Jason Segel opens up about when he knew Freaks and Geeks would be canceled. Created by Paul Feig, with Judd Apatow signed on as an as executive producer, the teen dramedy focused on a suburban high school in Detroit and took place between 1980 and 1981. The series is remembered for its ensemble cast of future stars, including James Franco, Seth Rogen, Busy Philipps, John Francis Daley, Martin Starr, Samm Levine, Linda Cardellini, Lizzy Caplan and Segel. It's also remembered for its abrupt cancelation, as audiences and professional critics felt that the show had already achieved an acclaimed status despite airing for only a limited number of episodes.
In an interview with TV Insider, Segel looked back on the legacy of Freaks and Geeks. Segel was candid about the moment he realized the show wouldn't make it to a full season. He explained that his realization had to do with observing the crafts services table. In the beginning, just as Freaks and Geeks was starting out, it was delicious. But by the end, the options became pretty limited:
“We kind of had the sense that we weren’t going to make it a full season because the craft services table, which you’re in awe of when you’re a kid, started out really lush with meats and cheeses and all this delicious stuff, and then slowly we noticed that there was just a box of mini corn pops and some creamer. We were like, ‘Oh, this isn’t good. We’re not gonna make it.’ [Laughs].”
Why Was Freaks and Geeks Canceled?
Even though it quickly found acclaim, and has since been consistently named as one of the best short-run series of all time, Freaks and Geeks was hampered by an inconsistent, shifting schedule, as well as clashes between NBC — which originally aired the show — and the writers. As one example, executives had suggested a bit of stunt-casing by bringing in Britney Spears to play the role of a waitress, but this suggestion was met with resistance as it was felt that it would undermine the reality established in the series.
There were more fundamental differences, however, such as the dramedy's depiction of high school life. Executives wanted more victories in the story, complaining about the fact that the show and its characters weren't "cool" enough. The writers, meanwhile, wanted a different approach for their characters even if that approach wouldn't necessarily be triumphant. Ultimately, it seems that a lack of faith and understanding from NBC doomed Freaks and Geeks.
Apatow turned down an offer to revive the dramedy on MTV, following NBC's cancelation. Accepting the offer would have meant a lower budget that would lose fundamental aspects of the series, like its music. Still, every so often, there is talk of bringing Freaks and Geeks back. It seems to be more wishful thinking and hypotheticals than anything, as there's a general consensus that it's better to keep the show as it was than try to do it over again.
Source: TV Insider