The next show on this goofy list is Freaks and Geeks. This one last only 22 episodes on NBC and I consistently refer back to it as the prime example that network executives don’t know what the fuck is good or (even more so) relatable. It is so hard to find a show that is relatable. There are a lot of shows that are good Californication and True Blood, but they’re not relatable.
This was about high school kids in the early 80s, you know, being the outsider. It was written, directed and starred basically everyone who had been involved with every Judd Apatow movie over the past four years. Joe Flaherty from SCTV played the dad and Tomas F. Wilson, the guy who played Biff in the Back to the Future movies played the gym coach. The formula seems incredible basic and that’s true, it was very basic.
The writers wrote about stuff that they experienced during high school and even though it was set in the early 80s, you could tell that the writing was genuine. That’s what people what in TV shows: good writing. Most people don’t care about celebrity cameos and big over the top scenarios. We want feel like we could be a part of the story. I don’t get that feeling with Jersey shore or Two and a Half Men. I’m sure most people agree.