Freaks & Geeks aired for one short season on NBC, and its cancellation is one of the reasons why Judd Apatow will not return to broadcast television. He revealed that recently, per a Deadline report. He also spoke about the potential for a reboot of the 1999 series.
Apatow revealed his thoughts during a TCA session for Crashing, which will arrive on HBO next month. Apatow said the following about the possibility of a reboot of the NBC series:
“I don’t want to do more Freaks & Geeks because we liked how it ended, so I feel it’s unwrapping something and seeing if you can not screw it up; I don’t think we would do that. Also, the world has changed so much. Back then in 1999, we were talking about the pre-computer and cellphone age that was before YouTube, Google, Snapchat. I don’t close the door on anything but my inclination is that we said all we had to say.”
As for his possibly returning to broadcast television, he said the following:
“I’m not interested in broadcast networks because I feel their shows are too short, I do not like the commercial interruptions, and I do not like the waiting on ratings to determine whether you are going to survive. There is limitations on content, and I hated the idea that they waited to get the ratings the next day, and if they are bad, they might pull the plug. I’ve been canceled midseason three times, and I’ve had enough of it. I like it at places like HBO where you get your season; I feel like the streaming services have created a world where there is a creative incentive to do amazing original work, and I don’t think the (broadcast) networks for all sorts of reasons could do it in a way that some other networks and streaming services can.”
Would you want a Freaks & Geeks reboot? Tell us what you think.