Unconventional teen comedy series Freaks and Geeks ran for only one season on NBC, from 1999 to 2000. 18 total episodes were produced, but only 12 aired before the series was canceled due to poor ratings.

As part of recreating the period of the early 1980s, the producers of Freaks and Geeks included authentic music from the period, from artists like Billy Joel and Joan Jett (who performed the theme song, "Bad Reputation.") Paying for the rights to all of these songs became a significant obstacle in bringing the show to DVD. A box set containing every episode produced was eventually released by Shout Factory on April 6, 2004.

Producer Judd Apatow has gone on to make a number of successful films featuring Freaks and Geeks cast members, including Knocked Up with Seth Rogen and Forgetting Sarah Marshall with Jason Segel. Series creator Paul Feig went on to direct episodes of Arrested Development, Weeds and the American version of The Office.