Herbert

Shia LaBeouf is known by many as a child star on the Disney show Even Stevens, but he had another role during that time on Freaks and Geeks. LaBeouf played Herbert, an injured mascot that needed a replacement. Herbert broke his arm while performing during lunch and Sam takes over as the mascot. Herbert tries to give tips to being the mascot and is really intense about being a mascot, but Neil thinks that he is an awful mascot and unfunny. 

With his role is Freaks and Geeks, LaBeouf worked on many other projects in his childhood. He started stand-up comedy routines when he was just ten years old. He starred on Even Stevens for three years which earned him a Daytime Emmy Award and performed in The Even Stevens Movie. He also had a starring role in the movie Holes. 

Since Freaks and Geeks Shia LaBeouf has risen out of childhood actor to movie star. His big career debut was in Disturbia, a suspense thriller. His biggest role has been as Sam Witwicky is the Transformers series. He starred in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with mixed reviews. He even admits that his work on the film was not up to par. 

Shia Labeouf has risen from the ashes of childhood star, which is admirable, whether or not his roles are horrendous. 

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 Wikipedia: Shia LaBeouf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia_LaBeouf

Kayla Ewell

From queen of the geeks to a freaky vampire, Kayla Ewell transitioned from a guest on Freaks and Geeks to a reoccurring cast member on the CW’s hit The Vampire Diaries. Her first role, at age 15, she played Maureen Sampson, a transfer student from Florida at McKinley High. Sam, Neil, and Bill compete for her attention. They decide she probably likes the three of them, so they should choose a piece of paper from a hat in order to determine who gets her. Bill wins, but it doesn't really matter because another trouble occurs. The cheerleaders want Maureen to be their friend. They are afraid of losing her so they take her out to an all-you-can-eat buffet. She hangs out with them for about two days and then leaves for a more popular crowd.

Four years later Ewell's fame increased with a season-long run of the soup opera The Bold and The Beautiful. During this time she also guest starred on many popular shows like The O.C. and Entourage. However her claim to fame with today's youth comes from her role in The Vampire Diaries. She played a troubled student who got turned into a vampire. However, she was killed by a stake through the heart.

Little Kayla Ewell went from stealing geek's heart to a stake through hers.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Freaks_and_Geeks_episodes
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kayla_Ewell
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Karen Scarfolli

Rashida Jones is known for her roles on NBC sitcoms like The Office and Parks and Recreation, but few know that one of her first roles was on the NBC comedy Freaks and Geeks when she was 24. She played the role of Karen Scarfolli, a bully and Kim Kelly’s friend who tormented Sam Weir. Karen had just been broken up with when she found Sam at her locker. She acted out irrationally and wrote “Geek” on his locker with lipstick. Kim later finds her boyfriend cheating with Karen. The conflicts are resolved and Karen is never seen again; however it is commendable that one character can do so much damage in one episode.

Since the show, Rashida Jones has been on a path that only goes up. Soon after her episode she got a starring role on Boston Public. She had a brief stint on The Office playing Karen, but left to get a more permanent role of NBC’s Parks and Recreation as Ann Perkins. She is also now starring in many films. She had lead roles in Our Idiot Brother, I Love You, Man, The Social Network, and The Muppets. Two of which she appears with Geeks star Jason Segel. Jones has other ambitions besides acting. She created her own comic book called Frenemy of the State, which is the works for a motion picture adaptation. She starred in and wrote the screenplay for Celeste and Jesse Forever.

 

From Karen (on Freaks and Geeks) to Karen (on The Office), we have seen Rashida Jones grow up; except not really because she looks exactly the same. Who would have thought that the bully from one episode would become a star in her own right?

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Wikipedia: Rashida Jones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashida_Jones

Wikipedia: Freaks and Geeks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freaks_and_Geeks

The Show

They say “only the good die young.” I find this applies to television shows. One of the greatest cult classics of all time is Judd Apatow’s Freaks and Geeks. The show, which lasted one season, aired on NBC in 2000. The show takes place in 1980 in a small town in Michigan. The show is centered on Lindsay and Sam Weir, brother and sister who don’t really fit in. Lindsay and her friends make up the “freak” half of the show. Sam and his friends make up the geeks. The show showcases everyday problems that high school students face from the perspective of the not-so-popular kids.

                The show had many regular stars. Lindsay is played by Linda Cardellini, known by kids for her roles as Velma in the Scooby-Doo movies and by adults as Nurse Samantha Taggart on the medical drama E.R. Sam Weir is played by John Francis Daley. Daley is known as an actor and a writer, acting on Bones as Dr. Lance Sweets, and writing and acting in the comedy Horrible Bosses. James Franco, Seth Rogan, Busy Phillips, Samm Levine, Martin Starr, and Jason Segel also star in the show. They all have successful television or film careers that came after the show.

                However, this blog is not about the above actors. This blog is dedicated to the guest stars of Freaks and Geeks. From Shia LaBeouf to Judd Apatow’s wife, Leslie Mann, many wonderful actors have graced the show that ended too soon. Where are they now? How did they grow? What did they look like circa 2000? Get ready to see great stars on a great television show. 

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.