Freaks and Geeks: Season 1 (1999 - 2000)

In the show's pilot, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) wants to shed her straight-A image, while her nerdy, younger brother Sam (John Daley) tries his luck on the dating scene. Neal: Samm Levine. Daniel: James Franco. Nick: Jason Segel. Bill: Martin Starr. Ken: Seth Rogen. Kim: Busy Philipps. Mr. Weir: Joe Flaherty. Mrs. Weir: Becky Ann Baker.

Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) reluctantly throws a keg party at her house when her parents go away for the weekend, but the evening takes an interesting turn when Sam, Neal and Bill put themselves in charge of refreshments. Sam: John Daley. Neal: Samm Levine.

Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardinelli) continues building a tenuous friendship with the Freaks, going so far as to duck out of Halloween candy-giving duties with her mom (Becky Ann Baker) in order to smash pumpkins, bat at mailboxes, and egg trick-or-treaters with her new, would-be vandal buddies. Meanwhile, despite their English teacher's pleas to "grow up," Sam (John Daley) and the rest of the Geeks decide that dressing up and going door-to-door for sweets isn't beneath them after all -- so long as they don't get ahold of any tainted fun-size candy bars, of course. When the fateful eve arrives, however, all of the Weirs find that Halloween isn't what it used to be.

Determined to help the glassy-eyed Daniel (James Franco) pass his algebra test, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) holds an impromptu study session at her house. Feeling a bit mentorly himself, Daniel decides to give Lindsay's sex-ed-frustrated brother Sam (John Daley) some lessons in the reproductive sciences, courtesy of a porno reel. When Lindsay's tutorial fails to take, however, Daniel resorts to his usual study method -- cheating -- and, fed up with her math teacher, Mr. Kowchevski (Steve Bannos), Lindsay aids and abets his delinqent ways with dire results. Meanwhile, Sam and the Geeks gather to watch their loaner stag film -- and the newfound carnal knowledge leaves each Geek with a wildly different impression of the opposite sex.

Lindsay's "you can do it" Midwestern work ethic proves to be at odds with the Freaks' laid-back approach to rock & roll in this pivotal episode of the short-lived teen saga. Now fully indoctrinated into the Freaks' hang-out/jam sessions in Nick's basement, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) takes it upon herself to offer some constructive criticism, specifically: practice makes perfect, and "Anarchy's Child" makes a better band name than "Creation." Drummer Nick (Jason Segel) is the only one who's receptive to Lindsay's brainstorming; needless to say, ostensible guitarist Daniel (James Franco) and rest of Creation take umbrage to her band-wrecking ideas (dubbing her "Yoko" in the process). When Nick's stern father tells him to stop beating the skins and focus on his studies -- or else -- Lindsay takes pity and further encourages Nick to hone his talent, against all odds. Meanwhile, Sam (John Daley) has problems of his own, now that Coach Fredricks (Tom Wilson) is enforcing mandatory showers for every student after P.E. class. When his various evasive tactics fall through, Sam has to suck in his gut and take that long, cold walk across the locker-room tile to the communal shower room.

The Geeks' outlook on life brightens when a new girl, Maureen (Kayla Elwell), joins their class. Maureen is everything Sam (John Daley), Neal (Samm Levine), and Bill (Martin Starr) look for in a young woman: she's smart, pretty, and, best of all, she likes to shoot off model rockets and make toilet jokes. As the Geeks fight over which one of them should ask her out on a real date, they realize that it won't be long before they lose someone as cool as Maureen to the popular kids -- and they try their best to stop her from crossing over to the other side. Meanwhile, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) further ingratiates herself with the Freaks by offering to buy the whole group fake IDs so that they can go see the local band Feedback at a bar. Underage drinking proves to be more of a challenge than Lindsay once thought, however, when she has to go through two separate, increasingly sketchier counterfeiters (Rushmore's Jason Schwartzman and Slums of Beverly Hills' Kevin Corrigan) in order to be legit. Originally aired out of order between episodes five and six, "Carded and Discarded" marked Freaks and Geeks' return after its November 1999-January 2000 hiatus.

As Lindsay and Nick's romance intensifies, she begins feeling pressured to have sex; Sam gets dating tips from an unlikely source. Cindy: Natasha Melnick. Gordon: Jerry Messing. Millie: Sarah Hagan.

Still reeling from a singularly creepy/embarrassing bonding moment, Lindsay (Linda Cardinelli) decides it's time to break up with the chronically stoned, oddly obsessive Nick (Jason Segel). When the other Freaks get wind of her plan, they beg her not to break his heart -- but Lindsay's investigation of Nick's previous breakup only encourages her to cut the cord. But Kim (Busy Phillips), Daniel (James Franco), and Ken (Seth Rogan) have problems of their own: a rival school's drive-by water-ballooning has them hell bent on retribution, and uncharacteristically supportive of their own McKinley High basketball team. Meanwhile, in yet another effort to win the favors of perky cheerleader Cindy Sanders (Natasha Melnick), Sam (John Daley) decides to audition for the recently vacated position of McKinley High team mascot, The Fighting Norseman. The bizarre Norseman head proves too big for him to fill, however, and as game day approaches, Sam begins to take out his nervousness on his buddies as well as Cindy.

The bane of the Geeks' existence, gym class, serves as a focus for this episode of Freaks and Geeks, directed by former Thirtysomething star Ken Olin. Tired of being picked last for the class baseball teams by the jocks, Haverchuck (Martin Starr) takes matters into his own hands by swiping a faculty phone list and harrassing Coach Fredricks (Tom Wilson) at home. Meanwhile, inspired by reading On the Road in English class, Lindsay (Linda Cardellini) takes up the art of hitchhiking with pal Kim (Busy Phillips) -- and on the first try, she happens to hitch a ride with a friend of her father's. When they get wind of Lindsay's rebellious behavior, Mr. and Mrs. Weir sit down for a dinner chat with Kim's mother, Cookie (Ann Dowd), who implores them to read their daughter's diary so that they'll know what she's really up to.