Freaks And Geeks

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, sociallyawkward,
brainy students.
The episodes are funny but they have a
serious side to them too. In one episode,
Lindsay’s parents go out of town and
her new friends convince her to have a
party. She tells her 14-year-old brother
not to say anything to her parents, but
he’s worried about having alcohol in their
house. So, he buys non-alcoholic beer. The
people at the party drink it and believe
they are drunk. Lindsay is constantly
worried that things in her house are being
destroyed and has the least fun out of
everyone. But, as a result of the party, she
gains acceptance from her new friends.
All of the characters have to deal with
the problems of growing up. They have
to fight off bullies, talk to unfair teachers
and not get too embarrassed by their
out-of-touch parents. They also try to
get to know themselves and figure out
where they belong in the world. The show
has been praised for its brutal honesty
and realistic characters. As one critic said,
“Finally, here’s a show that tells the truth
about high school.”


GLOSSARY

a cheerleader n
a girl (usually) who dances and
sings at sports events as a way of
motivating the team and fans

a freak n
someone whose behaviour is
different from that of the majority.
They have alternative, unpopular
opinions that aren't accepted by
the majority
a geek n
someone who is considered
different from the rest and who
may be obsessed with intellectual
or electronic things

upset adj
sad and angry

a burnout n US
a student who doesn’t take
studying seriously and who may
get into trouble at school

to have a crush on exp
to be in love with someone, but
not be in a relationship with that
person

to hang out with exp
to spend time with

a socially-awkward person exp
someone who doesn’t feel
comfortable in social situations

brainy adj
intelligent
to deal with exp
to give your attention to a problem
or a situation

a bully n
a person who uses their strength/
power/position to hurt or frighten
other people

out-of-touch adj
if someone is “out of touch”, they
are not aware of things that have
happened recently

to figure out phr vb
to understand

to praise vb
to say good things about
something; to give a positive
review of something

a portrayal of exp
the way that something is shown
on television/film, etc.