Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks (2000, creators Paul Feig & Judd Apatow) was an intelligent high school comedy/drama with heart and surprising realism, capturing what it feels like to be either one of the uncool nerds or the equally-uncool-but-don't-care "burnouts." Sadly cancelled before it finished one season, Freaks had a great ensemble cast (it was the debut for an alarming amount of present-day starpower, including James Franco, Seth Rogen, and How I Met Your Mother's Jason Segel) and writing which moved along complex storylines and relationships at a rapid clip. There's no episode which doesn't contain some kind of interesting storyline, and personally, if I were you, I'd watch it all.

But I'm here to tell you the absolute key episodes, and that's what I will do.

Top 3 Key Episodes

1.2 "Beers and Weirs": The pilot for this series is really strong and does a great job of introducing the characters and their situations--especially the central character Lindsay (Linda Cardellini), a former nerd who's now hanging out with the "freaks"--but I think you might get just as good of an idea of both sets of characters from the second episode, in which Lindsay is talked into holding a party for her freak friends and the geeks are so worried about it getting out of control that they substitute the beer for "near-beer." Everyone acts drunk anyway. Some very cute James Franco in this episode--you can really understand the attraction of Daniel and his group of misfits.

1.5 "Tests and Breasts": I think that Lindsay and Daniel's is the central relationship on the show (it's through Daniel that Lindsay seems to make it into the "freak" crowd), so I think it's important to watch the one that sets up the new status quo for them from crush object/objectifier to friends and allies who are genuinely fond of each other (but maybe don't respect each other overmuch). In a fit of pique against her teachers, Lindsay helps Daniel cheat on a test, and finds herself in over her head in his web of lies. In the B-story is a great geek storyline in which Sam (John Francis Daley) becomes horrified about sex after watching a porno.

1.14 "Discos and Dragons": Come on, you want me not to pick the Dungeons and Dragons episode? This final episode (I think centering it on D&D was kind of a fuck-you to the network which cancelled them) rearranges the characters and forces them to question their allegiances, as super-cool Daniel genuinely enjoys hanging out with the geeks, and Lindsay's competing summer opportunities--academic summit or Grateful Dead tour--force her to make a final choice about where she stands.

Bonus Episodes

The rest of them.