While even super fans may not remember performers like Matt Czuchry in Freaks and Geeks, many famous actors played small roles in the cult teen comedy show. Freaks and Geeks was the shortlived NBC TV series created by Paul Feig and Judd Apatow about the students at William McKinley High School. Only one 18-episode season aired thanks to scheduling problems and conflicts between NBC and the creators, but over the years Freaks and Geeks has gained a cult following and is now even often called one of the best sitcoms of all time.
Funny, irreverent, and so relatable it can be painful, Freaks and Geeks manages to skewer and applaud the uncertain and unfair time of life that is high school. While the main cast of Freaks and Geeks has famously gone on to giant successes, the bit players in the show are also some of the best actors and comedians working today. There were so many cameos and guest appearances that they can get lost in the show’s 18 episodes. However, these characters are worth remembering if only for spotting successful stars before they became famous.
Which Freaks And Geeks Character Are You, Based On Your Enneagram Type?
Each Freaks and Geeks character has their own Enneagram type, from Lindsay and her gang to Sam and his friends.
Matt Czuchry (Lincoln High Student)
A Student From William McKinley’s Rival School
Matt Czuchy appears in Freaks and Geeks episode 9, “We’ve Got Spirit” as a student from William McKinley’s rival school, Lincoln High School. Though Czuchry’s role is unnamed, he takes part in a fight with the “freaks”. Czuchry had a few film roles, but his major performances came in later television shows. He had multiple co-starring roles in series like Gilmore Girls as Logan Huntzberger, The Good Wife as Cary Agos, The Resident as Conrad Hawkins, and American Horror Story: Delicate as Dexter Harding.
Alexandra Breckenridge (Shelly Weaver)
A Mathlete At William McKinley High School
Shelly Weaver is a student on the Mathlete team in Freaks and Geeks. Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) seems to have little to no regard for her despite being on the team. Shelley is played by Alexandra Breckenridge in episode 11, “Looks and Books” when Lindsay finally decides to leave the Mathletes. Breckenridge is a prolific television actor who has the recurring role of Jessie Anderson in The Walking Dead and Sophie in This Is Us. She also stars in Virgin River as the series protagonist, Melinda “Mel” Monroe.
Kevin Corrigan (Toby)
Millie’s Delinquent Cousin
Kevin Corrigan appears in episode 7, “Carded and Discarded” as Toby, Millie’s (Sarah Hagan) troublemaking cousin. Millie is a devout Christian and refuses to smoke or drink and worries when Lindsay starts hanging out with the “freaks”. Her cousin Toby is the total opposite and more than happy to partake. Corrigan has had an interesting career appearing in small, but notable roles in films like Goodfellas as Michael Hill, Unstoppable as Scott Werner, and reuniting with the Freaks and Geeks crew in Pineapple Express as Budlofsky and The King of Staten Island as Joe.
Rashida Jones (Karen Scarfolli)
Kim Kelly’s Former Best Friend
Rashida Jones appears in Freaks and Geeks episode 4, “Kim Kelly Is My Friend” as Karen Scarfolli. Karen was played by Stacy Hogue in the pilot but Jones took over the role in this episode. Karen and Kim have a falling out when Kim finds her in a compromising position with Kim’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, leading to a near hit-and-run and locker graffiti. Jones is best known for her roles as Ann Perkins in Parks and Rec and Karen Filippelli in The Office, but she also has memorable movie performances in The Social Network as Marylin Delpy and I Love You, Man as Zooey.
David Krumholtz (Barry Schweiber)
Neil Schweiber’s Older Brother
Barry Schweiber, played by David Krumholtz, appears in episode 15, “Noshing and Moshing”, where he returns from college. A former geek himself, Barry easily defends his younger brother and his “geek” friends by taunting their usual bullies. Later in that episode, he kisses Lindsay, something Neil always wanted to do. It’s a hopeful episode for Neil, showing, through his brother, that he can grow up to be someone substantial.
Krumholtz has frequently reunited with the Freaks and Geeks cast, in I Love You, Man as one of Sydney’s (Jason Segel) friends and Superbad as Benji Austin. He has also frequently collaborated with the Coen Brothers, appearing as a poker player in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and a Communist screenwriter in Hail, Ceasar! Krumholtz also portrays the historical figure Isidor Isaac Rabi in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Shia LaBeouf (Herbert)
The William McKinley High School Mascot
Shia LaBeouf appeared on Freak and Geeksin episode 9, “We’ve Got Spirit” as Herbert, the school’s mascot. When Herbert falls and breaks his arm, Sam Weir (John Francis Daley) takes his place, leading Herbert to encourage Sam to take more risks and be more confident. LaBeouf’s appearance here coincided with his first season in the Disney TV series Even Stevens as Louis. Film roles followed and LaBeouf starred in the first three Transformers movies as Sam Witwicky, Indian Jones 4 as Henry “Mutt Williams” Jones III, and Honey Boy as James Lort.
Leslie Mann (Miss Foote)
A Social Studies Teacher At William McKinley High School
In addition to being an incredibly talented actor, Leslie Mann is also Judd Apatow’s wife, and she has appeared in a number of his projects, including Freaks and Geeks. Mann plays Miss Foote, in episode 13, “Chokin’ and Tokin'”. Miss Foote teaches Bill Haverchuck’s (Martin Starr) class and inadvertently gets Bill to tell a story about a traumatic peanut allergy story. When Miss Foote embarrasses Bill in front of the class with an ill-advised attempt to joke with him, she has to apologize and reminds him that just because Bill thinks he is a geek, doesn’t mean he is one.
Of Apatow’s movies, Mann has appeared in The 40-Year-Old Virgin as Nicky, Knocked Up and This Is 40 as Debbie, and The Bubble as Lauren Van Chance. She also appears in Blockers as Lisa Decker and George of the Jungle as Ursula Stanhope.
Jason Schwartzman (Howie Gelfand)
A Student Who Deals Fake IDs
In Freaks and Geeks episode 7, “Carded and Discarded”, Jason Schwartzman appears as Howie Gelfand, a student who makes fake IDs. The freaks ask him to get them all IDs, but when the ones he provides have Vietnamese people on them, they demand their money back, which Howie reluctantly returns.
Schwartzman is a prolific film and television actor. His most notable TV credits include Fargo season 4 as Josto Fadda and Bored to Death as Jonathan Ames. In movies, Schwartzman frequently collaborates with Wes Anderson, appearing in Fantastic Mr. Fox as Ash, Moonrise Kingdom as Cousin Ben, Rushmore as Max Fischer, The Darjeeling Limited as Jack Whitman, and Asteroid City as Augie Steenbeck/Jones Hall. He also plays Mark Taylor Jackson in Funny People, Johnathan Ohnn/The Spot in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Gideon in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Ann Dowd (Cookie Kelly)
Kim And Chip Kelly’s mother
Ann Dowd appears as Cookie Kelly in two episodes of Freaks and Geeks. Cookie is Kim’s overbearing mother who demands she hang out with students who are good influences (aka “rich”). When Kim lies about Lindsay’s status to Cookie, they blow up at each other, nearly resulting in Kim leaving home. Dowd has earned four Emmy nominations for her work in The Leftovers as Patti Levin and The Handmaid’s Tale as Aunt Lydia Clements, winning for the latter. Her most notable film role comes in Hereditary as Joan, a mysterious friend of the family.
Ben Stiller (Agent Meara)
A Secret Service Agent For Vice President George H. W. Bush
Agent Meara appears briefly in Freaks and Geeks episode 17, “The Little Things”, as a Secret Service agent for the visiting Vice President Bush. Though Ben Stiller wears black sunglasses in this cameo, he’s still recognizable as the bored and over-it agent. Stiller has appeared in numerous television shows and movies and has even directed some, like Zoolander, Tropic Thunder, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Stiller’s most notable acting roles in film come in the Night at the Museum franchise as Lawrence “Larry” Daley, Zoolander as Derek Zoolander, The Royal Tenenbaums as Chas Tenenbaum, and Meet the Parents as Gaylord Focker. On television, Stiller plays Tony Wonder in Arrested Development and himself in an arc of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
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Freaks and Geeks
Judd Apatow’s Freaks and Geeks is a comedy-drama series centered around several now-popular stars in their first-ever appearances as outcast teenagers dealing with the “hilarious unfairness of teen life.” The friend groups are split into “freaks” and “geeks,” each with their own quirks that resonate with teens today as they try to find their place in the socially complex world of high school.
- Release Date
- September 25, 1999
- Cast
- James Franco , Busy Philipps , Jason Segel , Linda Cardellini , John Francis Daley
- Directors
- Paul Feig , Judd Apatow
