‘Freaks and Geeks’: 6 Major Stars You Forgot Were on the Show

Freaks and Geeks may have lasted for just one season, but the series saw a decent amount of major guest stars walk through the halls. The teen dramedy aired from September 1999 to October 2000 and launched the career of many of the young actors who led the series, including James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, and more. But perhaps the guest cast lineup was more impressive.

The series saw everyone from a Back to the Future star to a future Transformers star to a movie star and more. While some were in a few episodes, others only lasted for just a one-off, but it still made for great TV. Even though Freaks and Geeks ran for 18 episodes, it is still considered iconic. And part of the reason is the insane list of guest stars.

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller guest starred in Episode 17 as Agent Meara, an uncredited role. The Secret Service agent winds up befriending Dave Allen’s Jeff Rosso. Stiller was also only in the episode as a favor to executive producer Judd Apatow in an effort to boost ratings. Unfortunately, the show had already been canceled by that time, according to IMDb.

Jason Schwartzman

In only his second TV role, Jason Schwartzman appeared in Episode 7 as Howie Gelfand, a student dealing in fake IDs. The episode saw Lindsay, Nick, Daniel, and Ken deciding to get fake IDs so they could see a local band perform at a bar. Schwartzman would go on to appear in a number of projects, including Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Parks and Recreation, Saving Mr. Banks, Fargo, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and more.

Rashida Jones

Years before Rashida Jones dealt with the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department, she was making Sam Weir’s life miserable. The actress guest starred in Episode 4 as Karen Scarfolli, who mercilessly bullies Sam as their lockers are right next to each other. She gets him in trouble when he tries to remove the graffiti on his locker that she put on. Not long after her one-time stint on the sitcom, she landed a role on the Fox drama Boston Public for the first two seasons. Then there’s her roles on The Office, Parks and Rec, Angie Tribeca, Duncanville, and more.

Shia LaBeouf

Just months before Shia LaBeouf made his Disney Channel debut, the Transformers star appeared in Episode 9 of Freaks and Geeks as Herbert. As the school’s mascot, he ends up getting injured with a concussion and a broken arm. Sam takes over the job, and Herbert helps Sam break out of his shell and become more active within the school community. LaBeouf’s episode premiered in January 2000, and that June, Even Stevens premiered on Disney Channel, officially launching the actor to superstardom. He would go on to star in movies such as Holes, Disturbia, numerous Transformers films, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and more.

Tom Wilson

The Back to the Future star appeared in six episodes as Coach Ben Fredericks. Tom Wilson is best known as the bully Biff and his ancestors in the Back to the Future trilogy. Most recently, he’s lent his voice to several episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants and spinoffs The Patrick Star Show and Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years. He’s also appeared on NCIS, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, just to name a few.

Leslie Mann

Considering her husband was the executive producer, it makes sense that Leslie Mann appeared on an episode. She only appeared in Episode 13 as Miss Foote. Bill tells a traumatic allergy story to her about being allergic to peanuts. She later uses his allergy as an example while teaching the class about George Washington. The two later have a talk about her humiliating him in class and thinking he’s a geek, and it’s all heartwarming. Unfortunately, Mann only appeared in the one episode, but she could have brought so much more to the series. 

Most recently, Mann starred in the COVID-centered Netflix film The Bubble and has also starred in Blockers, How to Be Single, The Other Woman, and more.