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I don't know if you'll like this show. I loved it. Everyone who has seen more than 1 episode seems to love it. If you have 80's nostalgia or can identify with the "geeks" mentioned, you will too. If not? You'll probably still like this show, but I won't guarantee it. One thing to note: although this show is billed as a comedy/drama, I would put it in solidly in the "drama" camp. Most episodes are simply too poignant to be considered comedies. Freaks and Geeks has some hilarious moments, but they are rarely of the farcical sitcom kind. The comedy that can be found in the show is the kind that comes out of real life.
I caught a snippet of one episode when it aired on NBC. The little piece that I saw (involving a bully nearly accompanying his typical victims to a science fiction convention) was enough to intrigue me. I tried to find the show again, but I was never able to. This, it turns out, was due to some awful schedule shifting that was imposed on Freaks and Geeks due to low ratings and the World Series. The brief clip, along with other rave reviews I read on a few sites convinced me to buy this DVD. With 18 hourlong episodes, I figured I was getting my money's worth. I was, and more. The first show had me hooked, and subsequent episodes rarely let me down. Out of 18 episodes, only 2 or 3 didn't leave me with the feeling that I had just seen great television. While I was about 10 years younger than the main characters, I found the 1980's references amusing. And while the backdrop of the early 80's figures prominently in Freaks and Geeks, some facets of the show are applicable to any generation. For example, one thing which the show did a fantastic job of portraying is the very tight friendships that result from being in an outcast group. The "geek" interactions with each other rang true, in my experience. While the "freak" group was more exaggerated -- they were far too pretty to be freaks, in my opinion -- their interactions were still believable. The point is, these groups are visible at any high school today. The clothes may have changed, but the behaviors are unchanged, which makes it impossible not to identify with these misfit kids.
The acting was spectacular, given the youth of the cast. Samm Levine, playing Neal Schweiber, was an astounding casting choice. Ditto for Stephen Lea Sheppard, who playes Harris. The writing was also much better than I expected from a high school drama. Characters developed -- but slowly and logically. The show paced itself well. Although there was plenty of action in each episode, the writers were in no hurry to deliver spectacular plotlines. The show became especially poignant towards the end. Reading through the writers notes, it turns out that they were very aware of their impending cancellation, and they wanted to make each of the last few episodes really matter. The last 2 episodes of Freaks and Geeks were among my favorite television moments _ever_. I watched the final episode with a knot in my stomach. I still have a slight one, a day later. I can't believe the ignorance of NBC executives who cancelled this show. Frankly, I think that if it was given one more season -- enough time for the freaks crew to graduate high school -- it could have sailed off into the sunset as one of the best shows ever televised with no argument. Although it wasn't given that chance, the 18 episodes are good enough to at least stir a debate.
The actual DVDs, as other reviewers have pointed out, are everything you'd expect. A neat "liner notes" package with an episode guide + brief notes is included. Each disc contains 3 episodes with & without full commentary, as well as deleted scenes with and without commentary. The commentary includes cast, crew, NBC executives and even fans! Be sure to check out the official website (freaksandgeeks.com) for other tidbits.
While each episode is reasonably self-contained, in my opinion this series needs to be judged as one long story. And like most stories -- even the great ones -- it has a moment or two where it drags. But on the whole, this is some of the finest writing TV has seen in a long time. And judging by the shows that survived where Freaks and Geeks failed, it will be a long time before we see a show of this quality again.
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