What do you think of when you hear the term “American high school”? The film Grease? Gangs of teenagers? Fast cars? American football players? Cheerleaders? That’s the stereotypical image. But what’s it really like? A popular US TV show, Freaks and Geeks, thinks it has the answer.
Freaks and Geeks takes place at McKinley High School in Michigan in the United States around the year 1980. It centres on 15-year-old Lindsay Weir and her family and experiences. She’s very clever, but tired of spending time with her “intelligent” friends. She’s also upset by the recent death of her grandmother and feels really lost. However, she seems to find comfort by associating with the school’s burnouts (the “Freaks”) – the rebellious, naughty students who don’t care about school. These students include Daniel (James Franco), Nick (Jason Segel) and Ken (Seth Rogen). Lindsay has a younger brother Sam who is obsessed with Star Wars and has a crush on a cheerleader. He hangs out with the “Geeks” and nerds – the science-fiction-loving, socially-awkward, brainy students.