Freaks and Geeks Producer on If He'd Do a Reboot

Judd Apatow may be best known for his comedy films like The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Trainwreck. But before those, he worked on the network TV show Freaks and Geeks, a cult hit.

Given that reboots appear to be all the rage today, would Apatow consider bringing Freaks and Geeks back for a modern audience? Don't get your hopes up.

"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," he told Deadline. "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."

He gave fans a glimmer of hope--but again, it sounds like it's not going to happen.

"I don't close the door on anything but my inclination is that we said all we had to say," Apatow said.

Freaks and Geeks ran for one season in 1999-2000 on NBC. The show starred some actors who are now big names, including James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Linda Cardellini. It was created by Paul Feig, who went on to make Hollywood movies such as Bridesmaids and the new Ghostbusters.

Generally speaking, Apatow said he has no interest in working on a network TV show again.

"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 gong to survive," he said. "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."

Streaming networks are the preferred alternative for Apatow.

"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," he said.

There has been some discussion about a new version of Freaks and Geeks. Franco said late last year that a Freaks and Geeks revival could take the form of a 20-year high school reunion.