'Freaks and Geeks' A&E Documentary Lands July 16 Premiere

By Michael Hein

A&E has announced will air Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary later this month after months of fan excitement.

Fans of Freaks and Geeks have been anxiously awaiting Brent Hodge's documentary, which profiles the cult classic series. The high school dramedy ran for just one season in 1999, leaving much to be desired by its dedicated fan base.

On Monday, July 16, Hodge's documentary will give those fans what they want, according to a statement by A&E. The movie includes interviews with creator Paul Feig and executive producer Judd Apatow, as well as many of the A-list stars whose careers were launched by the show. Freaks and Geeks kick-started the rise of Seth Rogan, Jason Segel and Martin Starr, to name just a few. Many others were pulled to the forefront in the show, including Linda Cardellini and James Franco.

In addition, Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary sheds some light on the bizarre industry mishaps that got such a beloved series cancelled too early. Several NBC executives appear in the documentary, including those who first ordered the show. Former NBC Entertainment President, Garth Ancier, reportedly gives an interview in the film where he explains why he sent down the cancellation order.

The film is reportedly everything a Freaks and Geeks fan and an industry fanatic could want. It has been talked about in whispers and rumors since this past fall, with only faint hope that it would get a national release. The movie premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival back in April, and those on the scene were floored by it. The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Feig at the screening, where he said that it was surreal to have his short-lived project turned into a documentary nearly two decades later.

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"It's really cool. Whenever you make stuff, you hope it's going to have some life beyond itself," he said. "But the odds of it happening are very low, especially back then when there was no secondary way to put a show out other than syndication. Once you got canceled, it was like, 'Well, I guess we're just gone forever.' So it was nice to have the first DVDs to come out a few years later and now with streaming services, we can stay alive."

Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary airs on A&E on Monday, July 16 at 9 p.m. ET.

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