Freaks and Geeks only ran for one season, did not attract a big audience, and the for a time vanished. I remember the promotion when the season was released on DVD, but it wasn’t until earlier this year I started watching it on Netflix. The premise is simple: The year is 1980, I think. A brainy high school girl, Lindsey, grows dissatisfied with her sheltered suburban life, and decides she wants to be friendly with the clique of freaks who hang together on the edge of academic engagement. Meanwhile, her nerdy brother and his friends enter high school, and try to navigate through the pubescent mine field there.

One of the freaks, Nick, is a stoner whose identity is linked with his giant 29 piece drum kit. He’s not that bright, but he’s sweet and for a while he and Lindsey go out. In this episode a leading local rock band loses its drummer and Nick auditions. The result is wonderfully nuanced.