Freaks and Geeks the TV show lasted only one season with 18 episodes in its library but was a fantastic show about young high schoolers both nerdy freshmen and burned out rockers. Each episode of the show feels like a ‘mini movie’ as the pacing, characters and structure are all top notch – it’s clear that Freaks and Geeks was ahead of its time.
Shout Factory has done an excellent job of remastering the entire series onto Blu-ray in widescreen format. This set is like two-in-one including the original 4:3 TV aspect and for the first time a widescreen version. Both versions come with the same extras as for cast and crew commentary (28 total), outtakes and more in their original aspect ratio.
If a widescreen transfer of the episode hasn’t enticed you yet then maybe you’ll wet your appetite on the new exclusive featurette called ‘Conversation with Creator Paul Feig and Executive Producer Judd Apatow‘. This conversation reflects on the genesis of Freaks and Geeks and how the two set out to make an ‘indie’ looking TV show hoping to tap into the recent popularity of film festival darling ‘Welcome to the Dollhouse‘. Feig and Apatow both blame the show moving around to different nights and times as one of the major reason for its cancellation and how the timing of Freaks and Geeks just missed being either too early or too late for TV audiences.
TV fans have been treated to great shows being remastered to Blu-ray and converted to widescreen like The Wire and The X-Files and this version of Freaks and Geeks compares just nicely to those releases as well. The only knock against this set is the large omission from star James Franco in the bonus material which stands out because the show helped launch his career.
https://www.shoutfactory.com/tv/comedy/freaks-and-geeks-the-complete-series-collector-s-edition