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Remembering 'Freaks and Geeks'

With the 2009 TV season unofficially kicking off tonight, we thought we'd take a look back 10 years ago and recall one of the most influential shows that debuted that fall.

We speak of "Freaks and Geeks,"  the drama set at a high school in 1980 created  by  Judd Apatow. NBC gave the show the death slot  of  Saturday (!) at 8 p.m., so it's no wonder nobody watched, except critics.

But watch they did. They raved about the show's dead-on, painfully accurate portrayal of high-school life as seen through its cast of young unknowns, who included Linda Cardellini, Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel.

The show has a particularly strong influence on "Glee," whose story  -- call it the ultimate tribute to "Freaks and Geeks" -- also takes place at William McKinley High School.

See your yourself. Here's a clip from the first episode:

 

Tags: Freaks and Geeks , Judd Apatow , Seth Rogen , James Franco , Linda Cardellini , Jason Segel , 1999 TV

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