Jason Segel Says the ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Cast Ran Lines on Weekends

Freaks and Geeks barely lasted one season. But the majority of the Freaks and Geeks cast was a close-knit crew that worked hard. Maybe it was their naivete or youth, but the ensemble cast was really something special to watch. 

Jason Segel said the cast constantly worked on their lines. They found ways to improve their characters, even during their time off.

How ‘Freaks and Geeks’ went from a canceled show to a cult following

Freaks and Geeks was a teen dramedy that first aired in 1999. The show followed a pair of siblings as they navigated the social scene of their high school back in the early 1980s. 

The show was canceled after only airing 12 episodes. But it drew a tremendous cult following and was the springboard from which many successful actors got their start. 

It was created by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow. The latter would go on to make some of the best comedies of the new millennium, including Anchorman, Knocked Up, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. 

Apatow would use many of the actors from Freaks and Geeks in his future productions, helping to keep the show’s legacy alive. 

The show’s abrupt cancellation resulted from poor ratings, mainly due to its unfortunate time slot and erratic scheduling. 

The close-knit ‘Freaks and Geeks’ cast

Part of what made the show so special was its cast. Today, those Freaks and Geeks cast members are household names. But back then, they were just starting out and trying to hone their acting chops.

Segel, who played Nick Andopolis on the series, would later find fame as Marshall Eriksen on the CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother.

In an interview with Conan O’Brien for his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, Segel talked about how the cast wanted to make the show great.

He went on to say that Seth Rogan and James Franco would meet up with him on the weekends and “rehearse alone, like, unprompted, and rehearse the scenes for the next week, improv them and like, try every different version of them.” 

He went on to talk about how special that was and how he’s never done anything like that since. Segel also mentioned that the group was cast from an international search, with most not solely focused on acting as a career path.

As time passed, he noted that if one of the Freaks and Geeks cast members found success, they would figure out ways to add the other actors to their projects, slowly generating more and more success for the original group.

What happened to the ‘Freaks and Geeks’ cast after the show’s cancellation?

Freaks and Geeks launched the careers of many of today’s big-name stars. Linda Cardellini, who played Lindsay Weir, went on to nab leading roles in ER, Bloodline, and most recently, Dead to Me.

James Franco went on to have a lucrative acting career. He starred in the Spider-Man trilogy and worked with fellow Freaks and Geeks alum Seth Rogen in eight other film productions.

Rogen went on to star in many Judd Apatow-directed films, including Funny People and Knocked Up. He’s also co-written and directed many other successful movies, including Superbad and Pineapple Express. 

In addition to his success on How I Met Your Mother, Segel’s also worked in many films like Bad Moms, This is 40, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Busy Philipps found fame working on Dawson’s Creek, ER, and Cougar Town. Philipps has been vocal about Franco’s “bullying” behavior on set and how he tried to steal her lines.