Freaks and Geeks was produced by Apatow in 1999. The story line is about teens in 1980 at a high school outside of Detroit. It follows the older sister Lindsey Weir who leaves the ranks of Geeks to join the Freaks. The Freaks may seem amazingly familiar, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Busy Phillips. It also tracks the life of Lindsey's younger brother Sam (John Francis Daley) who is clearly a Geek along with Sam Levine and Martin Starr. All of the characters are flawed which makes you feel for each of them. No one's high school experience is without drama and neither are the stories in this show.
I will admit Jason Segel was my favorite character in Freaks and Geeks. So when I moved on the Undeclared I was ecstatic to see him again. His timing and willingness to make a fool out of himself make for hilarious characters.
Undeclared aired in 2001. It follows a group of freshman at college. Many of the same actors from Freaks and Geeks can be seen in this series. Seth Rogen is back as well as Jason Segel. Other than the size of the dorm rooms I believe this is the most accurate portrayal of college life. I particularly love the episode with the keg, which needs to be finished before its return. So they fill every possible container with beer and attempt to finish it.
This reminds me of a trip to Killington where we "needed" to finish the keg before its return. Red solo cups in hand we attempted the impossible. Our end was very similar to the end of the episode.
I personally like Undeclared more but I believe watching them in order gives you a better understanding of the growth of Apatow, Segel and Rogen.
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