a chance because of that.
361
00:17:22,608 --> 00:17:25,077
- [Judd] And as I'm watching,
I go, like, "Oh my God."
362
00:17:27,913 --> 00:17:28,847
- [Judd] It almost
didn't feel like it was
363
00:17:28,881 --> 00:17:30,516
an actor doing it.
364
00:17:32,518 --> 00:17:33,719
- He has like a glass head.
365
00:17:33,752 --> 00:17:35,154
Because you look in those eyes,
366
00:17:35,187 --> 00:17:36,655
you see everything
he is thinking,
367
00:17:36,688 --> 00:17:38,457
you know everything that
kid is going through.
368
00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:42,327
This is what was great
about high school
369
00:17:42,361 --> 00:17:43,862
and terrible about
high school is everyone
370
00:17:43,896 --> 00:17:45,831
went in at a different
maturity level.
371
00:17:45,864 --> 00:17:48,634
He's the kid that's kind of
too young to be in school.
372
00:17:50,169 --> 00:17:52,571
- [Jake] Finding John was
kind of a definitive moment.
373
00:17:52,604 --> 00:17:54,239
We were very comprehensive,
374
00:17:54,273 --> 00:17:56,475
we were very thorough,
but we found this,
375
00:17:56,508 --> 00:17:57,776
just astounding group of people.
376
00:18:00,579 --> 00:18:02,681
(soft music)
377
00:18:14,393 --> 00:18:17,463
- [Director] Quiet please.
378
00:18:17,496 --> 00:18:19,631
- We had a really unique
and unusual experience
379
00:18:19,665 --> 00:18:21,233
making that pilot.
380
00:18:21,266 --> 00:18:22,267
- There was like,
jokes about doing
381
00:18:22,301 --> 00:18:24,403
shrooms and stuff like that.
382
00:18:24,436 --> 00:18:26,505
There was a Hitler joke.
383
00:18:26,538 --> 00:18:27,606
And I remember being like, "Oh
this is actually very funny."
384
00:18:33,579 --> 00:18:37,483
(yelling)
(laughing)
385
00:18:37,516 --> 00:18:39,651
(yelling)
386
00:18:41,487 --> 00:18:43,722
- [Paul] We shot the pilot,
and it was like shooting
387
00:18:43,755 --> 00:18:45,958
a little indie movie.
388
00:18:45,991 --> 00:18:48,594
- The whole process, to
me, of making the show,
389
00:18:48,627 --> 00:18:50,395
had the naivety of youth.
390
00:18:51,630 --> 00:18:54,800
Like, we had no reason
to believe we couldn't
391
00:18:54,833 --> 00:18:55,934
do the coolest thing ever.
392
00:18:58,704 --> 00:19:01,740
- Paul was very set
on having a family
393
00:19:01,773 --> 00:19:03,809
that liked each other.
394
00:19:03,842 --> 00:19:05,677
Not everyone's fighting, and I
thought, "Yeah, that's great.
395
00:19:05,711 --> 00:19:09,448
"That's something that
didn't exist in my house."
396
00:19:10,816 --> 00:19:14,586
- [Jake] The Weir
family is so solid.
397
00:19:15,888 --> 00:19:17,656
- The Weirs are hopeful.
398
00:19:17,689 --> 00:19:18,457
Sam.
399
00:19:21,493 --> 00:19:22,928
Did Mom and Dad
ever tell you that
400
00:19:22,961 --> 00:19:24,530
I was the only one with
Grandma when she died?
401
00:19:25,931 --> 00:19:27,699
- No.
402
00:19:28,834 --> 00:19:30,369
- Yeah.
403
00:19:31,703 --> 00:19:34,540
- I was surprised
that the network had
404
00:19:34,573 --> 00:19:36,575
no issue with the
conceit of the show.
405
00:19:37,843 --> 00:19:41,680
A girl who's now questioning
her spirituality,
406
00:19:41,713 --> 00:19:44,616
discovering God does not exist.
407
00:19:44,650 --> 00:19:46,318
- If you're brought up
religiously, there's like,
408
00:19:46,351 --> 00:19:48,720
always a safety net, of
kind of like, something
409
00:19:48,754 --> 00:19:50,455
and the minute you break
that, you're free falling
410
00:19:50,489 --> 00:19:52,324
and like, oh
my god, you know?
411
00:19:52,357 --> 00:19:54,393
We're just organisms on
this world and you know,
412
00:19:54,426 --> 00:19:56,662
is there anything after death?
413
00:19:56,695 --> 00:19:58,964
So, I said like, you
know, can you see God
414
00:19:58,997 --> 00:20:02,367
or Heaven or a
light or anything?
415
00:20:03,335 --> 00:20:03,969
What did she say?
416
00:20:05,671 --> 00:20:07,339
- "No.
417
00:20:08,607 --> 00:20:10,909
"There's nothing."
418
00:20:10,943 --> 00:20:12,844
- It's a really
sad, heavy scene.
419
00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:15,647
It's a true loss of innocence.
420
00:20:15,681 --> 00:20:19,418
But no one mentioned it, ever.
421
00:20:19,451 --> 00:20:20,586
Compassion.
422
00:20:20,619 --> 00:20:21,954
Kindness.
423
00:20:21,987 --> 00:20:24,990
Trying to figure
out how to grow up.
424
00:20:25,023 --> 00:20:26,658
Paul did so many
things to that pilot
425
00:20:26,692 --> 00:20:28,493
that should not work
that don't sound like
426
00:20:28,527 --> 00:20:30,629
an appealing pilot concept.
427
00:20:30,662 --> 00:20:34,466
Girl loses faith in God and
becomes a pot head, you know.
428
00:20:34,499 --> 00:20:37,536
A mentally challenged kid
falls and breaks his arm.
429
00:20:39,071 --> 00:20:43,575
The dance sequence just found
a way to put it all together.
430
00:20:43,609 --> 00:20:45,544
♪ Carry on
431
00:20:47,646 --> 00:20:49,815
(soft music)
432
00:20:56,655 --> 00:20:59,524
♪ I look to the sea
433
00:21:01,827 --> 00:21:03,662
- Hi, Cindy.
434
00:21:03,695 --> 00:21:04,696
- Hey Sam.
435
00:21:06,465 --> 00:21:08,300
- I was wondering, um,
436
00:21:10,002 --> 00:21:14,339
you said you'd save a dance
for me, so, can I have it now?
437
00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:15,807
- First of all, it's
not what you see
438
00:21:15,841 --> 00:21:17,442
all the time in television.
439
00:21:17,476 --> 00:21:20,946
You don't see that
cheerleader say
440
00:21:20,979 --> 00:21:22,981
yes to giving the
dance to that guy.
441
00:21:24,983 --> 00:21:27,319
And then you don't see her
being so sweet about it.
442
00:21:28,887 --> 00:21:30,856
♪ We lived happily forever
443
00:21:30,889 --> 00:21:32,457
- I was standing behind
the camera just watching,
444
00:21:32,491 --> 00:21:33,425
and it was just like,
goosebumps, goosebumps,
445
00:21:33,458 --> 00:21:34,493
goosebumps, goosebumps.
446
00:21:34,526 --> 00:21:36,428
- And having that Styx song.
447
00:21:37,029 --> 00:21:40,465
♪ Best as we can
448
00:21:40,499 --> 00:21:43,535
- And he gets up the nerve
to dance with the girl,
449
00:21:43,568 --> 00:21:46,972
I said "Son, Styx
is not dance music."
450
00:21:48,173 --> 00:21:51,410
- [Paul] And then suddenly,
it becomes a fast dance song.
451
00:21:51,443 --> 00:21:53,478
- [Dennis] The minute
the rock part comes in,
452
00:21:53,512 --> 00:21:55,447
the look on his face.
453
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,817
It's like he's been betrayed
by the Gods of the universe.
454
00:21:58,850 --> 00:22:01,453
Just this look of, like,
like he wants to die.
455
00:22:03,488 --> 00:22:05,857
- You know, his life is
flashing in front of him.
456
00:22:05,891 --> 00:22:09,061
- But he just does it, and
as he starts having fun.
457
00:22:09,094 --> 00:22:12,731
What seems like is not a
victory, is actually a victory.
458
00:22:12,764 --> 00:22:13,632
And that's really what
the show's all about.
459
00:22:15,467 --> 00:22:16,635
- I was at the school
dance in 11th grade
460
00:22:16,668 --> 00:22:18,637
and I was in love
with this girl,
461
00:22:18,670 --> 00:22:21,707
but I was so scared
to walk up to her that
462
00:22:21,740 --> 00:22:24,476
it took three
quarters of the song.
463
00:22:24,509 --> 00:22:27,145
So, we start having to slow
dance which was my dream,
464
00:22:27,179 --> 00:22:29,014
and then, like having to
dance, but I don't really
465
00:22:29,047 --> 00:22:30,549
know how to dance.
466
00:22:30,582 --> 00:22:32,718
And then it just
ended really fast.
467
00:22:33,952 --> 00:22:36,955
I remember sitting in
editing and just crying.
468
00:22:36,988 --> 00:22:38,957
Just feeling like oh
this completely works.
469
00:22:38,990 --> 00:22:40,692
This is beautiful.
470
00:22:40,726 --> 00:22:42,127
And I could cry every
single time I watch it.
471
00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:44,429
Because it's kids reaching
out to each other,
472
00:22:44,463 --> 00:22:46,598
and it's so hard to do as a kid.
473
00:22:46,631 --> 00:22:48,867
It's so hard to
offer your heart.
474
00:22:48,900 --> 00:22:50,602
It's so hard to try to connect.
475
00:22:51,903 --> 00:22:54,139
- We all have inside
of us this deep
476
00:22:54,172 --> 00:22:56,742
insecurity about
life and things,
477
00:22:56,775 --> 00:22:59,878
but particularly in adolescence.
478
00:22:59,911 --> 00:23:03,582
Even if you're one of the
kids that thinks they're cool,
479
00:23:03,615 --> 00:23:06,017
you're still putting
on airs that you've
480
00:23:06,051 --> 00:23:07,953
got it all together out here,
481
00:23:07,986 --> 00:23:10,455
but in here, you know the
ducks, they're runnin' around.
482
00:23:14,926 --> 00:23:16,495
(people chattering)
483
00:23:16,528 --> 00:23:18,897
(piano playing)
484
00:23:20,599 --> 00:23:23,735
- As soon as we started
cutting the show,
485
00:23:23,769 --> 00:23:26,037
we felt pretty confident
that it was gonna be
486
00:23:26,071 --> 00:23:28,039
a really good pilot.
487
00:23:28,073 --> 00:23:31,810
My thought was this doesn't
really seem like a TV show.
488
00:23:31,843 --> 00:23:33,945
And it'll be interesting
to see whether
489
00:23:33,979 --> 00:23:35,781
anyone wants to put it on NBC.
490
00:23:39,584 --> 00:23:42,120
- The pilot, you know,
it didn't blow me away.
491
00:23:42,154 --> 00:23:46,591
So, at that point, I wasn't
sure whether this was just
492
00:23:46,625 --> 00:23:48,527
something that resonated
to me that I liked
493
00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:51,530
in my personal ear or
it really was something
494
00:23:51,563 --> 00:23:53,031
that everybody else
would relate to.
495
00:23:55,634 --> 00:23:57,736
- We got a new
network president.
496
00:23:57,769 --> 00:23:59,104
We started having
like a new network
497
00:23:59,137 --> 00:24:00,772
president every couple of years.
498
00:24:00,806 --> 00:24:02,808
And I think, like,
Freaks and Geeks came
499
00:24:02,841 --> 00:24:06,011
at really the beginning
of the revolving door.
500
00:24:06,044 --> 00:24:08,647
- You hope you have
an executive that says
501
00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:10,282
I so believe in what
you're doing creatively.
502
00:24:10,315 --> 00:24:12,217
You pray that you
get that champion.
503
00:24:15,187 --> 00:24:17,589
- We had Garth Ancier come in.
504
00:24:17,622 --> 00:24:18,924
I don't think it's a secret.
505
00:24:18,957 --> 00:24:20,926
He did not like it.
506
00:24:20,959 --> 00:24:22,828
It was a hard way
to meet somebody.
507
00:24:22,861 --> 00:24:24,529
I'll tell you that.
(laughing)
508
00:24:24,563 --> 00:24:26,665
It was not the best
way to be introduced.
509
00:24:30,001 --> 00:24:31,570
- Other than Freak
and Geeks at the time,
510
00:24:31,603 --> 00:24:33,305
there was very few
single camera comedies.
511
00:24:33,338 --> 00:24:36,041
It wasn't a genre
that was popular.
512
00:24:36,074 --> 00:24:37,809
You weren't a sitcom.
513
00:24:37,843 --> 00:24:39,177
And you weren't an hour drama.
514
00:24:39,211 --> 00:24:40,946
You were right in the middle.
515
00:24:40,979 --> 00:24:42,180
And right now, everything
is in the middle.
516
00:24:42,214 --> 00:24:44,015
That's what modern
television is.
517
00:24:44,049 --> 00:24:46,318
- Comedy's gotten more
behavioral and it was always
518
00:24:46,351 --> 00:24:49,988
what myself and Judd and all
our actors found the funniest.
519
00:24:50,021 --> 00:24:51,756
It's not jokes.
520
00:24:51,790 --> 00:24:54,659
- You were used to
seeing joke, joke, joke.
521
00:24:54,693 --> 00:24:56,161
And this was a little different.
522
00:24:56,194 --> 00:24:57,696
It had story, it had drama,
523
00:24:57,729 --> 00:24:59,297
it had a little
bit of heart in it.
524
00:24:59,331 --> 00:25:01,066
I think people relate
to the underdogs.
525
00:25:01,099 --> 00:25:02,901
- They ordered 12 episodes,
526
00:25:02,934 --> 00:25:05,770
so that plus the pilot brought
us to 13 episodes total.
527
00:25:06,271 --> 00:25:12,177
(upbeat rock music)
528
00:25:16,681 --> 00:25:18,750
- [Paul] And then suddenly,
you're flying to New York.
529
00:25:18,783 --> 00:25:20,719
They make that decision
at the last minute
530
00:25:20,752 --> 00:25:22,187
then you fly to the up fronts,
531
00:25:22,220 --> 00:25:23,255
where they present to
all the advertisers.
532
00:25:23,788 --> 00:25:25,690
- [Narrator] Freaks and geeks.
533
00:25:25,724 --> 00:25:27,659
- Dad, are any of
your friends alive?
534
00:25:27,692 --> 00:25:32,097
-[Narrator] Coming
this fall to NBC.
535
00:25:32,130 --> 00:25:34,199
- [Paul] There you are
in these giant parties
536
00:25:34,232 --> 00:25:35,700
and you're glad handing
and you're doing
537
00:25:35,734 --> 00:25:37,669
presentations of
your show and there's
538
00:25:37,702 --> 00:25:39,838
your cast up on stage,
and you're up on stage.
539
00:25:39,871 --> 00:25:41,873
- It wasn't easy to tell
Sam Levine he's a geek.
540
00:25:41,907 --> 00:25:44,709
He'd never heard it before.
(audience laughing)
541
00:25:44,743 --> 00:25:46,211
- People were so
pumped about the future
542
00:25:46,244 --> 00:25:47,779
of Freaks and Geeks.
543
00:25:47,812 --> 00:25:49,247
- We really hoped
it would be a hit.
544
00:25:49,281 --> 00:25:51,283
It didn't have any of the early
545
00:25:51,316 --> 00:25:53,952
indications that it
would be a big hit.
546
00:25:53,985 --> 00:25:55,287
- They're picking us up.
547
00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:57,622
Yay, for eight
o'clock on Saturday.
548
00:25:57,656 --> 00:25:59,224
Oh no, what?
549
00:25:59,257 --> 00:26:00,926
What the hell was that?
550
00:26:00,959 --> 00:26:02,961
Anybody who would watch
our show would be out.
551
00:26:02,994 --> 00:26:05,730
- [Narrator] NBC
Saturday at 8/7 central.
552
00:26:05,764 --> 00:26:08,199
- [Jake] Saturday night
is essentially dead air.
553
00:26:08,233 --> 00:26:11,303
Nobody programs Saturday night
with their great material.
554
00:26:11,336 --> 00:26:13,672
We thought maybe we
could do well there
555
00:26:13,705 --> 00:26:15,707
and they'll move us off
that night and put us
556
00:26:15,740 --> 00:26:17,075
into a better time period.
557
00:26:20,178 --> 00:26:22,280
(rock music)
558
00:26:24,683 --> 00:26:25,417
- [Paul] Okay!
559
00:26:25,450 --> 00:26:27,686
Welcome back everybody.
560
00:26:27,719 --> 00:26:28,320
Yay.
561
00:26:30,221 --> 00:26:32,190
- The Freaks and Geeks
pilot got picked up.
562
00:26:32,223 --> 00:26:34,259
We put our staff
together and said,
563
00:26:34,292 --> 00:26:37,796
"Let's get as many amazing
stories as we can."
564
00:26:40,298 --> 00:26:42,233
We wanted people who
had lived a little bit.
565
00:26:42,267 --> 00:26:43,335
People who'd done things.
566
00:26:43,368 --> 00:26:45,437
People who'd done bad things.
567
00:26:45,470 --> 00:26:47,672
- And basically, the first two
weeks of us getting together
568
00:26:47,706 --> 00:26:50,308
was just this weird
group therapy session
569
00:26:50,342 --> 00:26:52,444
where all of us just plumbed
570
00:26:52,477 --> 00:26:55,080
the depths of our humiliating
571
00:26:55,113 --> 00:26:58,149
and gut-wrenching
experiences from high school.
572
00:26:58,183 --> 00:26:59,284
- We never wanted to leave.
573
00:26:59,317 --> 00:27:00,418
Like I'm, I'm serious.
574
00:27:00,452 --> 00:27:02,320
- We were there all the time.
575
00:27:02,354 --> 00:27:04,456
- [Paul] I wrote up a
questionnaire of 20 questions.
576
00:27:04,489 --> 00:27:05,357
Like, "What's the worst
thing that ever happened
577
00:27:05,390 --> 00:27:06,224
to you in high school?"
578
00:27:06,257 --> 00:27:08,159
"What's the best thing?"
579
00:27:08,193 --> 00:27:09,227
- The most you ever got in
trouble with your parents.
580
00:27:09,260 --> 00:27:10,695
What's your best
drug experience?
581
00:27:10,729 --> 00:27:11,696
What's your worst
drug experience?
582
00:27:11,730 --> 00:27:12,397
- Who did you fall in love with?
583
00:27:12,430 --> 00:27:13,298
Who did you hate?
584
00:27:13,331 --> 00:27:15,000
Blah, blah, blah.
585
00:27:15,033 --> 00:27:16,768
And everyone had to fill
it out in great detail.
586
00:27:16,801 --> 00:27:20,138
- [Judd] And there were
hundreds of amazing stories,
587
00:27:20,171 --> 00:27:22,307
or just moments.
588
00:27:22,340 --> 00:27:24,209
- [Judd] These people were
sharing really painful
589
00:27:24,242 --> 00:27:25,310
parts of their lives.
590
00:27:25,343 --> 00:27:27,278
If the show was successful,
591
00:27:27,312 --> 00:27:31,082
it would vindicate the
things that happened to them.
592
00:27:31,116 --> 00:27:34,252
- Everybody involved
was digging down
593
00:27:34,285 --> 00:27:36,721
to expose who they really were.
594
00:27:36,755 --> 00:27:39,024
- You would say the
most embarrassing thing.
595
00:27:39,057 --> 00:27:40,225
Everyone groaned
at the same time,
596
00:27:40,258 --> 00:27:42,027
they'd go, "Okay let's do that."
597
00:27:42,060 --> 00:27:45,296
And then Paul would go,
"Um, I have another story."
598
00:27:45,330 --> 00:27:46,965
And then it would top it!
599
00:27:48,166 --> 00:27:49,868
- My favorite personal
story from the show
600
00:27:49,901 --> 00:27:53,471
was the Parisian night suit
which truly happened to me.
601
00:27:53,505 --> 00:27:55,306
I was really into disco
and there was a store
602
00:27:55,340 --> 00:27:57,442
in the mall called Silvermens.
603
00:27:57,475 --> 00:27:59,010
One day, the guy's like,
"Hey, check it out.
604
00:27:59,044 --> 00:28:00,145
"We just got it in, man.
605
00:28:00,178 --> 00:28:02,047
"It's a disco jumpsuit."
606
00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:03,381
I was like, "That's
gonna be awesome."
607
00:28:03,415 --> 00:28:05,116
So, I put this
thing on and thought
608
00:28:05,150 --> 00:28:07,285
I just rock in front of
the mirror of my bedroom,
609
00:28:07,318 --> 00:28:08,486
just like, "You are the king."
610
00:28:12,924 --> 00:28:16,294
And wear it to school, and
the second I walk through
611
00:28:16,327 --> 00:28:20,999
the doors, realize I made the
biggest mistake of my life.
612
00:28:22,434 --> 00:28:24,002
People start laughing, other
people are just like "What?"
613
00:28:24,035 --> 00:28:25,804
And you're trapped.
614
00:28:25,837 --> 00:28:27,238
You wanna go home, you just
wanna get out of there.
615
00:28:27,272 --> 00:28:28,907
And you couldn't.
616
00:28:28,940 --> 00:28:30,241
So, I had to spend
all day walking around
617
00:28:30,275 --> 00:28:32,077
in this disco jumpsuit.
618
00:28:32,110 --> 00:28:34,446
- What was funny about
Paul was he would tell
619
00:28:34,479 --> 00:28:37,449
a story of childhood
humiliation,
620
00:28:37,482 --> 00:28:39,484
someone would say, "How old
were you when that happened?
621
00:28:39,517 --> 00:28:40,885
"12, 13?"
622
00:28:40,919 --> 00:28:41,753
And he would always say, "17."
623
00:28:43,521 --> 00:28:47,125
(laughs) It was always
much later than we thought.
624
00:28:47,158 --> 00:28:49,327
- [Sarah Hagan] Sometimes they
would even change lines
625
00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:51,463
based on the table read.
626
00:28:51,496 --> 00:28:53,498
I heard about what she does
in the yearbook darkroom.
627
00:28:53,531 --> 00:28:55,200
- What she does?
628
00:28:55,233 --> 00:28:57,202
- I eventually tell her
that she fornicates.
629
00:28:57,235 --> 00:28:59,237
- What?
630
00:28:59,270 --> 00:29:01,372
When I read it, I was like,
that doesn't make any sense.
631
00:29:01,406 --> 00:29:05,176
She fornicates it, okay?
(laughing)
632
00:29:10,548 --> 00:29:12,417
But I also didn't know
what fornicated means.
633
00:29:12,450 --> 00:29:13,585
- Fornicating it.
634
00:29:13,618 --> 00:29:15,153
Oh, it was so cute.
635
00:29:17,622 --> 00:29:21,126
- Oh yeah.
(laughing)
636
00:29:21,159 --> 00:29:22,260
She fornicates, okay?
637
00:29:22,293 --> 00:29:24,362
I was so confused.
638
00:29:24,395 --> 00:29:26,931
Like, why everyone was
like busting out laughing.
639
00:29:26,965 --> 00:29:28,466
And so, anyway, they
kept it like that.
640
00:29:39,344 --> 00:29:41,146
- [Woman] Okay, we're rolling.
641
00:29:41,179 --> 00:29:44,415
(buzzer sounds)
642
00:29:44,449 --> 00:29:47,085
- I heard about what she
does in yearbook dark room.
643
00:29:47,118 --> 00:29:50,855
She fornicates it, okay?
644
00:29:50,889 --> 00:29:51,489
- [Director] And that's a cut.
645
00:29:51,523 --> 00:29:54,392
(all laughing)
646
00:29:54,425 --> 00:29:56,895
- [Gabe] Paul was looking
to tell the stories
647
00:29:56,928 --> 00:29:58,429
of the group of kids
that were simply
648
00:29:58,463 --> 00:30:02,033
not represented on
television at that time.
649
00:30:02,066 --> 00:30:03,368
- [Linda] It was pretty obvious
650
00:30:03,401 --> 00:30:05,103
that this was not
about the people
651
00:30:05,136 --> 00:30:07,105
that you'd been watching
typically on television.
652
00:30:07,138 --> 00:30:09,073
It kinda zooms
past them and goes
653
00:30:09,107 --> 00:30:11,242
to the stoners
under the bleachers.
654
00:30:11,276 --> 00:30:13,311
- Real characters who could
655
00:30:13,344 --> 00:30:14,913
be called freaks and geeks.
656
00:30:18,550 --> 00:30:20,251
- [Judd] Everybody made
these giant contributions,
657
00:30:20,285 --> 00:30:21,619
'cause everyone was being brave
658
00:30:21,653 --> 00:30:23,588
about what they
had been through.
659
00:30:23,621 --> 00:30:25,390
- So I told my mom I was
eating at your house,
660
00:30:25,423 --> 00:30:27,025
and Bill told his mom.
661
00:30:27,058 --> 00:30:28,893
- My parents separated
and my dad moved away,
662
00:30:28,927 --> 00:30:31,496
and he wouldn't tell
us where he lived,
663
00:30:31,529 --> 00:30:33,531
so I went to go find him.
664
00:30:35,033 --> 00:30:37,302
I knew that it had to
be on the south side,
665
00:30:37,335 --> 00:30:40,538
so I went over there, and
I took the garage clicker
666
00:30:40,572 --> 00:30:43,074
out of his car, and I
drove around looking.
667
00:30:43,107 --> 00:30:44,976
- Clicking these
doors, and opened up,
668
00:30:45,009 --> 00:30:47,278
and there was his dad's car
in another woman's house.
669
00:30:49,614 --> 00:30:52,417
- [Jeff] Just watching
the door go up,
670
00:30:52,450 --> 00:30:56,454
I would never have though when
I did this at 15-years-old,
671
00:30:56,487 --> 00:30:58,389
something that happened
to you that you wrote,
672
00:30:58,423 --> 00:31:00,291
and then here it is happening.
673
00:31:04,262 --> 00:31:06,030
- We just were like,
oh my god, like
674
00:31:06,064 --> 00:31:07,632
Jeff, that's horrible that
happened to you,
675
00:31:07,665 --> 00:31:09,667
and we so have to
use that on the show.
676
00:31:09,701 --> 00:31:13,371
- You're about to film the
wonderful bike walking scene
677
00:31:13,404 --> 00:31:18,309
where I get all angry and pissy
that they're about to leave.
678
00:31:18,343 --> 00:31:20,044
- I was always trying
to inject stories
679
00:31:20,078 --> 00:31:22,680
of divorce into the show,
because that's something
680
00:31:22,714 --> 00:31:24,482
that I had been through.
681
00:31:24,515 --> 00:31:26,951
Martin Starr's mom.
682
00:31:26,985 --> 00:31:29,287
We kind of implied that
she stripped at some point,
683
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,990
but she's a waitress
and single mom,
684
00:31:32,023 --> 00:31:35,226
and we see that he's a
bit of a latchkey kid.
685
00:31:35,260 --> 00:31:37,629
He comes home from school
and he's by himself,
686
00:31:37,662 --> 00:31:39,364
and then he did
what I did as a kid,
687
00:31:39,397 --> 00:31:42,233
which is he made grilled
cheese sandwiches
688
00:31:42,267 --> 00:31:44,669
and ate Entenmann's
Cake and would watch
689
00:31:44,702 --> 00:31:47,472
comedians on The
Dinah Shore Show.
690
00:31:47,505 --> 00:31:50,074
And the comedian that he
watches is Garry Shandling.
691
00:31:50,108 --> 00:31:52,410
(lively music)
692
00:32:03,688 --> 00:32:06,090
Jake Kasdan said, "That's
the most personal thing
693
00:32:06,124 --> 00:32:08,426
you've ever done, and it's the
best thing you've ever done,"
694
00:32:08,459 --> 00:32:10,395
and that made me realize
that that was the direction
695
00:32:10,428 --> 00:32:13,331
I needed to go in
for my entire career,
696
00:32:13,364 --> 00:32:16,367
that I should just go
deeper and more personal,
697
00:32:16,401 --> 00:32:17,969
and that's where
the good stuff was.
698
00:32:19,370 --> 00:32:21,239
We weren't sure what it
was in the beginning.
699
00:32:21,272 --> 00:32:22,607
We were figuring
it out as we went,
700
00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:23,641
and if you watch the episodes,
701
00:32:23,675 --> 00:32:25,576
you can feel us finding it.
702
00:32:25,610 --> 00:32:27,578
- We were a dramedy.
703
00:32:27,612 --> 00:32:32,517
For every moment where a freak
or a geek made you laugh,
704
00:32:32,550 --> 00:32:35,219
they were gonna have a moment
where they made you cry.
705
00:32:39,324 --> 00:32:40,558
- [Director] Cut, that was nice.
706
00:32:40,591 --> 00:32:42,260
- [Crew Member]
Great, very nice.
707
00:32:42,293 --> 00:32:43,761
- [Samm] And I think
that that's real life.
708
00:32:43,795 --> 00:32:46,230
- That's the only way
that comedy really works,
709
00:32:46,264 --> 00:32:50,301
is if there's such a strong
element of truth in it,
710
00:32:50,335 --> 00:32:52,603
it will invariably
have pain in it.
711
00:32:52,637 --> 00:32:55,540
The things that are
incredibly painful are funny,
712
00:32:55,573 --> 00:32:58,142
ultimately, or we don't
survive them in a way.
713
00:32:59,510 --> 00:33:02,447
- There was always this
kind of low-level depression
714
00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,782
right underneath the
surface of the stories.
715
00:33:04,816 --> 00:33:08,486
By and large, they're more
about failure than success.
716
00:33:08,519 --> 00:33:11,289
People are humiliated,
or find themselves
717
00:33:11,322 --> 00:33:14,325
in some mortifying situation.
718
00:33:14,359 --> 00:33:16,427
- Watch it, Romeo,
you're on my hair!
719
00:33:16,461 --> 00:33:17,562
- Hey we're busy here.
720
00:33:18,463 --> 00:33:19,230
- Sorry.
721
00:33:20,665 --> 00:33:21,432
- Oh, hey Lindsay.
722
00:33:21,466 --> 00:33:23,101
(Kim laughs)
723
00:33:23,134 --> 00:33:25,703
- It's easy to say, oh, in 1979
724
00:33:25,737 --> 00:33:28,172
people were more innocent.
725
00:33:28,206 --> 00:33:29,640
The truth is is that
everyone at a certain point
726
00:33:29,674 --> 00:33:33,244
is really just
uncomfortable about sex.
727
00:33:33,277 --> 00:33:35,246
- All these other shows
seemed kind of cool with sex,
728
00:33:35,279 --> 00:33:36,614
and they were just so mature.
729
00:33:38,249 --> 00:33:41,686
- In most high school
shows, they'd show sex
730
00:33:41,719 --> 00:33:46,257
being scary a little
bit, but not awkward.
731
00:33:46,290 --> 00:33:48,226
And it's awkward.
732
00:33:48,259 --> 00:33:51,362
Having a kiss for the
first time is awkward.
733
00:33:51,396 --> 00:33:52,663
Which way do you turn your face?
734
00:33:54,432 --> 00:33:56,601
- Boys are supposed
to know what to do.
735
00:33:56,634 --> 00:33:57,602
How?
736
00:33:57,635 --> 00:33:58,870
Based on what?
737
00:33:58,903 --> 00:34:00,371
- That was just
not my experience.
738
00:34:00,405 --> 00:34:01,572
We were so terrified
of everything.
739
00:34:05,176 --> 00:34:07,678
- [John] The porno that I
was given by Daniel Desario.
740
00:34:07,712 --> 00:34:10,148
I remember all of that vividly.
741
00:34:10,181 --> 00:34:11,115
- It's a naked woman.
742
00:34:12,417 --> 00:34:13,484
- What's she doing?
743
00:34:13,518 --> 00:34:14,485
- Who cares what she's doing?
744
00:34:14,519 --> 00:34:15,553
She's naked.
745
00:34:15,586 --> 00:34:17,221
- [John] It was an actual porno,
746
00:34:17,255 --> 00:34:21,559
and I looked at it
as much as I could.
747
00:34:21,592 --> 00:34:24,162
(John laughs)
748
00:34:26,531 --> 00:34:31,536
- Those were the first
kisses of our, mine at least.
749
00:34:31,569 --> 00:34:34,472
- Joe and I even have a big
sex scene in one episode.
750
00:34:34,505 --> 00:34:36,374
- We had just finished lunch
751
00:34:36,407 --> 00:34:38,209
and I was walking
back to the trailer.
752
00:34:38,242 --> 00:34:39,811
James, he was down on the curb
753
00:34:39,844 --> 00:34:41,579
and he said, "Hey, did you
see next week's script?
754
00:34:41,612 --> 00:34:43,781
"Oh, you got a hot love
scene with your wife, Becky."
755
00:34:43,815 --> 00:34:44,916
And I said, "No, get out."
756
00:34:44,949 --> 00:34:45,917
"Yeah, I'm tellin' ya."
757
00:34:45,950 --> 00:34:47,385
I looked at script, whoa!
758
00:34:47,418 --> 00:34:48,286
We gotta make out.
759
00:34:50,388 --> 00:34:52,423
- I had gotten a
little bronchitis.
760
00:34:52,457 --> 00:34:54,892
I was really husky and
it was kind of perfect.
761
00:34:54,926 --> 00:34:58,329
It sounded like I was having
really great, husky sex.
762
00:34:58,362 --> 00:34:59,764
- Where's mom and dad?
763
00:34:59,797 --> 00:35:00,765
- In their room.
764
00:35:02,500 --> 00:35:03,401
- Are they fighting?
765
00:35:04,368 --> 00:35:05,269
- No.
766
00:35:13,444 --> 00:35:14,946
- [John] The television press
767
00:35:14,979 --> 00:35:17,915
was quick to embrace the show.
768
00:35:17,949 --> 00:35:19,450
- [Judd] The reviews
were incredible.
769
00:35:19,484 --> 00:35:20,418
It was the best
reviews you could get.
770
00:35:20,451 --> 00:35:21,486
- Critics loved the show.
771
00:35:21,519 --> 00:35:23,488
They loved Freaks And Geeks.
772
00:35:23,521 --> 00:35:26,524
- The top new T.V. show in Time
magazine before we came out.
773
00:35:26,557 --> 00:35:29,327
- Is Freaks And Geeks too
good for television, you know?
774
00:35:30,761 --> 00:35:33,197
- Our launch was coming up,
Saturday night at 8 o'clock,
775
00:35:33,231 --> 00:35:34,632
which we knew was
in a good spot,
776
00:35:34,665 --> 00:35:36,234
but we're still, we're
about to come out
777
00:35:36,267 --> 00:35:37,635
and it was so exciting,
and we did a party.
778
00:35:37,668 --> 00:35:39,470
They had it up on
this big screen.
779
00:35:39,504 --> 00:35:40,605
God, we're just standing there
780
00:35:40,638 --> 00:35:42,240
just choking up and just like,
781
00:35:42,273 --> 00:35:43,708
"Oh my god, my dreams
are coming true."
782
00:35:43,741 --> 00:35:47,378
And the ratings were
actually pretty good.
783
00:35:48,779 --> 00:35:50,448
We were shooting on that Monday
784
00:35:50,481 --> 00:35:52,583
and I remember coming
into the cafeteria set
785
00:35:52,617 --> 00:35:54,452
with this piece of paper
and getting up on the table
786
00:35:54,485 --> 00:35:56,687
and announcing to everyone,
gathered everyone around,
787
00:35:56,721 --> 00:35:57,822
and I read out our ratings.
788
00:35:57,855 --> 00:36:00,391
Yay, this big cheer.
789
00:36:00,424 --> 00:36:01,993
- [Karey Burke] In those
days at NBC, we could
790
00:36:02,026 --> 00:36:04,295
hit a share in the mid-20's.
791
00:36:04,328 --> 00:36:05,663
Friends was a 30-share.
792
00:36:05,696 --> 00:36:07,298
That was the bar.
793
00:36:07,331 --> 00:36:08,466
- The first episode
ratings were okay.
794
00:36:08,499 --> 00:36:10,501
I think we got an 11-share.
795
00:36:10,535 --> 00:36:14,338
- Our ratings hit the halfway
point of the pilot dropped,
796
00:36:14,372 --> 00:36:16,741
'cause it's right around
when Eli falls off
797
00:36:16,774 --> 00:36:18,376
the bleachers and
breaks his arm.
798
00:36:18,409 --> 00:36:20,945
- I'm not retarded, I'm special!
799
00:36:20,978 --> 00:36:22,513
I don't wanna go to
the dance with you.
800
00:36:22,547 --> 00:36:24,916
- [Lindsay] Please, I'm sorry!
801
00:36:26,651 --> 00:36:28,386
(Eli yells in pain)
802
00:36:28,419 --> 00:36:31,689
- So there's a poor
mentally-challenged kid
803
00:36:31,722 --> 00:36:35,026
screaming in pain, and you just
heard America go like nope,
804
00:36:35,059 --> 00:36:36,561
and turning the channel.
805
00:36:36,594 --> 00:36:38,596
Next week our
ratings just go boom.
806
00:36:38,629 --> 00:36:39,630
Into the toilet.
807
00:36:41,432 --> 00:36:42,633
- After the show first
show it just, whoo.
808
00:36:42,667 --> 00:36:44,502
- Joe Flaherty at
one point goes,
809
00:36:44,535 --> 00:36:45,937
"Yeah, Paul never came
into the cafeteria
810
00:36:45,970 --> 00:36:48,472
and announced the ratings again.
811
00:36:48,506 --> 00:36:50,441
Yeah, we're doing terrible.
812
00:36:50,474 --> 00:36:51,809
I don't know what to tell ya.
813
00:36:51,842 --> 00:36:52,810
- In fact, he was
pretty hard to find
814
00:36:52,843 --> 00:36:54,612
for a few weeks after that.
815
00:36:59,383 --> 00:37:02,353
kind of went from
we got it made,
816
00:37:02,386 --> 00:37:05,489
Hollywood here we come, before
the first episodes came out,
817
00:37:05,523 --> 00:37:09,293
to like wow, we're on this
show and nobody's watching us.
818
00:37:09,327 --> 00:37:10,928
Nothing has really changed.
819
00:37:12,363 --> 00:37:14,031
- NBC held a party.
820
00:37:14,065 --> 00:37:15,766
Garth Ancier, who was
running the network,
821
00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:17,635
was out there
talking to some guy,
822
00:37:17,668 --> 00:37:19,070
and I just go, "Hey, Garth."
823
00:37:19,103 --> 00:37:20,471
And he goes like,
"Deliver the goods.
824
00:37:20,504 --> 00:37:22,039
"Deliver the goods.
825
00:37:22,073 --> 00:37:23,374
"Don't be like this guy."
826
00:37:23,407 --> 00:37:24,809
And he pointed at the other guy.
827
00:37:24,842 --> 00:37:26,577
The other guy kinda
had this sheepish look,
828
00:37:26,611 --> 00:37:28,346
and I just walked away
like, "What is happening?"
829
00:37:28,379 --> 00:37:30,715
So you immediately
go like, oh god.
830
00:37:30,748 --> 00:37:33,618
We gotta suddenly dealing
with network politics.
831
00:37:33,651 --> 00:37:35,386
- He really studied the
metered market ratings,
832
00:37:35,419 --> 00:37:36,887
and he would come in and show me
833
00:37:36,921 --> 00:37:38,456
how much the show dropped
off from Jeopardy,
834
00:37:38,489 --> 00:37:41,392
and that meant it
was doomed to fail.
835
00:37:41,425 --> 00:37:42,994
- What a name, Garth.
836
00:37:43,027 --> 00:37:45,963
I'd be so curious to hear
his perspective on this.
837
00:37:45,997 --> 00:37:48,099
- I now ask, I'm
not your editor,
838
00:37:48,132 --> 00:37:50,735
but cut directly to
that interview now.
839
00:37:52,436 --> 00:37:55,673
- Certain shows shouldn't really
be on broadcast television.
840
00:37:55,706 --> 00:37:58,909
I, It was a quirky show.
841
00:37:58,943 --> 00:38:00,044
Everyone knew it
was a quirky show.
842
00:38:00,077 --> 00:38:01,879
They told me that going in.
843
00:38:01,912 --> 00:38:04,348
The term in the industry
is three jokes a page.
844
00:38:05,583 --> 00:38:07,952
Freaks and Geeks is a
little slower than that.
845
00:38:07,985 --> 00:38:11,856
- Even though, look, we had
7 million loyal viewers.
846
00:38:11,889 --> 00:38:13,391
- The amount of people who were
847
00:38:13,424 --> 00:38:15,059
watching would be
a huge hit today,
848
00:38:15,092 --> 00:38:18,429
but back then it was
like, you dropped a point.
849
00:38:18,462 --> 00:38:20,064
We may have to cancel you.
850
00:38:20,097 --> 00:38:21,132
And that's
terrifying, and really
851
00:38:21,165 --> 00:38:22,967
bad for creativity I think,
852
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,102
'cause you're making stuff
with a gun to your head.
853
00:38:26,871 --> 00:38:29,607
I couldn't live in the
reality of the show,
854
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:32,643
and the fun of shooting
it, because part of my day
855
00:38:32,677 --> 00:38:36,447
was the nuts and
bolts of our survival.
856
00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:38,916
- Together we would
go call and say,
857
00:38:38,949 --> 00:38:40,618
"They didn't love
the rough cut,"
858
00:38:40,651 --> 00:38:43,087
or "Can you make these changes?"
859
00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:45,589
- [Paul] I was so mad at
the network that I thought,
860
00:38:45,623 --> 00:38:46,724
no let's go farther.
861
00:38:46,757 --> 00:38:48,459
Lets challenge ourselves.
862
00:38:48,492 --> 00:38:49,760
You want us to be safer?
863
00:38:49,794 --> 00:38:51,028
Well then we're gonna be bolder.
864
00:38:55,199 --> 00:38:59,470
- The first show I did was
called Kim Kelly is My Friend.
865
00:38:59,503 --> 00:39:01,439
And action!
866
00:39:01,472 --> 00:39:03,174
- I just remember
reading it going wow!
867
00:39:03,207 --> 00:39:05,476
- It's a really difficult
episode to watch.
868
00:39:05,509 --> 00:39:07,078
- The network was
terrified of it.
869
00:39:07,111 --> 00:39:09,180
I was kind of terrified of it.
870
00:39:09,213 --> 00:39:11,015
- You are a lying brat.
871
00:39:11,048 --> 00:39:11,816
- Knew it.
872
00:39:11,849 --> 00:39:13,551
I told ya.
873
00:39:13,584 --> 00:39:14,952
- I'm not lying, you
guys just can't believe
874
00:39:14,985 --> 00:39:16,187
that I can make a friend
who's rich and smart.
875
00:39:16,220 --> 00:39:18,089
Oh, I knew Kim Kelly
in high school.
876
00:39:18,122 --> 00:39:22,893
Oh my god, I could tell
her life just was dark.
877
00:39:24,161 --> 00:39:27,131
It allowed me to put
forth this other side
878
00:39:27,164 --> 00:39:30,034
of myself on camera that
was really inside me,
879
00:39:30,067 --> 00:39:32,036
and was really
wanting to get out.
880
00:39:33,504 --> 00:39:35,773
You have to always look
at the impetus for why
881
00:39:35,806 --> 00:39:38,075
someone is behaving the
way that they're behaving.
882
00:39:39,543 --> 00:39:41,545
You got to see
behind the curtain
883
00:39:41,579 --> 00:39:44,215
of this kind of
horrible girl. (laughs)
884
00:39:44,248 --> 00:39:48,452
'Cause you are a slut, you slut.
885
00:39:48,486 --> 00:39:50,621
- It was jarring to be in
there during those scenes.
886
00:39:50,654 --> 00:39:51,622
- Did you call me?
887
00:39:51,655 --> 00:39:53,157
What did you call me?
888
00:39:53,190 --> 00:39:54,058
- [Busy Voiceover] Yeah,
I hit him really hard.
889
00:39:54,091 --> 00:39:55,126
- Hey, calm down!
890
00:39:55,159 --> 00:39:56,460
- Just don't lie to me!
891
00:39:56,494 --> 00:39:57,561
- I'm not lying.
892
00:39:57,595 --> 00:39:58,662
- And his face was turning red
893
00:39:58,696 --> 00:40:00,164
and then everyone was concerned.
894
00:40:00,197 --> 00:40:02,733
James was such a badass like,
895
00:40:02,767 --> 00:40:04,468
"I don't care, would
Marlon Brando get hit?"
896
00:40:04,502 --> 00:40:07,571
- All right, this is like
Brando stuff, you know.
897
00:40:07,605 --> 00:40:10,508
I had these ideas about
being a young actor,
898
00:40:10,541 --> 00:40:13,944
and I was like I need to look
cool and tough or whatever.
899
00:40:13,978 --> 00:40:15,513
And Busy's tougher than I am,
900
00:40:15,546 --> 00:40:20,117
and so she kept punching me.
901
00:40:20,151 --> 00:40:21,585
- It really captures the sex
902
00:40:21,619 --> 00:40:22,987
and violence of
being a teenager.
903
00:40:24,822 --> 00:40:26,891
- The network got
scared of that episode,
904
00:40:26,924 --> 00:40:28,826
because it was as
bold as anything
905
00:40:28,859 --> 00:40:31,495
that I'd seen in a network show.
906
00:40:31,529 --> 00:40:33,264
- My memory of it
is Garth coming down
907
00:40:33,297 --> 00:40:34,231
to our offices and
being just like
908
00:40:34,265 --> 00:40:35,966
what the hell is this?
909
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:36,867
What is this?
910
00:40:36,901 --> 00:40:37,835
- That's what happened.
911
00:40:37,868 --> 00:40:39,103
- What's happening?
912
00:40:39,136 --> 00:40:40,538
This is not funny!
913
00:40:40,571 --> 00:40:42,173
- They didn't wanna air it,
914
00:40:42,206 --> 00:40:44,275
and we realized, oh
they're just scared.
915
00:40:44,308 --> 00:40:46,811
They're scared of what this is.
916
00:40:46,844 --> 00:40:49,146
- [Linda] There was always
some note of changing
917
00:40:49,180 --> 00:40:51,115
something to make
it more palatable.
918
00:40:51,148 --> 00:40:53,117
- The language they
would always use
919
00:40:53,150 --> 00:40:55,219
to describe that
was more victories.
920
00:40:55,252 --> 00:40:57,588
- Which was their way of
saying that the show was sad,
921
00:40:57,621 --> 00:41:00,024
but it was build into the
DNA of the show that it was
922
00:41:00,057 --> 00:41:02,159
about failing and how
you survive failure,
923
00:41:02,193 --> 00:41:03,928
and it was about
how your friends
924
00:41:03,961 --> 00:41:06,530
support you in difficult times.
925
00:41:06,564 --> 00:41:09,266
So it didn't really
make sense to us
926
00:41:09,300 --> 00:41:11,168
to have everything go great.
927
00:41:11,202 --> 00:41:13,304
- He wasn't thrilled
about that note.
928
00:41:13,337 --> 00:41:15,673
I didn't know if that
was the answer or not, I...
929
00:41:17,208 --> 00:41:20,144
but I certainly said can you
give 'em some more victories?
930
00:41:23,647 --> 00:41:25,983
- There was an episode where
we tried to take that note.
931
00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:30,988
Bill was playing baseball.
932
00:41:32,590 --> 00:41:35,092
The ball comes to him
and he catches it,
933
00:41:35,125 --> 00:41:37,161
and Rocky music plays.
934
00:41:37,194 --> 00:41:39,997
("Overture" by Conti)
935
00:41:44,635 --> 00:41:47,905
But then he doesn't realize
that people are tagging up,
936
00:41:49,073 --> 00:41:50,808
and so everybody just scores.
937
00:41:52,676 --> 00:41:58,782
That was a close as we
could get to a victory.
938
00:41:58,816 --> 00:42:00,217
(phone rings)
939
00:42:01,185 --> 00:42:05,122
(busy signal beeping)
940
00:42:05,155 --> 00:42:08,659
- I would engage in
discussions with Judd
941
00:42:08,692 --> 00:42:10,961
about why are we not
connecting with the audience?
942
00:42:10,995 --> 00:42:12,663
- I was the person
on the phone saying,
943
00:42:12,696 --> 00:42:15,833
"I'm not gonna change anything."
944
00:42:15,866 --> 00:42:18,836
- I'd hear just
screaming off in a field,
945
00:42:18,869 --> 00:42:19,937
and there'd be
Judd on a cellphone
946
00:42:19,970 --> 00:42:22,306
just screaming into the phone.
947
00:42:22,339 --> 00:42:24,241
- Paul and I agreed
on something early on,
948
00:42:24,275 --> 00:42:25,876
which is we're not
gonna screw this up.
949
00:42:25,910 --> 00:42:27,311
We're not gonna sell it out.
950
00:42:27,344 --> 00:42:31,081
- This was clearly
very important to Judd.
951
00:42:31,115 --> 00:42:33,050
- There is magic happening here,
952
00:42:33,083 --> 00:42:35,286
and I am not letting
anybody (beep) with this.
953
00:42:35,319 --> 00:42:37,254
- Maybe give a little
more James Franco
954
00:42:37,288 --> 00:42:39,123
because it was very
clear James Franco
955
00:42:39,156 --> 00:42:41,225
had real star quality about him.
956
00:42:41,258 --> 00:42:43,994
Maybe a happy ending now and
then, maybe would be good.
957
00:42:44,028 --> 00:42:45,829
- I've almost never seen a show
958
00:42:45,863 --> 00:42:48,399
that wasn't doing
very well suddenly
959
00:42:48,432 --> 00:42:50,401
become a huge hit
because the network
960
00:42:50,434 --> 00:42:53,304
executives gave
really good notes.
961
00:42:53,337 --> 00:42:55,039
Let's have happy endings?
962
00:42:55,072 --> 00:42:57,741
That's trying to change
your tires on the freeway
963
00:42:57,775 --> 00:42:59,677
when you're rolling
75 miles an hour.
964
00:42:59,710 --> 00:43:01,145
You can't do it.
965
00:43:01,178 --> 00:43:03,280
- Well, when's Sam
gonna get the girl?
966
00:43:03,314 --> 00:43:05,049
It's episode three,
when's he gonna get her?
967
00:43:05,082 --> 00:43:06,884
We're like, when he's 30?
968
00:43:06,917 --> 00:43:08,352
What was the other one?
969
00:43:08,385 --> 00:43:09,787
When's Franco gonna
take his shirt off?
970
00:43:09,820 --> 00:43:11,822
Right, right,right.
It's like, he's not.
971
00:43:11,855 --> 00:43:13,958
- People tend to wanna
walk away from a T.V. show
972
00:43:13,991 --> 00:43:19,063
or a movie like something
good has happened.
973
00:43:19,096 --> 00:43:21,365
- But isn't it
better to have a show
974
00:43:21,398 --> 00:43:25,836
that affirms that the
life that they're living
975
00:43:25,869 --> 00:43:28,205
is not so terrible,
and that other people
976
00:43:28,238 --> 00:43:30,007
are going through the
same kind of struggles,
977
00:43:30,040 --> 00:43:32,876
and sometimes it doesn't
end the way you want it to,
978
00:43:32,910 --> 00:43:34,912
and you kinda have to
make the most of it?
979
00:43:36,146 --> 00:43:38,048
- [Shelley Mccory] Surviving
is the victory.
980
00:43:38,082 --> 00:43:39,883
When this thing happens to you,
981
00:43:39,917 --> 00:43:41,118
and at the end of the
episode you're still alive,
982
00:43:41,151 --> 00:43:42,920
that's the victory.
983
00:43:42,953 --> 00:43:44,755
- The show's also about dreams.
984
00:43:44,788 --> 00:43:46,023
Will your dreams come true?
985
00:43:46,056 --> 00:43:48,192
Do you have the
courage to dream?
986
00:43:48,225 --> 00:43:50,427
Those episodes about Jason Segel
987
00:43:50,461 --> 00:43:52,196
playing the drums
are really tough.
988
00:43:52,229 --> 00:43:54,965
He wants to be as good
as the guy in Rush,
989
00:43:54,999 --> 00:43:58,268
and he realizes that he's
not, and it's heartbreaking.
990
00:43:58,302 --> 00:43:59,837
(sighs)
991
00:43:59,870 --> 00:44:01,105
- Sometimes I go
down into my basement
992
00:44:01,138 --> 00:44:03,807
and I put on a live album.
993
00:44:03,841 --> 00:44:06,810
I can see myself on the stage,
994
00:44:06,844 --> 00:44:08,312
do you understand what I mean?
995
00:44:08,345 --> 00:44:10,414
I can see it, and I'm
play a 10-minute solo.
996
00:44:12,282 --> 00:44:13,017
Oh, man.
997
00:44:14,785 --> 00:44:17,321
(sighs)
998
00:44:17,354 --> 00:44:19,890
I'm not gonna be that guy.
999
00:44:19,923 --> 00:44:21,225
I'm never gonna be that guy.
1000
00:44:22,826 --> 00:44:24,128
- We all have to decide
what we wanna do.
1001
00:44:24,161 --> 00:44:25,929
How hard do we wanna
work to get it?
1002
00:44:25,963 --> 00:44:27,431
Are we gonna give up?
1003
00:44:27,464 --> 00:44:29,867
And you hope that in your life,
1004
00:44:29,900 --> 00:44:31,101
if you're strong
and you work hard
1005
00:44:31,135 --> 00:44:33,103
that you get to
have your moment,
1006
00:44:33,137 --> 00:44:36,507
and I always like to think
that a lot of these characters,
1007
00:44:36,540 --> 00:44:39,276
after this period,
had their moment.
1008
00:44:47,785 --> 00:44:48,318
- See ya.
1009
00:44:52,456 --> 00:44:53,957
- It's on.
1010
00:44:56,927 --> 00:44:59,129
- When a broadcast network
launches your show,
1011
00:44:59,163 --> 00:45:01,799
the audience has one
opportunity to see it.
1012
00:45:01,832 --> 00:45:03,767
- Freaks and Geeks
didn't get a lotta luck.
1013
00:45:03,801 --> 00:45:05,335
- The show would
be on for two weeks
1014
00:45:05,369 --> 00:45:07,304
and then off for two weeks.
1015
00:45:07,337 --> 00:45:09,206
And then on for one week,
and then off for three weeks.
1016
00:45:09,239 --> 00:45:13,777
And that is a textbook way,
in that era, to kill a show.
1017
00:45:14,978 --> 00:45:16,346
The most important
thing that you can get
1018
00:45:16,380 --> 00:45:19,016
when a network
show is launched is
1019
00:45:19,049 --> 00:45:22,920
just a straight run of original
episodes, uninterrupted.
1020
00:45:22,953 --> 00:45:26,824
- Well the show was
on 13 out of 26 weeks,
1021
00:45:26,857 --> 00:45:29,860
so it was just off the air
as much as it was on the air.
1022
00:45:29,893 --> 00:45:31,161
- So there were just
weekends where they'd
1023
00:45:31,195 --> 00:45:33,297
shovel three episodes
off on a Sunday,
1024
00:45:33,330 --> 00:45:35,032
'cause they were like, "We
gotta air 'em somewhere."
1025
00:45:35,065 --> 00:45:37,334
- We got a order for 13
episodes, then they'll
1026
00:45:37,367 --> 00:45:39,837
give you the back 9
so you go up to 22.
1027
00:45:39,870 --> 00:45:44,541
This they gave us like two,
then they gave us like one more.
1028
00:45:45,509 --> 00:45:47,277
- We'd been on Saturday nights,
1029
00:45:47,311 --> 00:45:49,179
and then they announced
they were moving us Mondays.
1030
00:45:49,213 --> 00:45:50,280
- [T.V. Announcer] An
all-new Freaks and Geeks.
1031
00:45:50,314 --> 00:45:52,516
NBC Monday at 8/7 central.
1032
00:45:52,549 --> 00:45:54,318
- There's more
available audience.
1033
00:45:54,351 --> 00:45:56,954
- But also more competition.
- Right.
1034
00:45:56,987 --> 00:45:58,889
- The big story
in T.V. around that time
1035
00:45:58,922 --> 00:46:00,858
was Who Wants to
Be a Millionaire?
1036
00:46:03,861 --> 00:46:05,963
That show had come
out that fall also,
1037
00:46:05,996 --> 00:46:09,867
and it was such a
ratings monster.
1038
00:46:09,900 --> 00:46:11,368
- [Judd] It was like
a Destructo Machine,
1039
00:46:11,401 --> 00:46:14,037
rolling around television.
1040
00:46:14,071 --> 00:46:16,540
And they started putting it
on three, four times a week.
1041
00:46:21,078 --> 00:46:23,514
- [Paul] They're knocking off
scripted original programming
1042
00:46:23,547 --> 00:46:26,850
to broadcast Regis Philbin
trying to give away
1043
00:46:26,884 --> 00:46:29,186
a million dollars to
a couple of idiots.
1044
00:46:29,219 --> 00:46:31,855
- And there would a guy waiting
to figure out an answer,
1045
00:46:31,889 --> 00:46:33,590
and he'd be like this and
thinking and thinking.
1046
00:46:33,624 --> 00:46:35,926
That 15 seconds on an episode
1047
00:46:35,959 --> 00:46:38,629
that we were writing
would be so important.
1048
00:46:38,662 --> 00:46:39,963
- Finally, they put
it on against us
1049
00:46:39,997 --> 00:46:41,632
and just wiped us out.
1050
00:46:41,665 --> 00:46:43,867
(static)
1051
00:46:46,170 --> 00:46:48,038
- [Jeff] Suddenly it
did feel like there was
1052
00:46:48,071 --> 00:46:51,074
a ticking clock on
the life of our show.
1053
00:46:51,108 --> 00:46:54,578
- Everyone was doing CPR, trying
to get people to watch it.
1054
00:46:54,611 --> 00:46:56,513
Trying to get the
network to promote it.
1055
00:46:56,547 --> 00:46:59,983
The New York Times did
a big piece saying,
1056
00:47:00,017 --> 00:47:02,019
"Please everyone,
watch this show.
1057
00:47:02,052 --> 00:47:04,188
"The ship is sinking
but it's great.
1058
00:47:04,221 --> 00:47:06,223
"You really should watch this."
1059
00:47:06,256 --> 00:47:07,591
But you know, no one did.
1060
00:47:07,624 --> 00:47:10,360
(crew chattering)
1061
00:47:12,296 --> 00:47:14,631
- When you work on a
T.V. show or a movie,
1062
00:47:14,665 --> 00:47:17,201
there's an area
called craft service.
1063
00:47:17,234 --> 00:47:19,670
This craft service
table is filled
1064
00:47:19,703 --> 00:47:22,906
with lavish baked
goods and cold cuts,
1065
00:47:22,940 --> 00:47:25,676
and then slowly as
the show went on,
1066
00:47:25,709 --> 00:47:29,913
it became reduced to a box of
Corn Puffs and some creamer,
1067
00:47:29,947 --> 00:47:32,950
at which point we realized
we were in trouble.
1068
00:47:32,983 --> 00:47:35,619
- And I remember Judd coming
up to me and saying like,
1069
00:47:35,652 --> 00:47:37,955
"You should write
the final episode."
1070
00:47:39,690 --> 00:47:41,625
We always had a
sense that the show
1071
00:47:41,658 --> 00:47:43,660
was not going to survive.
1072
00:47:43,694 --> 00:47:45,329
If there's anything I hated more
1073
00:47:45,362 --> 00:47:46,697
than a show getting
canceled in the middle
1074
00:47:46,730 --> 00:47:49,533
and not having a
conclusion to the story,
1075
00:47:49,566 --> 00:47:52,302
that's how nervous
and paranoid we were.
1076
00:47:52,336 --> 00:47:53,136
- We gotta do it.
1077
00:47:54,304 --> 00:47:56,440
This might be the last episode.
1078
00:47:56,473 --> 00:47:58,342
- We'll have a season
no matter what.
1079
00:47:58,375 --> 00:48:00,444
(jocks yelling)
1080
00:48:00,477 --> 00:48:02,946
(gentle music)
1081
00:48:07,584 --> 00:48:11,188
- You get called geeks,
girls don't even look at ya.
1082
00:48:11,221 --> 00:48:12,623
What?
1083
00:48:12,656 --> 00:48:15,058
I'm accepted at an
Ivy League college?
1084
00:48:15,092 --> 00:48:16,627
Hey, chicks dig smart guys.
1085
00:48:16,660 --> 00:48:17,427
Who knew?
1086
00:48:19,129 --> 00:48:21,431
And yes, Mr. Jock
who cleaned me out?
1087
00:48:21,465 --> 00:48:23,400
I will have fries with that.
1088
00:48:23,433 --> 00:48:25,068
(all laughing)
1089
00:48:25,102 --> 00:48:26,703
- I don't want a story
to go on forever.
1090
00:48:26,737 --> 00:48:28,171
I just wanna go like, "Oh good.
1091
00:48:28,205 --> 00:48:31,008
"We've sent them
off into the world."
1092
00:48:31,041 --> 00:48:33,543
(gentle music)
1093
00:48:44,655 --> 00:48:46,223
- [Judd] Paul and I
were sitting around,
1094
00:48:46,256 --> 00:48:48,125
and we said, "What
happens to this girl?"
1095
00:48:49,593 --> 00:48:52,696
And we realize, I think
she becomes a deadhead.
1096
00:48:54,798 --> 00:48:56,166
That's where she would go.
1097
00:48:58,669 --> 00:49:00,103
- [Linda] I'm so happy that they
1098
00:49:00,137 --> 00:49:01,505
managed to sneak in the ending.
1099
00:49:03,340 --> 00:49:05,776
- [Judd] It's hard to even
understand why it worked so well
1100
00:49:05,809 --> 00:49:08,378
because it doesn't
end any storyline,
1101
00:49:08,412 --> 00:49:10,580
but yet it does
feel like the end.
1102
00:49:17,054 --> 00:49:19,289
- I'm left, when I
watch that last episode,
1103
00:49:19,323 --> 00:49:22,626
feeling a little like
I wanna cry. (laughs)
1104
00:49:22,659 --> 00:49:24,795
A little like I wanna
have some hot tea.
1105
00:49:24,828 --> 00:49:26,430
Maybe that's just me.
1106
00:49:26,463 --> 00:49:31,635
Maybe I have other
stuff going on.(laughs)
1107
00:49:31,668 --> 00:49:33,470
- [Seth Rogan] We kinda
did everything right,
1108
00:49:33,503 --> 00:49:35,539
and it still just didn't work.
1109
00:49:35,572 --> 00:49:37,140
- [Samm Levine] They said,
1110
00:49:37,174 --> 00:49:38,775
well we're gonna
reevaluate it in May
1111
00:49:38,809 --> 00:49:40,744
and everybody sort
of knows that there's
1112
00:49:40,777 --> 00:49:42,779
not a prayer in hell they're
gonna order the show.
1113
00:49:42,813 --> 00:49:45,549
- It was a decision that I
kinda knew was gonna happen
1114
00:49:45,582 --> 00:49:48,485
months in advance but
things had to just play out.
1115
00:49:48,518 --> 00:49:50,220
- There are two things
that a show needs
1116
00:49:50,253 --> 00:49:53,323
to survive and become
a hit and that is
1117
00:49:53,357 --> 00:49:55,459
creators who know
what they're doing,
1118
00:49:55,492 --> 00:49:58,295
and then a network
that believes in it
1119
00:49:58,328 --> 00:50:01,064
and will put everything
they have behind it.
1120
00:50:01,098 --> 00:50:03,700
- There were conference calls
that we arranged because Garth
1121
00:50:03,734 --> 00:50:06,436
felt like it was too dark,
it wasn't interesting,
1122
00:50:06,470 --> 00:50:08,805
I don't like these kids,
they're not attractive.
1123
00:50:08,839 --> 00:50:10,507
When that happens
you stop getting
1124
00:50:10,540 --> 00:50:12,676
promos on Thursday nights.
1125
00:50:12,709 --> 00:50:14,344
You're not getting
a promo on Friends
1126
00:50:14,378 --> 00:50:16,780
saying "Watch Freaks
and Geeks this weekend",
1127
00:50:16,813 --> 00:50:21,451
and once that starts
it's just a slow slide.
1128
00:50:21,485 --> 00:50:25,188
- When we were heading for
cancellation I was like,
1129
00:50:25,222 --> 00:50:28,825
just dreading it, it's the
toughest thing to cancel a show
1130
00:50:28,859 --> 00:50:31,294
when it's not just
a piece of business,
1131
00:50:31,328 --> 00:50:34,331
it's something from their soul.
1132
00:50:34,364 --> 00:50:36,666
- I believe that it
was open and shut
1133
00:50:36,700 --> 00:50:38,535
that we needed to cancel it.
1134
00:50:38,568 --> 00:50:41,772
Personally I felt really
invested in the show working.
1135
00:50:41,805 --> 00:50:44,574
But hope is not a business plan.
1136
00:50:48,678 --> 00:50:50,414
We all wanted it to
succeed but there's a point
1137
00:50:50,447 --> 00:50:52,482
you kinda have to give it up.
1138
00:50:55,419 --> 00:50:57,754
- If you can't see signs
of life in the show
1139
00:50:57,788 --> 00:51:01,625
that you can't articulate
to your management
1140
00:51:01,658 --> 00:51:05,529
you will be fired if
you don't do that.
1141
00:51:05,562 --> 00:51:07,230
- [Busy Philipps]
You're gonna be right
1142
00:51:07,264 --> 00:51:08,665
in the television business
more often than not
1143
00:51:08,698 --> 00:51:11,568
if you say "no" or you
bet against something.
1144
00:51:11,601 --> 00:51:13,804
Most things fail.
1145
00:51:13,837 --> 00:51:16,706
- No one ever has seconds
thoughts about canceling a show
1146
00:51:16,740 --> 00:51:20,610
that's creatively failing,
but they certainly have
1147
00:51:20,644 --> 00:51:25,549
second thoughts about a show
that is creatively working
1148
00:51:25,582 --> 00:51:28,685
and is unique and different
and fulfilling it's promises.
1149
00:51:28,718 --> 00:51:34,891
And I have often thought,
what could I have done to
1150
00:51:34,925 --> 00:51:36,426
get this to work?
1151
00:51:37,727 --> 00:51:39,329
- [Paul Feig] So
for like the person
1152
00:51:39,362 --> 00:51:41,331
who gets it the least
to be the guy that
1153
00:51:41,364 --> 00:51:45,702
can say "yay" or "nay" had to
be so heartbreaking for Judd.
1154
00:51:45,735 --> 00:51:49,673
- For me it was like a
complete nervous breakdown.
1155
00:51:51,208 --> 00:51:53,543
It tapped into all my
issues from when I was a kid
1156
00:51:53,577 --> 00:51:58,582
about families separating, like
my childhood divorce issues.
1157
00:51:58,615 --> 00:52:01,952
Like, oh no, we must keep
this together at all costs.
1158
00:52:01,985 --> 00:52:06,323
The sadness and depression and
rage of a family breaking up,
1159
00:52:06,356 --> 00:52:10,794
of potential being incinerated.
1160
00:52:11,895 --> 00:52:14,498
No, we can't do this.
What, we can't do this?
1161
00:52:14,531 --> 00:52:17,267
Never make anymore
again and don't talk
1162
00:52:17,300 --> 00:52:20,904
to each other ever again, you're
allowed to say that to me?
1163
00:52:20,937 --> 00:52:22,739
You have the power
to make that happen?
1164
00:52:22,772 --> 00:52:24,741
It was very hard for
me to accept that
1165
00:52:24,774 --> 00:52:27,344
that's how show business worked.
1166
00:52:31,515 --> 00:52:33,717
- I felt like we let them down.
1167
00:52:36,953 --> 00:52:39,489
It was our job to
protect it and keep it on
1168
00:52:39,523 --> 00:52:43,260
and let it grow and we
didn't, we couldn't.
1169
00:52:43,293 --> 00:52:45,428
(clapping)
1170
00:52:47,697 --> 00:52:51,635
- Final day of shooting
we're all breaking down,
1171
00:52:51,668 --> 00:52:55,405
I mean Linda and I especially
were just disasters.
1172
00:52:55,438 --> 00:52:56,673
- [Linda Cardellini] It hurt.
1173
00:52:56,706 --> 00:52:59,709
- [Camera Man] You upset?
1174
00:52:59,743 --> 00:53:00,844
You gonna be okay?
1175
00:53:00,877 --> 00:53:03,380
- [John Francis Daley] Yeah.
1176
00:53:03,413 --> 00:53:06,516
(dramatic, sad music)
1177
00:53:11,755 --> 00:53:14,758
- [Judd Apatow] You
guys are on fire!
1178
00:53:14,791 --> 00:53:16,526
- [Steve Bannos]
Judd gives a speech
1179
00:53:16,560 --> 00:53:19,596
and Paul gives a speech
and you could just feel it
1180
00:53:19,629 --> 00:53:22,032
and everyone's trying
to keep it together.
1181
00:53:22,065 --> 00:53:24,734
- I'm kind of flustered right
now because I didn't think
1182
00:53:24,768 --> 00:53:26,770
the last day was gonna
hit me this hard.
1183
00:53:26,803 --> 00:53:28,038
That's gonna be the
hardest part is not
1184
00:53:28,071 --> 00:53:30,507
getting to see
everybody every day.
1185
00:53:31,641 --> 00:53:34,444
(applause)
1186
00:53:34,477 --> 00:53:38,281
- There was a wrap party
that was pretty crazy.
1187
00:53:38,315 --> 00:53:40,050
That was kind of
the last goodbyes.
1188
00:53:40,083 --> 00:53:43,553
(emotional rhythmic music)
1189
00:54:01,771 --> 00:54:03,707
- Everyone came.
1190
00:54:03,740 --> 00:54:07,944
When you got to the party
you knew it was over with.
1191
00:54:07,978 --> 00:54:09,846
- It felt like the
last day of high school
1192
00:54:09,879 --> 00:54:11,748
which I didn't have because
I didn't finish high school
1193
00:54:11,781 --> 00:54:13,416
but it felt like what I imagine
1194
00:54:13,450 --> 00:54:15,652
the last day of high
school feeling like.
1195
00:54:15,685 --> 00:54:18,888
- [Judd Apatow] Three of
the cast members on our show
1196
00:54:18,922 --> 00:54:21,858
have just graduated
from high school.
1197
00:54:23,994 --> 00:54:25,962
- As it may be, this
is the only graduation
1198
00:54:25,996 --> 00:54:28,365
I will ever have so, uh...
1199
00:54:28,398 --> 00:54:31,468
(laughter)
1200
00:54:31,501 --> 00:54:34,804
I'd like to thank y'all for
coming down and ah,
1201
00:54:34,838 --> 00:54:40,944
I don't know, every
rose has it's thorn and ah
1202
00:54:40,977 --> 00:54:43,046
all that junk.
1203
00:54:43,079 --> 00:54:46,049
- So, we would like to present
these gents with their diplomas.
1204
00:54:46,082 --> 00:54:48,551
(cheering)
1205
00:54:49,953 --> 00:54:51,021
- [Martin Starr] This was
a better high school than I
1206
00:54:51,054 --> 00:54:53,923
could have ever hoped
for or imagined.
1207
00:54:53,957 --> 00:54:58,695
Learning on this show and
growing up on this show.
1208
00:54:58,728 --> 00:55:01,097
(mellow music)
1209
00:55:01,131 --> 00:55:04,868
- I don't have super clear
memories of high school.
1210
00:55:04,901 --> 00:55:05,935
I was very poorly treated by
1211
00:55:05,969 --> 00:55:08,104
everybody else in my peer group,
1212
00:55:09,673 --> 00:55:12,142
I was weird, our
family was poor,
1213
00:55:12,175 --> 00:55:15,845
my clothes were shoddy,
I had no social skills.
1214
00:55:15,879 --> 00:55:18,415
That time on set was
the very first time
1215
00:55:18,448 --> 00:55:20,050
in my whole life
that I was surrounded
1216
00:55:20,083 --> 00:55:22,018
by people who were
treating me with respect,
1217
00:55:22,052 --> 00:55:24,654
and listening to
what I had to say.
1218
00:55:24,688 --> 00:55:26,990
So much of who I
am was formed by
1219
00:55:27,023 --> 00:55:28,992
the experience of
Freaks and Geeks.
1220
00:55:29,025 --> 00:55:30,727
- If you're on a show and
you're young and it hits
1221
00:55:30,760 --> 00:55:33,763
there's a catapult into
a different stratosphere.
1222
00:55:33,797 --> 00:55:36,399
And that didn't happen to us.
1223
00:55:36,433 --> 00:55:38,034
- There was like years
I was unemployed.
1224
00:55:38,068 --> 00:55:40,637
It made me angry
for years and years.
1225
00:55:40,670 --> 00:55:44,641
I was probably a pretty
unpleasant person to be around.
1226
00:55:44,674 --> 00:55:47,844
- It is a weird thing for
someone at the age of 14
1227
00:55:47,877 --> 00:55:50,980
to feel like, where do I go now?
1228
00:55:51,014 --> 00:55:52,682
Cause that's generally,
for most people,
1229
00:55:52,716 --> 00:55:55,051
the starting point
in their lives.
1230
00:55:55,085 --> 00:55:58,021
- When you start out with
a really high standard
1231
00:55:58,054 --> 00:56:01,091
you sort of are comparing
everything after that.
1232
00:56:01,124 --> 00:56:04,461
- I didn't know
how great I had it
1233
00:56:04,494 --> 00:56:08,565
or how lucky I was, really, to
be working with those people.
1234
00:56:08,598 --> 00:56:10,734
- Where television has gone now,
1235
00:56:10,767 --> 00:56:13,169
it's because of
Freaks and Geeks.
1236
00:56:13,203 --> 00:56:15,105
- You look at Freaks
and Geeks and it's like,
1237
00:56:15,138 --> 00:56:17,140
well, it's a single
camera sitcom,
1238
00:56:17,173 --> 00:56:19,642
that happens all the
time now, you know.
1239
00:56:19,676 --> 00:56:23,079
It's got antiheroes in it,
that happens all the time.
1240
00:56:23,113 --> 00:56:24,881
What these guys did
was brought a show
1241
00:56:24,914 --> 00:56:26,883
that broke a lot of conventions.
1242
00:56:26,916 --> 00:56:29,652
Without Freaks and
Geeks you wouldn't have
1243
00:56:29,686 --> 00:56:34,457
the style of real dramadies,
it just wouldn't of happened.
1244
00:56:34,491 --> 00:56:36,960
- It was the birth
of the antihero
1245
00:56:36,993 --> 00:56:40,930
and it served as, I
think, a cautionary tale
1246
00:56:40,964 --> 00:56:46,903
about shows that had a small
but devoted fan base that would
1247
00:56:46,936 --> 00:56:50,073
scream from the mountaintops
how good this show was.
1248
00:56:50,106 --> 00:56:52,509
- To be able to
have done that show
1249
00:56:52,542 --> 00:56:56,079
on a network at that
time, I'm just so happy
1250
00:56:56,112 --> 00:56:58,748
that it still exists
so people can see it
1251
00:56:58,782 --> 00:57:01,751
and it can still have
this life beyond itself.
1252
00:57:01,785 --> 00:57:03,253
- Otherwise it would have just
1253
00:57:03,286 --> 00:57:05,021
disappeared forever
in some dark library
1254
00:57:05,054 --> 00:57:08,758
in the bottom of the NBC
dungeon, I don't know.
1255
00:57:10,293 --> 00:57:12,595
- Judd and I both went
aside and went like,
1256
00:57:12,629 --> 00:57:16,199
are we about to ruin
these kids lives?
1257
00:57:16,232 --> 00:57:19,202
I didn't want anybody to turn,
we loved these kids so much.
1258
00:57:19,235 --> 00:57:22,739
- I remember Judd saying,
look, we're not on the air,
1259
00:57:22,772 --> 00:57:25,041
and at some point, at some time,
1260
00:57:25,074 --> 00:57:29,612
people are gonna watch
these, so just keep working.
1261
00:57:29,646 --> 00:57:32,582
- In my head I was trying
to keep this group together.
1262
00:57:32,615 --> 00:57:35,118
Even though we were canceled
I was trying to think
1263
00:57:35,151 --> 00:57:36,719
we should all be doing stuff,
1264
00:57:36,753 --> 00:57:39,589
we can't let them
shut this down.
1265
00:57:39,622 --> 00:57:44,160
If we want to we should try to
control our creative destiny.
1266
00:57:48,798 --> 00:57:50,733
It felt like a very special
thing that I didn't want
1267
00:57:50,767 --> 00:57:53,303
to go away and it
hasn't gone away.
1268
00:57:53,336 --> 00:57:57,140
It's like a tree with a lot
of branches, reaching out.
1269
00:57:57,173 --> 00:57:59,709
This show led to a lot
of good stuff coming out.
1270
00:57:59,742 --> 00:58:01,911
And that's something
that I'm very proud of.
1271
00:58:01,945 --> 00:58:04,214
- Judd's a real teacher.
1272
00:58:04,247 --> 00:58:07,684
If he sees that talent he
really loves to nurture it.
1273
00:58:07,717 --> 00:58:09,052
I really credit Judd for giving
1274
00:58:09,085 --> 00:58:11,621
those guys a launch
pad in movies.
1275
00:58:11,654 --> 00:58:14,791
- I just did everything I
could to fight against it.
1276
00:58:14,824 --> 00:58:16,726
Oh, you think this show is over?
1277
00:58:16,759 --> 00:58:18,595
And that we're never
gonna work together again?
1278
00:58:18,628 --> 00:58:21,197
Well then I'm gonna make a
show that's very similar.
1279
00:58:21,231 --> 00:58:23,233
- Undeclared
definitely we saw as
1280
00:58:23,266 --> 00:58:26,002
sort of a sequel to
Freaks and Geeks.
1281
00:58:26,035 --> 00:58:27,971
- [Judd Apatow] A lot of people
1282
00:58:28,004 --> 00:58:29,639
were in the cast like Seth and
Jason, and then other people
1283
00:58:29,672 --> 00:58:32,976
like Martin came on
and did guest spots.
1284
00:58:33,009 --> 00:58:34,244
- Judd and Paul are two big ones
1285
00:58:34,277 --> 00:58:36,246
that constantly use
the same people.
1286
00:58:36,279 --> 00:58:37,814
Very loyal, yeah.
1287
00:58:38,982 --> 00:58:41,751
- It's almost like hoarding.
1288
00:58:41,784 --> 00:58:44,120
You're not gonna throw
away my bottle of piss
1289
00:58:44,153 --> 00:58:46,256
and my 1978 Newsweek,
1290
00:58:46,289 --> 00:58:50,693
I'm keeping it forever
because I may need it.
1291
00:58:50,727 --> 00:58:53,196
I kept working with
a lot of the writers,
1292
00:58:53,229 --> 00:58:55,732
and directors, and actors,
and actresses in movies.
1293
00:58:55,765 --> 00:58:57,233
But in my head I
would always think,
1294
00:58:57,267 --> 00:59:00,303
this is just an episode
of Freaks and Geeks.
1295
00:59:00,336 --> 00:59:02,138
- Judd had done an amazing run.
1296
00:59:02,171 --> 00:59:05,808
Anchorman, 40 Year Old
Virgin, Knocked Up.
1297
00:59:05,842 --> 00:59:07,610
- [Judd Apatow] What is
the 40 year old virgin,
1298
00:59:07,644 --> 00:59:09,178
it's a guy that's just
afraid to ask out the girl.
1299
00:59:09,212 --> 00:59:11,214
Which is all the geeks
are on Freaks and Geeks,
1300
00:59:11,247 --> 00:59:13,283
it's just now they're 40.
1301
00:59:13,316 --> 00:59:16,152
- I wouldn't be acting
now I don't think
1302
00:59:16,185 --> 00:59:19,255
if I hadn't been able
to do Knocked Up.
1303
00:59:20,690 --> 00:59:22,292
- [Karey Burke] It's super cool.
1304
00:59:22,325 --> 00:59:23,760
- [Shelley McCory] It is
super cool.
1305
00:59:23,793 --> 00:59:25,161
- Especially
because we were told
1306
00:59:25,194 --> 00:59:25,795
they would never be
big stars. (laughs)
1307
00:59:25,828 --> 00:59:27,797
- Yeah.
1308
00:59:27,830 --> 00:59:29,365
They don't have this, they
don't have this, they don't
1309
00:59:29,399 --> 00:59:30,900
have this, they don't have
this, it's not gonna work.
1310
00:59:30,934 --> 00:59:32,335
- There was another
thing that was at play,
1311
00:59:32,368 --> 00:59:34,837
a Count of Monte Cristo style
1312
00:59:34,871 --> 00:59:36,773
revenge mission on Judd's part.
1313
00:59:36,806 --> 00:59:39,876
And that I will
systematically make
1314
00:59:39,909 --> 00:59:42,278
every one of these
people a star.
1315
00:59:42,312 --> 00:59:46,215
You're wrong, Seth's a
star, Jason's a star, watch.
1316
00:59:46,249 --> 00:59:48,151
- Part of me thinks the only
reason I was in Knocked Up
1317
00:59:48,184 --> 00:59:49,719
and 40 Year Old Virgin
is so Judd could
1318
00:59:49,752 --> 00:59:52,255
prove some NBC executive wrong.
1319
00:59:52,288 --> 00:59:53,790
Which is totally okay with me,
1320
00:59:53,823 --> 00:59:54,891
it doesn't diminish
it in my eye.
1321
00:59:54,924 --> 00:59:56,225
I'm totally okay
to have a career
1322
00:59:56,259 --> 00:59:59,329
that's based on
vengeance and rage.
1323
01:00:00,930 --> 01:00:02,398
- [Judd Apatow] It sounds
kind of demented, but it was
1324
01:00:02,432 --> 01:00:06,836
the driving force of a lot
of my approach to my career.
1325
01:00:06,869 --> 01:00:08,304
- [Woman] Judd is
fearless, he started
1326
01:00:08,338 --> 01:00:10,406
doing a project with Seth Rogan.
1327
01:00:10,440 --> 01:00:13,376
- Superbad is like the dream
of Freaks and Geeks as a movie,
1328
01:00:13,409 --> 01:00:16,946
edgier where you don't have
to keep it clean for NBC.
1329
01:00:16,980 --> 01:00:19,983
It's the perfect
version of that.
1330
01:00:20,016 --> 01:00:22,285
- [Paul Feig] Forgetting
Sarah Marshall was coming out
1331
01:00:22,318 --> 01:00:25,755
and I ran into Judd
and he said, "I did it".
1332
01:00:25,788 --> 01:00:27,390
What did you do?
1333
01:00:27,423 --> 01:00:29,959
And he said, "I promised
myself I wasn't gonna stop
1334
01:00:29,993 --> 01:00:33,296
until Jason became
a huge movie star."
1335
01:00:33,329 --> 01:00:35,398
- Judd said to me
after Freaks and Geeks
1336
01:00:35,431 --> 01:00:37,133
look, the only way
you're gonna make it
1337
01:00:37,166 --> 01:00:39,035
is if you write
your own material.
1338
01:00:39,068 --> 01:00:40,837
"You're kind of a weird
dude", was specifically
1339
01:00:40,870 --> 01:00:42,839
what he said to me
and then he literally
1340
01:00:42,872 --> 01:00:45,341
showed me how to write and it
felt like an apprenticeship.
1341
01:00:45,375 --> 01:00:46,876
- [Judd Apatow] It feels like
1342
01:00:46,909 --> 01:00:49,345
what I always thought
they could do,
1343
01:00:49,379 --> 01:00:52,482
and I didn't want it to
happen without me around.
1344
01:00:52,515 --> 01:00:53,916
- [Seth Rogan] We started
writing Pineapple Express
1345
01:00:53,950 --> 01:00:56,219
after Freaks and
Geeks was canceled.
1346
01:00:56,252 --> 01:00:58,888
- I would only realized like
years later when I came back
1347
01:00:58,921 --> 01:01:02,792
and did Pineapple with
Judd and Seth like, oh,
1348
01:01:02,825 --> 01:01:07,397
I kinda do need those guys,
they are my family, you know?
1349
01:01:07,430 --> 01:01:09,832
- I helped launch
the show The Office.
1350
01:01:09,866 --> 01:01:13,269
Brought along certain Freaks
and Geeks ideas to that work.
1351
01:01:13,302 --> 01:01:16,973
- The kind of story telling
that we're interested in
1352
01:01:17,006 --> 01:01:19,876
all of it traces back
to Freaks and Geeks.
1353
01:01:19,909 --> 01:01:22,745
- Jake directed Bad
Teacher. What did I play?
1354
01:01:22,779 --> 01:01:23,880
A math teacher.
1355
01:01:23,913 --> 01:01:25,014
- I love that Becky Ann Baker is
1356
01:01:25,048 --> 01:01:27,316
leading them as well on Girls.
1357
01:01:28,451 --> 01:01:29,152
- [Dave Allen] Why
don't these two guys
1358
01:01:29,185 --> 01:01:31,487
be the nutty neighbors on Love?
1359
01:01:31,521 --> 01:01:32,889
- [Judd Apatow]
Busy Phillips wrote
1360
01:01:32,922 --> 01:01:35,091
the story for Blades of Glory.
1361
01:01:35,124 --> 01:01:38,394
John Daley directed Vacation
and wrote Spider Man.
1362
01:01:38,428 --> 01:01:41,397
- We made a movie
about animated food
1363
01:01:41,431 --> 01:01:46,469
grounding every scene in a
relatable, real life scenario.
1364
01:01:46,502 --> 01:01:48,438
And that's all from Judd.
1365
01:01:48,471 --> 01:01:50,840
- [Shelley McCory] Paul Feig
is doing female comedies.
1366
01:01:50,873 --> 01:01:52,942
- [Karey Burke] Bridesmaids was
so special, wasn't it?
1367
01:01:52,975 --> 01:01:54,911
- He did that
Ghostbusters thing, right?
1368
01:01:54,944 --> 01:01:58,381
That female Ghostbusters,
yeah, what the hell.
1369
01:02:00,083 --> 01:02:03,219
Why should I worry about
these guys? (laughs)
1370
01:02:03,252 --> 01:02:06,322
(uplifting music)
1371
01:02:07,890 --> 01:02:09,492
- [Dennis Deyoung] Even
though Freaks and Geeks died
1372
01:02:09,525 --> 01:02:14,363
the family behind it
continued to live and prosper.
1373
01:02:14,397 --> 01:02:18,501
- It survives just in
the work of everybody
1374
01:02:18,534 --> 01:02:21,170
who was a part of it.
1375
01:02:21,204 --> 01:02:24,941
I just acted in a movie
that James Franco directed.
1376
01:02:24,974 --> 01:02:26,342
And that's the end of
all the permutations.
1377
01:02:26,375 --> 01:02:30,346
When I'm acting in the
movies they've directed.
1378
01:02:30,379 --> 01:02:32,515
They become your kids,
and so when suddenly
1379
01:02:32,548 --> 01:02:35,318
they're doing well that
must be what you feel like
1380
01:02:35,351 --> 01:02:37,987
when you have
successful children.
1381
01:02:38,020 --> 01:02:40,823
So I have successful
kids, it worked out.
1382
01:02:40,857 --> 01:02:43,259
And I didn't have to send
any of them to college.
1383
01:02:43,292 --> 01:02:45,461
(piano music)
Styx, "Come Sail Ayay"
1384
01:02:48,998 --> 01:02:50,233
- Once in a while the universe
1385
01:02:50,266 --> 01:02:52,335
has gotta spin in
your direction.
1386
01:02:52,368 --> 01:02:53,603
And when it's
spinning towards you
1387
01:02:53,636 --> 01:02:56,839
you better stand
up and take notice.
1388
01:02:58,241 --> 01:03:01,310
Freaks and Geeks was not a
success and they let it go.
1389
01:03:01,344 --> 01:03:04,380
But all the things had to come
together in the right way.
1390
01:03:04,413 --> 01:03:07,250
As they say, the
cream goes to the top.
1391
01:03:07,283 --> 01:03:10,353
It doesn't always, but
it did in these cases
1392
01:03:10,386 --> 01:03:13,189
and so I say, hot diggity dog.
1393
01:03:13,222 --> 01:03:18,094
♪ I'm sailing away
1394
01:03:22,365 --> 01:03:27,403
♪ Set an open course
for the virgin seas ♪
1395
01:03:27,436 --> 01:03:29,906
- Wow, what would
it have been like
1396
01:03:29,939 --> 01:03:33,242
if the show went on for
five years and we were all,
1397
01:03:33,276 --> 01:03:35,444
and then was a big
hit or something.
1398
01:03:35,478 --> 01:03:38,881
- Maybe there's actually
something pretty special
1399
01:03:38,915 --> 01:03:41,117
about getting it as
just this little slice
1400
01:03:41,150 --> 01:03:43,419
of their life, as one
year in their life.
1401
01:03:43,452 --> 01:03:45,588
- You know, shows
often get terrible.
1402
01:03:45,621 --> 01:03:48,057
- I don't wanna see
sad, old Kim Kelly.
1403
01:03:48,090 --> 01:03:51,460
- It's just kind of exactly
what we wanted it to be.
1404
01:03:51,494 --> 01:03:54,463
I miss it and yet I don't
want to do any more of them.
1405
01:03:55,131 --> 01:03:59,468
♪ To carry on
1406
01:04:00,269 --> 01:04:02,405
- We could do some big
high school reunion
1407
01:04:02,438 --> 01:04:05,441
where everybody comes back.
1408
01:04:05,474 --> 01:04:09,312
- Reunion shows, I don't know,
I don't know how you do it.
1409
01:04:09,345 --> 01:04:10,680
- I have no idea.
1410
01:04:10,713 --> 01:04:13,149
- Like a reboot?
1411
01:04:13,182 --> 01:04:14,684
- I hate reunion shows, I
gotta be honest with you.
1412
01:04:14,717 --> 01:04:17,253
They bum me the (beep) out.
1413
01:04:17,286 --> 01:04:19,288
- You don't think that's it?
1414
01:04:20,456 --> 01:04:22,258
That probably is it.
104121
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