Freaks and Geeks: “I Don’t Give a Damn ’Bout a Bad Reputation”

Abstract

Idon’t know if I could have entertained writing on the long-standing Degrassi series, which began broadcasting in 1983 and continued to follow the kids through junior high school (1987–89) and on into high school (1990–91), complicating things even further with Degrassi, The New Generation, which aired in 2001. It is now in its eighth season, making it the longest running teen drama set in a school environment, and it has won many awards. Quintessentially a Canadian production—Degrassi is the name of a street in Toronto, Ontario—its varied narratives dramatically follow the lives of teenagers through interweaving plots and arcs, always with some touch of comedy to lighten things up. In contrast, Freaks and Geeks is quintessentially white, middle-class American and stakes its ground as a comedy-drama. It takes place during the 1980–81 school year at the mythical McKinley High School in the town of Chippewa, Michigan, a fictional suburb of Detroit. While geographically near Toronto, relatively speaking, about the only thing the two series share is perhaps Joe Flaherty, who plays the character of Harold Weir. Flaherty, an American, earned his comic reputation in Toronto as part of the Second City Theatre troupe starring on the television hit SCTV.