On the Sibling Revelry podcast, Paul Feig revealed that Freaks and Geeks was originally just a "spec script" he wrote hoping to break into hour-long television. He admitted he didn’t have high hopes for the project until he sent it to his "old friend" Judd Apatow, who agreed to produce it and made the series a reality.
Feig also discussed his dedication to authenticity. To ensure a "super-accurate" depiction of high school life in 1980 Michigan, he brought in his old yearbooks for the design team. He even rejected product placement deals, such as for Nike, because the brand wasn’t popular in his specific hometown at the time.
