2. Freaks and Geeks
There are a handful of shows that are prematurely axed but change the landscape of television. Freaks and Geeks was one of them. After the death of a beloved grandparent, high schoolers Lindsay and Sam Weir descend into different sides of the social spectrum while trying to find themselves. Judd Apatow found the perfect balance between trust in a genius ensemble, experiences from his actual life, and impeccable writing to create an artful marriage. The talent of the cast an be seen in the fact that essentially every of them are famous at this point. In an interview, Apatow stated that he simply had more fun working with the same group of people because when you work someone you become friends, and who doesn't want to work with their friends? That sense of family is palpable in every episode of its almost flawless 1 season. Another applicable Apatow story I like refers to an episode where Bill Haverchuck comes home all alone, eats a sandwich and just laughs his face off watching stand-up. Bill seems overjoyed, but what the viewer sees though is quite different. We see a boy who is bullied at school that comes home to an empty house, and hast to occupy and care for himself until his single working mother gets home in the evening. It is a sadly poignant and beautiful sequence. Apatow said this was essentially pulled directly from his life and even though he thought it was a filler moment, someone told him immediately after filming that it was his best work. He then used that moving forward, and it is evident throughout the entire series. Given the structure of the show, we get to see this from both sides of the nerd/cool kid fence. The show not only takes you on a journey with these characters but makes you feel different combinations of emotions at the same times, as any satisfying meal does. Like many precocious children, it was mistreated by its parents and shifted around the network schedule while episodes aired out of order. Supposed plans for season 2 included Bill joining the basketball team and Kim Kelly getting pregnant. Perhaps it will come back in comic book form?