On Saturday Night (March 12th), The creators of the obsessed about NBC TV series "Freaks and Geeks" created by Paul Feig and starring comedic-geniuses Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel sat down at Paleyfest 2011 and revealed a few things about the short-lived, one-season long TV series -
The Hollywood Reporter, recounts 9-key secrets of the famed TV show -
1. “Freaks and Geeks” was NBC's lowest-rated show when it aired from 1999 to 2000.
2. “Freaks and Geeks” ran for 18 episodes "We shot the finale halfway through the season," Segel shared. "That's such a Jew thing to do," Apatow replied.
3. John Francis Daley, was 13 years old when he filmed “Freaks and Geeks” and experienced his first onscreen kiss. "First onscreen erection too, but no one talks about that," Daley deadpanned. (What?!) John Daley still believed in Santa Clause, Rogen joked. "I also didn't have pubic hair," Daley said. (Double what?!) Busy Philipps, currently starring on ABC's Cougar Town, had her first onscreen kiss with Franco.
4. Director Jake Kasdan detailed the auditioning process for the show, and though casting went on for weeks and weeks, there was one day where Linda Cardellini, Jason Segel and Franco all came in during the same session.
5. It was revealed that the network didn't want to air "Kim Kelly Is My Friend," and Samm Levine shared that the episode instead was broadcast on Fox Family Channel.
6. On set, the cast members recall Franco constantly carried around heavy books like Proust and Dante's Inferno. Busy Philipps also recalls when Franco, threw her to the ground during a scene. When she said her line and grabbed Franco, he went bonkers. " 'Don't you f---ing touch me!,' " Philipps recalled him saying. "And threw me to the ground." While it was happening, Rogen didn't know what was going on. "That story took 127 hours," Segel said to laughs. Apatow added: "[Franco] is method. He is the only one among all of you to be nominated for an Academy Award."
7. When Apatow got word that Freaks and Geeks would not be returning, Cardellini was about to appear on the Late Show With David Letterman to promote the series. Apatow called her beforehand and broke the news. "I said, 'Letterman's canceled?,' " Cardellini said laughing.
8. Apatow is known to use the same actors in his movies and TV projects, as witnessed by Segel and Rogen in both Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. But it goes much further than that. "A lot of us have no higher education because of you," Segel joked to Apatow.
9. If Freaks and Geeks did return for a second round, Feig and Apatow had several ideas cooked up. Martin Starr's Bill was going to become a jock, Philipps' Kim was going to do a school play while pregnant and in the Season 2 premiere, Cardellini's Lindsay would be taken out of a Grateful Dead show on a stretcher.
If you've never experienced the brilliant "Freeks and Geeks"....
WATCH + ENJOY!!!!