Freaks and Geeks cast: Where are they now?

Linda Cardellini (Lindsay Weir)

Linda Cardellini found her spot at school as Lindsay Weir, a smart young woman who rolled with some particularly freaky friends. The actress picked up the gig a few years into her career after hitting the big screen in Good Burger (1997) and making appearances in late-'90s episodes of 3rd Rock From the Sun, Step by Step, Kenan & Kel, and Boy Meets World.

The year after Freaks and Geeks wrapped, Cardellini nabbed two big gigs, playing Chutney in Legally Blonde (2001) and Velma in Scooby-Doo (2002). She went on to reprise the latter role in Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), expanded her résumé with a part in Brokeback Mountain (2005), and spent six years playing Nurse Samantha Taggart on ER.

Cardellini appeared in a handful of 2014 episodes of New Girl as Abby Day, landed a nine-episode arc as Sylvia Rosen on Mad Men — for which she earned an Emmy nomination — and joined Bloodline in 2015 as Meg Rayburn. She costarred with Christina Applegate on Netflix's Dead to Me, for which she earned another Emmy nomination.

While appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Laura Barton, a.k.a. the wife of Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Agent 19, Cardellini also took on roles in the Best Picture winner Green Book (2018), the horror film The Curse of La Llorona (2019), and the biopic Capone (2020).

John Francis Daley (Sam Weir)

John Francis Daley joined Freaks and Geeks as Sam Weir, the little brother to Cardellini's Lindsay Weir. Daley, who made his debut on the show when he was 14 years old, earned his very first credited onscreen role for his turn as Sam, a quiet comedy enthusiast that finds his clique in the geeks.

Daley filled his teen years with acting gigs. As Freaks and Geeks came to a close, the young star busied himself with appearances in early-2000s episodes of Boston Public, The Geena Davis Show, Spin City, and Kitchen Confidential. He also hit the big screen in View From the Top (2003), Waiting... (2005), and Horrible Bosses (2011).

The actor had a long-standing role as Dr. Lance Sweets on Bones, and acted alongside Ed Helms in 2015's Vacation. His real career renaissance, though, has come with him stepping behind the scenes, having penned scripts for films like Horrible Bosses, Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017); produced Stuber (2019); and directed Vacation, Game Night (2018), and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023).

James Franco (Daniel Desario)

In 1999, with just a few credits to his name, a then-unknown actor by the name of James Franco landed the part of Freaks and Geeks' Daniel Desario. Franco started playing the charming "freak" after making early appearances in Never Been Kissed (1999) and '90s episodes of Pacific Blue and To Serve and Protect.

Franco earned his first Oscar nomination for 2010's 127 Hours, keeping busy as ever with acting gigs in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), Lovelace (2013), This Is the End (2013), episodes of General Hospital, The Interview (2014), The Adderall Diaries (2015), and King Cobra (2016). The actor also starred in all three seasons of HBO's The Deuce.

Franco also found success working behind the scenes including in the highly acclaimed The Disaster Artist (2017), which he directed, produced, and starred in, earning him a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for Best Actor. He has taken on similar roles both in front of cameras and behind on a variety of movies like The Pretenders (2018), and Zeroville (2019).

After facing a series of sexual misconduct allegations, Franco has not had any onscreen roles since 2019.

Samm Levine (Neal Schweiber)

Samm Levine entered geekdom as Neal Schweiber, a nerd with a soft spot for Lindsay Weir. Levine came into the gig with one credit to his name after playing Hector in a 1997 episode of One Life to Live.

Levine continued his small-screen work after Freaks and Geeks aired its finale, appearing in early-2000s episodes of Spin City, Yes, Dear, Just Shoot Me!, The Steve Harvey Show, That '70s Show, and Life As We Know It. Levine also picked up movie roles in Not Another Teen Movie (2001), After School Special (2003), Inglourious Basterds (2009), and I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009).

Levine reprised his uncredited voice role of Arty in Netflix's Wet Hot American Summer 2015 prequel miniseries First Day of Camp and played Arty on screen two years later in the sequel miniseries Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. He also appeared on the short-lived series Selfie and the Comedy Central shows Drunk History and Another Period.

Seth Rogen (Ken Miller)

A young Seth Rogen landed his first onscreen role as Ken Miller on Freaks and Geeks. He played the freak with a crush on a band geek for the length of the show's run, developing a relationship with EP Judd Apatow through the gig.

The part was a pivotal one for Rogen, who would go on to work with Apatow on projects like Undeclared, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Superbad (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), and Funny People (2009).

In addition to his Apatow collaborations, Rogen has lent his voice to movies including Kung Fu Panda (2008), Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009), Sausage Party (2016), and The Lion King 2019 remake. The actor has starred in such films as Neighbors (2014), The Interview (2014), The Night Before (2014), Steve Jobs (2015), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), The Disaster Artist (2017), Long Shot (2019), and The Fabelmans (2022). He has made small-screen appearances on The Comeback, Kroll Show, Friends From College, The League, and Pam & Tommy, for which he earned his first Emmy nomination for acting.

Rogen has also created and produced TV shows like Preacher, Black Monday, and The Boys and movies like Game Over, Man! (2018), Blockers (2018), and Good Boys (2019).

Jason Segel (Nick Andopolis)

The freaks found their resident good guy in Jason Segel, who played Nick Andopolis. Segel joined the cult series after picking up roles in Can't Hardly Wait, SLC Punk!, and Dead Man on Campus in 1998.

After Freaks and Geeks ended, Segel reteamed with Apatow and Rogen for Undeclared from 2001 to 2003. He also starred in Slackers (2002), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), Bad Teacher (2011), The Muppets (2011), The Five-Year Engagement (2012), This Is 40 (2012), Sex Tape (2014), The End of the Tour (2015), Our Friend (2019), and Windfall (2022).

In addition to his film work, Segel is known for the nine years he spent playing Marshall Eriksen on How I Met Your Mother. In 2020, Segel produced and starred in the AMC anthology series Dispatches From Elsewhere about a group of ordinary people in Philadelphia who discover a puzzle hiding just behind the veil of everyday life. He also took on a prominent role on HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and the lead on AppleTV+'s Shrinking (which he also co-created and writes for).

Martin Starr (Bill Haverchuck)

After making a brief appearance in the 1992 movie Hero, Martin Starr earned his second onscreen credit as Bill Haverchuck on Freaks and Geeks. The then-newbie actor played a member of the geeks, who was a quintessentially nerdy kid.

Starr found further success on the small screen, appearing in episodes of Roswell and Revelations in the 2000s before joining Party Down as Roman DeBeers, and Silicon Valley as Bertram Gilfoyle. Starr also appeared in Knocked Up (2007), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Adventureland (2009), Save the Date (2012), The Lifeguard (2013), 2014's Veronica Mars movie, This Is the End, and the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films.

Additional TV show roles include on Burning Love, Hawaii Five-0, Life in Pieces, Drunk History, Tulsa King, and a cameo in the final season of Game of Thrones. He reprises his role of Roman DeBeers in the third season of Party Down, which arrives in 2023 on Starz after a 13-year hiatus.

Becky Ann Baker (Jean Weir)

Becky Ann Baker joined the cast of Freaks and Geeks as Jean Weir, the kind mother to Sam and Lindsay. Baker started playing the matriarch after previously appearing in The Protector (1985), Blue Steel (1989), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), Sabrina (1995), and Men in Black (1997).

Baker continued her small-screen turns in 2000s episodes of Sex and the City, Life As We Know It, All My Children, and Kings. She also appeared in Spider-Man 3 (2007) and Nights in Rodanthe (2008) before landing her role of Hannah's mom Loreen Horvath on HBO's Girls, for which she earned an Emmy nomination.

The veteran actress went on to play Alma Hoff on The Good Wife and spin-off The Good Fight. She's also appeared in films like Table 19 (2017) and The Half of It (2019), and on TV shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Night Shift, NCIS: New Orleans, The Blacklist, Brockmire, Big Little Lies, Billions, and Younger.

Joe Flaherty (Harold Weir)

Baker found her other half in Joe Flaherty, who played Jean's husband, Harold Weir. The stereotypically traditional father watched over Lindsay and Sam as they navigated high school.

A veteran actor, Flaherty came into the role after racking up credits for SCTV, Going Berserk (1983), Club Paradise (1986), Innerspace (1987), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Maniac Mansion, Happy Gilmore (1996), and Police Academy: The Series.

On television, Flaherty followed up his Freaks and Geeks role with 2000s appearances on Even Stevens, That '70s Show, The Legend of Tarzan, The King of Queens, and Family Guy. He also landed feature film work with Slackers (2002), National Security (2003), Home on the Range (2004), and Summerhood (2008). Flaherty's most recent onscreen appearance was in a 2014 short film called Nightlife.

Busy Philipps (Kim Kelly)

Busy Philipps picked up her first major role as Kim Kelly on Freaks and Geeks. She played the wild member of the freaks who was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Daniel.

The year after the show wrapped, Philipps continued to play a student when she landed the role of Audrey Liddell on Dawson's Creek. She made the transition to the big screen with movies like Home Room (2002), White Chicks (2004), Made of Honor (2008), He's Just Not That Into You (2009), I Don't Know How She Does It (2011), and The Gift (2015).

Philipps saw her greatest success on television, however, with roles on Love, Inc., ER, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Cougar Town, Vice Principals, and Girls5eva. She also hosted her own short-lived talk show, Busy Tonight, from 2018 to 2019.