NOW, THIS IS HIGH SCHOOL.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic ``Freaks and Geeks'' grows on you, steadily and assuredly. The high-school kids on this show aren't the glib, physically polished, hyper-verbal motormouths that are strewn strew tr.v. strewed, strewn or strewed, strew·ing, strews 1. To spread here and there; scatter: strewing flowers down the aisle. 2. across the television landscape these days on shows from ``Dawson's Creek'' to ``Get Real.'' They're inarticulate inarticulate /in·ar·tic·u·late/ (in?ahr-tik´u-lat) 1. not having joints; disjointed. 2. uttered so as to be unintelligible; incapable of articulate speech. and reticent about discussing their feelings, their jokes are sometimes strained, they're gawky and have teeth and hair and faces that don't look pathologically fussed over. It's a measure of how distorted TV's pernicious view of life is that it's initially disorienting dis·o·ri·ent tr.v. dis·o·ri·ent·ed, dis·o·ri·ent·ing, dis·o·ri·ents To cause (a person, for example) to experience disorientation. Adj. 1. to see such specimens - real-life kids you'd see ambling This article is about the four-beat intermediate gaits of horses. For more information on how horses move, see Horse gait. The term Amble or Ambling is used to describe a number of four-beat intermediate gaits of horses. down your street - actually on TV. Once that shock wears off, more follow - here's a TV show that's sensitive without being treacly, that's funny without being cluttered by sardonic performances, and is intelligent even though most of its characters are head-bangers or sci-fi fans. Set in a Michigan suburban high school in 1980, ``Freaks and Geeks Freaks and Geeks is an American television series, created by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow, that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 TV season. Although the show, considered a comedy-drama, garnered much critical acclaim and a devoted cult following, repeated ,'' which premieres tonight, centers around Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini). Her grandmother has recently died, forcing her to reconsider her values, and she's drifting from her elitist e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism n. 1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. , smart friends to a clique of burnouts. Her brother Sam (John Daley) is a classic geek A technically oriented person. It has typically implied a "nerdy" or "weird" personality, someone with limited social skills who likes to tinker with scientific or high-tech projects. The origin of the term dates back to the late 1800s. freshman, bullied by toughs (who call him ``weird'') and pining for unattainable cheerleaders Notable cheerleaders
Nick (Jason Segel) tries to cheer Lindsay up by getting her to cut class. His aspiration is to be a rock 'n' roll rock 'n' roll: see rock music. drummer; six more additions to his kit and he'll have a bigger set-up than Neil Peart of Rush. Sam's buddy Neal (Samm Levine) does bad imitations of pop-culture icons and pragmatically sits idly by while Sam is hassled by a bully. Joe Flaherty (``SCTV'') plays Lindsay and Sam's dad, whose every piece of parental advice includes an anecdote about someone who broke a rule and died as a result, regardless of what the rule may have been. ``You know who used to cut class?'' he barks. ``Jimi Hendrix!'' At least they're more entertaining than the ``when-I-was-your-age'' spiels so many of us had to endure. Naturally, Lindsay tries to avoid her parents as much as possible. Paul Feig created the series, and executive produces it with Emmy winner Judd Apatow, who has worked on two of the best shows of the past decade, ``The Ben Stiller Show'' and ``The Larry Sanders Show.'' Together, they capture the paranoia, confusion and humor endemic in the ordeal of coming of age. Tonight's episode doesn't feature any big plot points - the guys try to survive dodge ball and a bully; Lindsay's efforts to defend a student with Down syndrome Down syndrome, congenital disorder characterized by mild to severe mental retardation, slow physical development, and characteristic physical features. Down syndrome affects about 1 in every 730 live births and occurs in all populations equally. backfire and she's forced against her will to attend the homecoming dance - but it's all engaging and realistic. Cardellini is the heart and soul of the production, resonantly conveying her humane character's roiling turmoil as she slowly begins to realize that, contrary to everything she's been taught, being a good person doesn't make life any easier. The grace with which Apatow and Feig depict their coterie of characters growing awkwardly into adulthood is about the only grace in the show. ``Freaks and Geeks'' is a series that both teens and parents can cherish - but they'll likely be doing it before separate TVs. The facts The show: ``Freaks and Geeks.'' What: Hourlong comedy-drama examining the high-school caste system circa 1980. Who: Linda Cardellini, John Daley, Samm Levine, James Franco, Busy Phillips, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Seth Rogen, Joe Flaherty, Becky Ann Baker. Where: NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. (Channel 4). When: 8 tonight. Our rating: Three and one half stars CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO The student body in ``Freaks and Geeks'' - James Franco, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, Linda Cardellini and Busy Phillips - looks and sounds like ordinary teen-agers. |
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