Freaks and Geeks was on sporadically for one season from 1999-2000. Because of this, I ended up watching it on DVD. It's one of the sweetest, silliest, funniest shows I've ever seen. There are 18 episodes, and each one is well thought out thematically and acted perfectly.
It takes place in the early 1980s and follows two groups of teens: the "Freaks" (comprised of disenchanted stoners and school-skippers) and the "Geeks" (awkward Freshman who love Star Wars and can't figure out how to fit in). The show had Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up) as a writer and director for many episodes, and a lot of the actors in the show are in his later movies, like James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel. There are countless actors you will recognize. Two of my favorites are Biff from Back to the Future (aka Thomas F. Wilson) who plays the gym teacher (!!!) and a teeny-tiny Shia LaBeouf who plays the school's mascot.
One of the things I love about this show is that it takes characters that should be stereotypes and gives them a twist - even the supporting roles. For example, the gym teacher, the bully, and the religious girl are all presented at first exactly how you would think, but then they are eventually given moments that are surprising and show depth of character. To use the tried and true words from English class - these are round, dynamic characters. This isn't to say that the characters have dramatic changes of heart or do anything that crosses the threshold of believability. There are no sappy lessons learned, or ridiculous epiphanies in the last 3 minutes of each episode. Freaks and Geeks is a great show.
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