20 More TV Shows That Are Practically Flawless

All Freaks and Geeks needed to make this list was one season of high school drama, heartache, oddball humour and quirky growing pains. Created by Paul Feig and starring a large ensemble of future stars, it remains perhaps the richest example of a promising series cut down before its time.

Set in early 80s Detroit, the show concerns star student Lindsay Weir (a brilliant Linda Cardellini), who upon starting a new high school plots to shed her wholesome image by joining a group of misfits styling themselves the Freaks. Meanwhile, her little brother Sam (John Francis Daley) joins the outcast Geeks.

Teeming with awkward, relatable insights into teenage hardships and high school drama, Freaks and Geeks works thanks its refreshingly authentic writing and star cast - including Jason Segel, Seth Rogan, and Martin Starr - navigating the ins-and-outs of growing up with a sharp eye most shows today sorely lack.