freaks and geeks

I’m almost done with my first-ever viewing of Freaks and Geeks.  Can I just say wow?  A lot of people have recommended this for my next Netflix adventure, but they didn’t tell me about the awesome cast.  James Franco!  Audrey from the Dawson’s Creek college years!  That girl from Grey’s Anatomy who was all snarky with Karev!  And Jason Segel is so freaking good!

But the most fascinating person associated with this show is Mike White.  Dude, that was him on the couch as Kim’s older brother in that ep where her parents freak out!  I’ve been a serious Mike White fan ever since his early writing days on Dawson’s Creek and became an even more serious fan after he wrote some brilliant films, which I wrote about here.  I love finding all of these sweet connections that go even deeper than a Kevin Bacon chain.  Like, Mike White wrote The Good Girl, which stars my second husband, Jack Gyllenhaal, and which was directed by Miguel Arteta, who directed an ep of Freaks and Geeks and also an ep of The Office, which stars my first husband, John Krasinski, who is connected to me because we’re married.  See how that works?

One of the things I like best about this show is how accurately it portrays the horrors of gym class.  Like the one where the gym teacher lets the boys have “fun” by playing dodge ball.

As if it’s a big flippin’ treat to be pummeled by whizzing rubber balls.  Or the one where everyone has to take a shower after class and the geeks try to get out of it by wetting their hair in the sink.  Oh, and the president’s fitness test day!  I hated when we had to run that mile.  That mile was the worst.  And don’t get me started on picking teams.

So why does Freaks and Geeks have to be like My So-Called Life, completely excellent but yet only on for one season?  How does that even make sense?