Alright, so I'm late to the party. This show debuted in 1999 and ended with only one season airing on NBC. I was in college and just missed it. It aired on Saturday nights so I'm sure you missed it too. The question is: Have you seen it in the years since then?
My roommate and I recently fell for its "Wonder Years" of the 80's charms. Set in 1980 with a clear 1970's hangover, it features an assortment of characters that fall (for the most part) into the category of either "freaks" or "geeks". I'm sure you're not surprised. If you are like me, too young to have gone to high school at that time, you'll most certainly recognize how much simpler alot of things were (and how much has just never changed).
Most of the performers on this show have gone on to other work and varied degrees of success (James Franco, Linda Cardellini, and Seth Rogen most of all). The series was created by Paul Feig (who's book "Superstud Or How I Became a 24-Year-Old Virgin" is laugh out loud good and one of my favorite books). The main producer of the show is a man you may have heard a little about over the past year or two: Judd Apatow (KNOCKED UP, THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, SUPERBAD). The cast is excellent and the writing is tops. Joe Flaherty (known mostly from "SCTV") steals his scenes as the father of siblings, one freak and one geek. Plus, you'll not find a Bionic Woman Halloween costume this funny anywhere else.
This show has been on dvd awhile, but I do not have NetFlix (I know, right?) so its revelations to me have been a long time coming. Regardless, it's never too late to find something that deserves merit and should be shared with others. A new "Yearbook Edition" will hit store shelves in October. This is similar to a previous online-only edition that includes two discs not released with the previous store version. It has been out of print for a few years now and this new release will remedy that with new fans.
With the Apatow machine running at high gear (including this week's big-screen release of PINEAPPLE EXPRESS starring Franco and Rogen), it seems as good a time as any to journey back to high school and sit at our respective tables.
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