Freaks and Geeks cast post moving tributes to celebrate show's 20th anniversary

William McKinley High School’s class of 1999 is celebrating its 20th anniversary!

It’s been two decades since we first met the teen outcasts of Freaks and Geeks, NBC’s gone-way-too-soon teen angst dramedy that launched the careers of future stars like Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, and Busy Philipps before being canceled after just 18 incredible episodes.

Although their time on the show was short-lived, several cast members celebrated the premiere’s 20th-anniversary in sweet social media posts on Wednesday.

Philipps, who played resident bad girl Kim Kelly — disher of such sage advice as “Don’t be mean, just be a bitch” — shared fond memories of her time on the series in an Instagram post along with an album of throwback photos. “This is a big week for me in terms of TV show history, I guess. 20(TWENTY?!) years ago TODAY FREAKS AND GEEKS premiered on NBC,” she wrote. “It feels like a million years ago and also two years ago. I’ve always remained humbled and grateful that this was my first job in Hollywood. And really, I think it’s as great today as it was 20 years ago and that really says something, I think. I love Kim Kelly with all my heart and I’m so glad I got to be her for a while and then also forever. Here are some of my favorite pictures. Except for this first one, which was a promo shot for NBC, all the pictures were taken by writer/producer @gabesachs who THANK GOD was obsessed even in 1999 with documenting every moment and always had a camera on him.”

Philipps wasn’t the only member of the cast to commemorate the occasion.

John Francis Daley, who played Sam Weir, the lovable late bloomer who couldn’t quite pull off a Parisian nightsuit, also honored the big day on Twitter. “Freaks and Geeks is 20 years old today,” he wrote. “Where did all that time go? And who the hell is that little kid with the shark sweater?”

Daly’s fellow geek Samm Levine, who played wisecracking budding comedian Neal Schweiber, also celebrated the anniversary on Twitter, writing: “Happy anniversary to the show that changed my life. Happy anniversary to the greatest fans in the world. Happy anniversary to the best cast and crew I’ve ever had the pleasure to have worked with.”

The show’s executive producer Judd Apatow also posted two sets of photos showing the young cast on set, including one of Cardellini with Freaks and Geeks creator Paul Feig.

Related content:

• Freaks and Geeks: Where are they now?
• Freaks and Geeks behind-the-scenes photos
• Judd Apatow weighs chances of Freaks and Geeks reboot