NEW VIDEOS 'Freaks and Geeks' to be released on DVD

By TRACY L. SCOTT
WASHINGTON POST
The Emmy Award-winning "Freaks and Geeks" -- a short-lived series about the high-school days of a brother and sister in the 1980s -- won critical acclaim, despite being canceled in its first season.
The show's last episode aired in 2000, but the series still has a cult following. In fact, nearly 40,000 fans signed an online petition promising to buy the DVD collection if released.
Those devotees can make good on their pledge Tuesday, when the entire NBC series -- all 18 episodes -- is offered for $69.98.
The six-disc set includes three episodes that never aired on network TV and more than 40 hours of bonus materials, including a director's cut of the pilot, bloopers, behind-the-scenes footage, alternate cuts, audio commentaries and a 28-page booklet.
The DVD also includes all the '80s hits featured in the series, including songs by the Grateful Dead, the Who and Billy Joel.
Cast
The comedy-drama features Linda Cardellini and John Daley as sister and brother Lindsay and Sam Weir. Lindsay befriends the outcasts -- or "freaks" -- of the school. She doesn't quite fit in with them, but she finds acceptance in their clique.
Sam, a freshman, is a "geek" whose friends are tormented by their lack of confidence and others' perceptions of them.
Their unpredictable, chaotic school life is balanced by their stable and traditional family life. Joe Flaherty and Becky Ann Baker co-star as the parents.
Busy Philipps and Sarah Hagan are Lindsay's girlfriends who represent her new and old worlds and are part of the ensemble that received an Emmy for casting.