Undeclared (2001)

At times "Freaks and Geeks" tried too hard to create jolts of recognition. Here the frantic characters regularly call one another idiots, yet Undeclared always seems smart and effortless.

What Judd Apatow failed to accomplish in "Freaks and Geeks," his critically praised but short-lived NBC series about high school, he more than makes up for in Undeclared, a dead-on look at college life that manages to be both hilarious and sweet.

My love for Undeclared is unconditional... There are many different kinds of funny, and Apatow aims for one of the hardest kinds -- the humor of rueful recognition. You may not laugh till it hurts, but it'll hurt a little when you laugh, because you may recall your own awkward moments of defeat, embarrassment or disillusion. Undeclared is shrewdly observant and richly detailed, and the fact that it's funny, too, is the icing on the cake. Great cake! [25 Sept 2001, p.C01]

In a recent interview, Apatow said that he cast Undeclared before writing the pilot, which may be a key reason why the show is so cohesive: Apatow and his staff had specific acting rhythms in mind, resulting in a show that, right from the pilot, radiates a sure sense of each character's quirks.