FREAKISHLY LOYAL DIRECTOR JUDD APATOW HAS A CRAVING TO BRING BACK ACTORS HE'S WORKED WITH.

Byline: Glenn Whipp

Film Writer

Judd Apatow's first TV series, the coming-of-age comedy-drama "Freaks and Geeks," was canceled seven years ago. Apatow produced 18 episodes for NBC, but only 15 aired and three of them were dumped without advertising in July. Even with the lack of promotion, the show found a cult following and won an Emmy -- for its casting.

It might be the most deserving Emmy ever given.

"Freaks and Geeks" could have been a blip in the career of a man who has gone on to produce, write or direct hit movies like "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." Instead, Apatow has remained loyal both to the spirit of the show and the talents of its cast. And that has produced huge dividends with his latest movie, "Knocked Up," which opens in theaters today.

"Everything I'm doing now is almost a continuation of 'Freaks and Geeks,' " Apatow says. "I was devastated when the network canceled that show -- for many reasons. One being that I knew there was so much more we could do with these people. Having a show canceled is like suffering through a divorce. It's the loss of a family."

"Knocked Up," which Apatow wrote and directed, is a virtual "Freaks and Geeks" family reunion. It stars Seth Rogen as a good-hearted slacker dude coping with an unplanned pregnancy and unwanted maturity after a one-night stand with a career woman well out of his league.

The movie features "Freaks" regulars Jason Segel and Martin Starr playing Rogen's roommates. "Freaks" star James Franco pops up in a cameo, as does the show's creator, Paul Feig. Other "Freaks" alums fill out smaller roles, along with actors from Apatow's second short-lived TV series, "Undeclared," and those, like Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill, Apatow has adopted into the family in recent years.

"Judd has a hard time with change," says Leslie Mann, Apatow's wife of nearly 10 years. "He really does. He doesn't like things to be changed in the house. He doesn't like to change furniture. He likes his friends. He likes the shorthand he has with his friends. He just likes the same people."

She's not kidding. Three upcoming Apatow-produced movies feature "Freaks" folks in a big way. Two -- August's "Superbad" and next year's "The Pineapple Express" -- were co-written by Rogen. "Pineapple Express" has Rogen and Franco playing a couple of stoners in over their heads with a drug gang. (Yes, of course it's a comedy.)

Next year, Segel stars in a movie he wrote, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," playing his specialty, a lovelorn guy, who goes to Hawaii to get over his ex, only to run into her and her new rock-star boyfriend.

"Judd's the most loyal person I've ever met," Segel says. "After '40-Year-Old Virgin' was a hit, he told me to pitch him a movie because he now had a little clout. I sent him an outline on a Friday. On Monday, the contracts from Universal arrived."

Says Rogen: "I remember being afraid after 'Freaks and Geeks' was canceled, and later, with 'Undeclared,' thinking, 'Just because I've worked with these people before, does it mean that I can't work with them again?' That people would say, 'Ah, that's just the same group from "Freaks and Geeks"?' But luckily, the trend has been more accepting of people working together. Audiences almost seem to like it." Rogen stops and lets out his trademark throaty laugh. "I guess we lucked out."

Fortune, though, has a bit part in Apatow's emerging success and that of his "Knocked Up" lead Rogen. Both have been obsessed with comedy since their teen years, studying it and carefully honing their own voices. Theirs is a humor born from misery, outrageous but authentic, somehow both raunchy and real.

"The best compliment I've ever received was on 'Freaks and Geeks' when somebody told me they felt like a voyeur watching something they weren't supposed to be seeing," Apatow says. "Most comedies, there's a distance and a sense that people are playing and that everything will be fine. That's what ruins most comedies. There's no sense that the story is actually happening.

"The great thing," Apatow continues, "is that I found these people on 'Freaks and Geeks' that were willing to explore that rawness and vulnerability. And now they're older and interesting in different ways, so there's a lot to do."

Says Mann: "It's almost like he refuses to let that show be a failure. And now, one by one, he's doing something great with all of them."

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

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(1) no caption (Judd Apatow)

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press

(2 -- cover -- color) baby blues

Katharine Heigl and Seth Rogen meet - and mate - in 'Knocked Up'