What Streaming Service Has Freaks And Geeks

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It took four years, an net petition and a hefty price tag to get Freaks and Geeks on DVD in 2004. The short-lived NBC dramedy about high school misfits quickly became a cult classic after its 2000 counterfoil, surviving on word-of-mouth recommendations and bootleg burned eBay DVDs until a company coughed up the greenbacks for the megahits that populated the soundtrack of the 1980-fix serial. It was largely music rights issues that prevented the series — created past Paul Feig, executive produced by Judd Apatow and starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini and Decorated Philipps — from existence released before then.

That's why contempo news that the love ane-and-done would finally be streaming on Hulu get-go Jan. 25 — original soundtrack in tact — made headlines.Freaks and Geeks hasn't been available to stream since leaving Netflix in 2018, and Feig told The Hollywood Reporter that he suspects the costs involved in securing major songs past Joan Jett, The Who, Billy Joel, the Grateful Dead, Blitz, Styx, and many more than meant that no streamer would license the show across a twelvemonth or so.

Merely at this point in time, there's no style Freaks and Geeks will exist available without its original soundtrack in tact. It was written to specific song cues — the band Rush (and Neil Peart'due south drumming prowess) is a recurring plot indicate — and the show wouldn't be the same without information technology, Feig tellsTHR. In fact, he'd intervene if he learned that it would somehow be released with alternative music cues.

"I'd merely rather non have it out there than to have it out incorrect," he said, "then I was thrilled when Hulu wanted to do it this way. I was surprised when it was fabricated a big deal of, because I just thought, 'Well, there's no other way to put it out.' We wouldn't do it any other style. Only I'thousand glad that they're highlighting that so people know that the music's in that location. As far as I know, other than in some foreign markets, I don't even know if the show has even aired without the original music."

Feig spoke withTHR from London, where he's prepping big-budget YA accommodation The School for Practiced and Evil for Netflix. The director explained the hard licensing process that has kept Freaks and Geeks from streaming for so long, the prove's continued cult classic status, and why he hasn't changed his melody on the prospect of a reunion. He also weighs in on the controversial HBO Max/Warner Bros. 2021 hybrid release strategy, and what he'd think if i of his films were affected in that manner.

The show'due south journey to DVD was long and difficult. What was it like to get Freaks and Geeks on streaming?

Afterward we did the bear witness, when it got canceled, that was before they were really putting out shows on DVD or tapes or anything. I'd always liked the British model: In Britain, I would always come up here and buy videotapes of my favorite serial, and I always remember proverb they should do that here. So subsequently we had gone downwards, we looked into it and had some interest in places that wanted to exercise information technology, just nobody wanted to pay for the music rights. When we were doing the prove, we would just automatically do something with our composer, Mike Andrews, for the strange markets. He would ever compose replacement music for it and at the fourth dimension I was like, well, it'south not going to exist in English, so I guess it'south OK.

Just then when people wanted to [release it on home video], they didn't want to pay for music rights, and so it was like, well, what are we going to do? And they said, "Oh, we're just going to play those replacement things." I was like, "Wait, no, you can't exercise that," because the bear witness was written specifically to so many of those songs that they're but like characters of the thing. So I said I'd rather not have it out than to take information technology out in a bastardized course.

And so it took 4 years until Shout Mill said they would pony upwardly the money to do it. I think they've had smashing success in doing that, fifty-fifty though it cost a lot of money. The DVDs have just sold for years in unlike forms, and and so out on Blu-ray. If I were to hear someone was going to release information technology without the original music, I would arbitrate to not let them practise it considering, again, I'd simply rather non have it out in that location than to have it out wrong.

So practise you remember at this point in time the fight for those music rights isn't the aforementioned as information technology was dorsum when y'all tried to go the show on DVD initially?

Nosotros were streaming on Netflix for a while, and it was the original music. But what happens is that just the license runs out considering I think they only pick up the license for a twelvemonth or something, and so then information technology'll disappear. I ever assumed that'due south mostly because of the music rights, but I'thou not 100 percent sure, to be quite honest. I know enough of shows that are out at that place without the original music. It's just something I merely always took for granted, because I fought so hard not to have it done that I always simply kind of assumed it didn't even exist anymore in any form other than what we put out in the DVDs, which is with all the original music. I didn't even realize there was an pick for somebody to buy it without the original music. So I'm very much looking into that considering I want to destroy those tapes immediately.

There's so much product, and at that place'southward a reason why nosotros all grew up watching Gilligan's Island and The Brady Agglomeration, because I think those were right before they were paying the big residuals. So unfortunately, all the actors didn't make any coin off of it, just it was free. But that just doesn't happen anymore. Everything costs. Yeah, and so it's definitely an expense. I recollect it helps that we're only eighteen episodes vs. 100 episodes or something like that. But as well, it's been 20 years now. I call back in that location's enough people who have such a fondness for the show that they wouldn't want it [without the music]. I think it's abhorrent to them, the thought of putting it out in this not-complete form.

Freaks and Geeks is 20 years erstwhile and most everyone involved has huge careers now, but the evidence has even so hung on to its cult status. Why do y'all call up that is, and do yous recollect beingness readily bachelor on a place like Hulu will help more people see it?

I think it'south a combination of things. I retrieve you're completely right — pretty much everybody from the show is famous at present. So for a lot of people, it'south fun to go similar, "Oh wow, that's what Linda Cardellini did back then," or "Oh, that's where Seth Rogen came from," or "That'due south where Jason Segel came from." Simply like when you lot put out a movie, stars don't make your movie successful, but they practise assistance people become like, "Oh, I like that person. Possibly I'll check this out." So I think, for some people, that's the way in.

Only I think for a lot of other people, information technology's just one of these shows, thank God, that had word of mouth its entire time out. People talk about it and tell other people about it. It's one of these shows that wasn't famous enough to be like, "Oh yeah, I've seen that," but we're still kind of the indie band that didn't accept a hit, y'all know? Information technology'southward like, "Oh yeah, I honey them," and and so the minute they have a striking, so, "They sold out." And then nosotros never actually sold out because we didn't last long plenty.

I only think information technology'south a very relevant show. My goal, back when I came upwards with it, one of the goals was to about be able … When I went to loftier schoolhouse, I was terrified and didn't know what to wait. And I really liked the idea of a parent being able to hand this to a 13-year-old kid almost to go into loftier school, who's afraid, and go, "Hither information technology is. This is kind of what's going to happen to y'all, in various means, but these are the types of things you're going to be confronted with: bullies and weird relationships and awkwardness and the ups and highs and lows and all that." So I practice know a lot of parents who actually accept their young teens sit down downwardly and watch it, and they get into information technology.

Merely the music is a large hook into it too, because that music is actually timeless. Having gotten to make the show 20 years subsequently when it was gear up allowed me to cherry-choice all the songs that have stood the test of time. Information technology's one of the reasons why I was and then afraid, when we pitched it, that they were going to make us do information technology modern-day, because the last thing I wanted to do was be one of those shows where they're similar, "Oh, such-and-such band has this new single out, and it's supposed to be hot," or "This ring's about to pause. Allow's put them in here." And then, three years later, when the band didn't do anything or the song just wasn't a hit, people are like, "What the fuck is that vocal?" That makes you lot dated, weirdly, even though y'all're doing a bear witness that is "dated" considering it'southward a menses show. If it's got timeless music, then information technology somehow feels fresh every time you hear it.

What were some of the hardest songs to become the rights to?

Well, the hardest ane was 1, actually, that never originally aired. I think it'south on the DVDs, and I think it's probably going to be on when it streams: the Neil Young song from the punk-rock episode. We but couldn't get the rights to it, and nobody wanted to pay for information technology. I don't recollect the verbal chronology of this, but I know Judd reached out directly to Neil Young. We had to practice that with Styx — we had to reach out to them directly, to Dennis DeYoung, and get him to let us use "Come up Canvass Away" back on the pilot.

Then [the punk rock episode] aired without [Neil Young]. And information technology was actually a very, very large controversy with our fans at the time, considering at that place were two options for that scene. Ane was that Neil Young song, and the other was [a] Dean Martin song. We always liked to do some unexpected things. And I think thinking, "oh, it'd exist really fun if we put this Dean Martin vocal on in that location, since we couldn't get the other one." And Judd was like, "Yes, it's fun. Permit'southward put it on." Only somehow, all the fans of the show were so enraged past it because word had gotten out that nosotros hadn't been able to use Neil Young. And then their whole theory was that the network had forced us to use Dean Martin on the thing, like there were a bunch of old people who went similar, "No, we're going to put our music on at that place." And information technology made me express mirth because I'm like, "No, guys, nosotros actually liked this. We liked Neil Young much meliorate, only we actually thought this was kind of fun." Simply I do believe Neil Young is now back on that show, and it works 10 times better than expert old Dean Martin did.

When ER went to Hulu two years ago, it brought that show dorsum into pop culture in a way that it hadn't been in a long time. Practice you think that could happen to Freaks and Geeks?

I really hope and then. If y'all await at a evidence like Schitt'south Creek, which is an amazing show, only I think ane of the reasons that suddenly started winning all these awards is that everybody was home and suddenly, finally, got to lookout man it all, and got to realize that it was a great show. With us, people have definitely constitute united states of america over the last twenty years, either through DVDs or through the various times we were streaming. For a long time, we were [in syndication] on ABC Family unit [at present called Freeform]. It's been kind of equidistant moments of when we've been streaming plenty to go along people enlightened of the show, simply never plenty to accept everybody have that ER moment, like saying, "Oh my God, I forgot nearly this."

So I really do promise that the combination of people streaming more and the fact that nosotros've been away for a pretty good amount of fourth dimension at present [volition help] people rediscover it and actually get excited about it again. Wait, it'south the thing yous dream of when you make Boob tube. Back when nosotros were doing this 21 years ago — about 22 years ago, nosotros started information technology — television was either yous did 75 episodes and got into syndication, or you got canceled and you were never seen again, and you were completely forgotten. Then when we got canceled later on xviii episodes, and we but aired thirteen, the feeling was like, well, OK, it'southward gone. That'due south why it was so nice four years later when we finally came out on DVD. Upwards to that point, we were the everyman rated show on NBC a lot of weeks, even though back then that meant nosotros had 7 1000000 loyal viewers which now would be a behemothic hit. The politics of television have definitely changed. But nosotros were i of those shows that everybody had heard of, but not that many people had seen. So to have those four years, "Oh, I created a bear witness called Freaks and Geeks." "Oh yeah, I've heard that's actually good. I never got to encounter it." And then when it finally came out, it was but this relief of, "OK, skilful. Finally, people can at least meet it." Then people were responding in the style they had originally, but but people who had never seen it earlier.

Nostalgia has always been a theme in pop civilisation, just it seems to be extra prevalent today. What do y'all think a bear witness like this would expect like if it were fabricated today? Do you retrieve it could cutting through? Is there something that exists now that feels similar to doing what Freaks and Geeks did?

Yes, there's a lot of shows now. If you look at Pen15 and Large Mouth and Mindy [Kaling]'s show [Never Have I Ever], now in that location's a lot. I retrieve if we came out now, people would be like, "OK, another one of these shows." Had we come out 10 years later than we did, I think information technology would've been a different matter. Merely we were merely like this weird kind of — "unicorn" is besides kind of a word. We were only this weird thing. We were this geek, you know? This embodiment of a geek that came on the air that had no real equivalent. The only thing that was close to what we were doing tonally was Ally McBeal, really, because that was an hour long, it was funny, but it was a drama at the aforementioned time. So people didn't quite know what to practise with usa.

The show that always destroyed us, even though we weren't up against it, but just won every honour away from us and was the hot evidence dealing with like things was Malcolm in the Middle. It was a one-half-hour show, information technology was very, very wide. Very funny, but very broad, merely big. And we were this little one-act that was really uncomfortable, and it would brand you really sad sometimes, it would make you squirm a lot of the time, and people just couldn't deal with it in a way that they could now. Comedy has really inverse over the concluding 21 years. And back so, it was all sitcoms. I don't want to say we were too subtle, because that makes united states of america audio so smart, only we were just not a tone that people were used to and were gear up for. And also, nobody was really in the mood for a show like ours anyway, considering we got killed by game shows every dark. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was ever the thing that destroyed everybody. That was when everybody just wanted game shows. Every network wanted game shows. It seemed similar the audience, all they wanted to watch was game shows. And so we really came out at a bad time. But I wouldn't have it any other style.

Have yous ever talked well-nigh a reboot or a revival or a reunion in a serious way?

Not seriously. We go asked that all the fourth dimension, and I've been offered many, many times to do it. I don't have whatsoever involvement in doing it, personally, simply because I dearest what we did. I really love those xviii. They experience kind of perfect for what we wanted to practice. And I've never seen a reunion of any testify that I actually thought was awesome. Just I've said this for 20 years too: look, if we suddenly had this epiphany of this great thought of the perfect mode to practice it, then sure, we would recall nigh it. But I don't know. I'm not a large sequels guy. I e'er feel similar something happens for a reason, and it'southward considering information technology catches you unaware, and it's something that feels so unique at the moment. When yous rehash it, I experience sort of similar there'south nowhere to get but downwardly, which is not entirely true because plenty of people have [proven that wrong] — I mean, Godfather II versus Godfather I, that worked. Just let's just say the examples are few and far between. But expect, I'd never say never.

With people stuck inside due to the pandemic, streaming seems to be the chief form of entertainment these days. Do you take any thoughts on the HBO Max/Warner Bros. decision? Accept yous ever thought about what you'd call back if that happened to one of your films?

You lot never want to be a dinosaur who'southward similar, "I'll never practise this, I'll never practice that," considering that's simply the end of your career, when you suddenly become stuck in your ways that style. I don't think I'd be pleased if I made a movie specifically that was going to be released theatrically and then they switched it upwardly on me. I would have an issue with that because I think I would brand the moving picture slightly differently. Not entirely, simply merely mentally. Merely I'm living in London at present doing prep for this big Netflix movie that I'm going to do. It'southward a really big movie, a big production. But I went into it knowing it was going to exist for streaming, and so I'k very at peace with that.

I'm a theatrical guy. I dear movie theaters. I make movies for big audiences to watch together, because nosotros engineer them that way. We do everything in service of that live audience. So yes, I would have an event if that was sprung on me. But that said, I think streaming is neat. Anything that gets your stuff seen by people is fantastic. I already have a relationship with HBO Max because nosotros take Love Life over there that I produce, and we simply did a new pilot for them called Minx that is amazing. And then I accept high hopes that that'll get picked up. And we've got Zoey'due south Extraordinary Playlist that'south streaming over on Peacock now.

It'southward all things that erase that thing that hindered us dorsum 21 years ago when we did Freaks and Geeks — you lot've only got one shot, it's just on this one dark per week, and if people don't watch it so information technology's gone, versus, hey, people can check into a show whenever they want and suddenly fall in love with it, binge it, and have a great time. Anything that gets your stuff seen and people to autumn in dear with it, that's the goal.