Freaks and Geeks / Characters

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Freaks

Lindsay Weir

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lindsay.jpeg

Played By: Linda Cardellini

Lindsay is the elder of the two Weir siblings and the protagonist of the series. A junior and former mathlete at McKinley High School, she begins to question religion and the academically-focused path she's on after the death of her grandmother, at which point she starts to hang out with the "Freak" crowd, having been drawn in by Daniel. This worries both her family and her old friend, Millie, in particular.

The Ace: She starts out as one, but despite being a Freak, she still gets good grades — she just stops caring about them towards the end of the series and ditches a university summit to follow The Grateful Dead.
Age-Appropriate Angst: She's a highschool junior when the series begins.
All Girls Want Bad Boys: Early on in the series, she has a crush on Daniel, particularly evident in "Beers and Weirs".
Big Sister Instinct: She's pretty protective of Sam, and her very first scene involves protecting him from a pair of bullies.
Brainy Brunette: Lindsay is super academically smart; probably more so than any adult depicted in the series. However, she is a reluctant Brainy Brunette — her plotline revolves mostly around her desire to be more than just a brain.
Bully Hunter: She doesn't take any shit from some of the nastier elements at McKinley High, and is seen variously:
- Stepping in to protect her brother Sam from his arch-nemesis, Alan.
- Calling out a group of jerks (twice) for mistreating mentally disabled student, Eli.
- Taking on smug, patronising mathlete Shelly Weaver (and kicking her ass) at a "mathlete scrimmage".
- Smacking the enormous Siedelman when he is harassing a female student.
- ...of course, this doesn't always work out for her, and on occasion her good intentions backfire, but the pluckiness is admirable.
Cool Big Sis: At the end of the day she's willing to talk things through with Sam and be supportive of him.
Cynicism Catalyst: The death of her grandmother before the start of the series spurred her into atheism. Specifically, Lindsey was there at her deathbed when the grandmother confessed her terror at facing death in her last moments.
Dream Apocalypse: In her marijuana induced state in “Chokin’ and Tokin’”, Lindsay freaks out that she's in a dream belonging to the dog whose family she’s babysitting for, and begs Millie not to wake him up.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Enforced: the show was set in the Midwest, and Feig noted that tanned people in the Midwest were rare; California native Cardellini was required to have makeup that made her paler.
Expository Hairstyle Change: As seen in "Looks and Books", where Lindsay opts for much girlier hair when she (temporarily) falls back in with the mathlete crowd after she gets sick of the Freaks' Toxic Friend Influence.
Extreme Doormat: A mild version when around the Freaks, as she is so eager to be accepted as part of their group that she bends over backwards to please them. She gets better, though.
Grew a Spine: She starts out being very deferential to the Freaks, ignoring their rudeness towards her (mostly via Ken and Kim), but she loses any fear of them as the series progresses, and after she calls them out for being selfish and having no futures (in episode "Looks and Books"), her ties to the group become solidified on a level of mutual respect.
The Hero: Along with her brother, Sam.
Limited Wardrobe: Her father's old army jacket, also symbolic of her transition to the Freaks.
My God, What Have I Done?: She's horrified when she unintentionally eggs Sam whilst out causing mischievous havoc with her fellow freaks on halloween.
Naïve Newcomer: Among the Freaks. It's perhaps Daniel's attraction to her that aids her introduction into their group, but she's ill-prepared initially for the rebellious, occasionally anarchic lifestyle they lead.
Secret Diary: Mr. Weir nosily roots through her diary to find out whether Lindsay is on drugs/having sex.
She Cleans Up Nicely: As seen in "Noshing and Moshing" at the Schweibers' cocktail party, where she ditches the army jacket, puts on a hot dress, and deservingly attracts the (welcome) attention of the Schweiber's eldest son, Nice Jewish Boy Barry.
The Smart Guy: Of the Freak posse.
Soapbox Sadie: She represents a mild and likable example. Definitely in evidence when (at the time) Vice President George Bush pays a visit to McKinley High.
Lindsay: Why did your staff reject my question? Are you afraid of engaging the students in an open discourse?
Teen Genius: As a former "mathlete", she is seen to be able to do complicated arithmetic in her head.
Toxic Friend Influence: Used most evidently as a Plot Device in "Looks and Books", where the Freaks badger her into borrowing her dad's car — which ends up in a fender-bender.
Wild Teen Party: She throws a house-party to try to impress the Freaks, as seen in "Beers and Weirs".
Yoko Oh No: She inadvertently becomes this in "I'm with the Band", where she splits up the Freak's band when actually trying to get them to improve. Ken even calls her Yoko at one point.
You Are Grounded!: She faces this punishment in "Looks and Books" after stealing her father's car to run an errand for the Freaks and trashing it.

Kim Kelly

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kim.jpeg

Played By: Busy Philipps

Daniel's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Kim is a tough, short-tempered girl and is known by the other students for being "crazy", taking drugs, and having frequent sex. She's originally hostile towards Lindsay and reluctant to allow her to hang out with the Freak group, but as the series progresses, they forge a close friendship.

Abusive Parents: Both Kim's mother and her step-father Arlo (who tellingly has bandaged knuckles) are psychotically bad-tempered, and are shown to be both mentally and physically abusive, as detailed in the seminal episode "Kim Kelly is My Friend".
The Alleged Car: Her beat-up AMC Gremlin.
Alliterative Name: Kim Kelly.
Betty and Veronica: A non-romantic version, she's the Veronica to Millie's Betty.
Broken Bird: Due to her hellish home-life, as seen in the episode "Kim Kelly is My Friend".
The Bully: Early on in the series, to both Lindsay and Sam.
Kim: Hey Karen, was this guy trying to break into your locker?
Character Development: Like her boyfriend Daniel, she goes through quite the rehabilitation process as the series progresses, starting off as an antagonizing, mean-spirited bitch early on, but ending up as Lindsay's best friend by the finale, "Discos and Dragons".
Defrosting Ice Queen: Warms up hugely as the series progresses, though still retains a tough, no-nonsense edge.
Foil: To Lindsay. Comes from a poor, broken home in contrast to Lindsay's more well-off and loving parents, gets poor grades in school to Lindsay's straight A's, starts off as a huge bully to Lindsay, who stands up for anyone who gets picked on, and so on.
Freudian Excuse: Given how awful her home life is, it's really not surprising that Kim has such an aggressive personality and anger issues.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Snaps at the drop of a hat, and isn't afraid to give those who annoy her a big whack on the arm if they piss her off (especially Daniel).
Heel–Face Turn: At the start of the series she is a pure, unsympathetic jerk that hates Lindsay for no apparent reason other than jealousy. Then her horrible home life is revealed, as are the complexities of her character. Finally she is revealed to be a genuinely decent person by the end of the series. Such is the quality of character development in this show.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Lindsay by the finale, where we see the girls head off on an adventure following the The Grateful Dead across America.
Hidden Depths: Throughout the pilot episode she is generally hostile and behaves like a bully toward Lindsay. At the end of the episode, however, she is shown reconsidering her negative opinion of Lindsay when she sees her genuinely having fun dancing with Eli (likely as her brother is also mentally handicapped). Her character continues to show depths as the show continues, although she retains much of her prickly exterior.
Hot-Blooded: Incredibly so — she angers easily, can be aggressive, and is easily infuriated and frustrated.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Towards the Series' end, especially in "Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers" where her guilt over running over Millie's dog compels her into taking the girl under her wing.
The Lad-ette: Enjoys beers, cars, swearing, fighting and sex. Mellows later on in the series.
My God, What Have I Done?: She feels terrible when she realizes she ran over Millie's dog and befriends her out of guilt, despite the Holier Than Thou Millie typically being the last person she'd associated with.
Only Friend: Despite being a well-established member of the Freaks' clique, and even when she's still antagonistic to Lindsay, Kim considers Lindsay her only friend.
Kim: You're, like, my only friend, Lindsay, and you're... You're a total loser.
Pretender Diss: Kim initially resents Lindsay hanging out with the Freaks, viewing her as "just some rich kid who's trying to piss off her parents".
Took a Level in Kindness: See Character Development above.
Slap-Slap-Kiss: With Daniel. In "Kim Kelly Is My Friend" she reveals that she thinks she has to be "alert" and "a bitch" because he'd screw any girl he comes across.
Wrong Side of the Tracks: Kim's family home and background is ostensibly poorer and much more violent than Lindsay's.
You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: She's a physically tough girl who knows how to handle herself in a fight, so don't mess...
Kim: Are you calling me irrational? Because I'll tear your head off, Daniel. I'll tear it off and I'll throw it over that fence!

Daniel Desario

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/daniel_31.png

Played By: James Franco

Daniel is a cool, charismatic bad-boy, relying on his good looks and charm to get by at McKinley. Often exhibiting a manipulative, selfish streak, he nonetheless always pulls through to help his friends, and is ostensibly the leader of the Freaks.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Especially if he's James Franco. Lindsay's initial attraction to Daniel is due to his too-cool-for-school attitude, but as she becomes less hero-worshipping of the Freaks and more of an equal, she comes to view him as a friend instead.
Alliterative Name: Just like his girlfriend — Daniel Desario.
Asleep in Class: Tellingly, whilst watching a careers guidance video.
Book Dumb: Daniel may not be academically minded, but he's a fairly smart, streetwise kid overall.
Brilliant, but Lazy: He's smart, but his fear of failure prevents him from trying too hard at anything.
Character Development: He starts out as an archetypal too-cool-for-school bad-boy, but by the end of the series, after several humbling experiences, he has become friends with Sam's group. There's also more stress over time on his academic and personal troubles, as he seems perfectly aware of his limitations but doesn't know how to break through them.
The Charmer: He's good at winning over fellow students and can approach Manipulative Bastard status, especially if he needs Lindsay's help with his math homework...
Cool Car: In different episodes he drives a Pontiac Trans Am and a Cadillac Sedan DeVille.
Cool People Rebel Against Authority: As brilliantly summed up by Mr. Rosso in this exchange:
Mr. Rosso: You think you're pretty cool, don't you, Daniel?
Daniel: No, I don't think I'm cool...
Mr. Rosso: You don't think you're The Fonz or something?
Everybody Hates Mathematics: Daniel especially so, as it stands between him and repeating the school year...again.
Freudian Excuse: He comes from a poor family and notes that he was essentially written off as a child. The fact that none of his teachers seem to want to help him only compounds his feelings of inadequacy.
Hell-Bent for Leather: Wears a black leather jacket that fits perfectly with his overall vibe.
Improbably Cool Car: His (beat up) Pontiac Trans Am, the specific version of which is no earlier than 1979. Since the show takes place in 1980, it is highly unlikely that a high school student from a low-income family could afford what was then a fairly new car.
Hidden Depths: He confides in Harris that he is secretly worried about just how badly he is doing in school, and makes a genuine effort (after initial frostiness) to be useful when he joins the AV club.
Harris: (to Daniel) You'd make a good Dungeon Master, I can tell.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a slacker who coasts on his charm though he does seem to want to do better but is uncertain of how. He also shows himself to be a caring friend, especially towards the end of the series when he befriends the Geeks.
Mr. Fanservice: As is noticed In-Universe and out.
School Is for Losers: His attitude before Character Development kicks in, later on in the series.
The Slacker: Multiple times early on in the series, he is seen cutting class and attempting to cheat his way through the academic year.
Troubled, but Cute: He comes from a low-income family, is shown to have some fairly serious self-identity issues as the series progresses, but is gorgeous nonetheless.
Wounded Gazelle Gambit: His regurgitated sob-story when he's busted for cheating on a math test.
Daniel: *sobbing* ...and track 3 is the dumb kids.

Nick Andopolis

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nick_0.jpeg

Played By: Jason Segel

The friendliest, most approachable of the Freaks, Nick offsets the somewhat caustic sense of humor that some of his friends share and is the most welcoming to Lindsay when she falls in with their crowd — mostly due to him having a huge crush on her. A former star basketball player, he was kicked off his team for drug possession, but developed a new, overwhelming passion for music — more specifically, his 29-piece drum kit.

All Love Is Unrequited: He never really gets over Lindsay, despite hooking up with Sara by the series finale.
Brilliant, but Lazy: Nick used to be a good student, and MVP on the basketball team until he got in with the Freak crowd.
Calling the Old Man Out: He has a huge argument with his father and storms out after he sells his drums.
Nick: I hope you enjoy your peace and quiet!
Comedic Underwear Exposure: As seen in "Smooching and Mooching", whilst staying over at the Weirs' place, wear he sports surprisingly skimpy tanga-style briefs.
Cringe Comedy: "Lady L" anyone?
Dreadful Musician: Starts off as an amateurish noise polluter, but gets better after he begins to take drumming lessons.
Dogged Nice Guy: In his pursuit of Lindsay, though it does begin to border on obsessional stalking as the series progresses.
Fantasy-Forbidding Father: His dad despises his musical hobby and sells his drum set without telling him. Nick naturally resents this and even runs away from home in one episode, crashing on the Weir's sofa for a few nights.
Freudian Excuse: It's implied that he smokes so much weed because of the increasing pressure from his father to perform in school.
Gentle Giant: At 6'4", he's the tallest of the freaks, but he's also much more of a Nice Guy than Daniel or Ken.
Hopeless Suitor: Where Lindsay is concerned. Despite dating him for a time, his immaturity and stalkerish behaviour starts to grate and she calls time.
Intergenerational Friendship: Nick bonds with Lindsay's parents when he spends the night at the Weirs' home, to Lindsay's surprise. Harold at least sympathizes with Nick's difficult relationship with his dad, while Jean is just that nice to everyone.
Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Averted during his audition with Dimension in "I’m With The Band." While his drumming isn't cartoonishly bad, it's very blatantly amateurish and lacking in skill/nuance. Dimension quickly picks up on this and kicks him out of the audition, albeit in a sympathetic manner.
Military Brat: His overbearing father is in the Air-Force, bearing the rank of colonel.
Nice Guy: The jolliest, most approachable of the Freaks, compared to snarky Ken, aloof Daniel and downright dangerous Kim.
Obsession Song: Oh God yes...his obsession over Lindsay compels him to write the following abomination:
Nick: Lady L, La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la, That's the sound of L.
- Her Code Name Was "Mary Sue": Or rather, Lady L...
One Head Taller: He's a clear foot taller than the petite Lindsay.
Serial Romeo: As seen when he instantly falls for Lindsay and she later learns about his dating history. The cycle begins anew in the finale when he starts dating Sara.
The Slacker: Less so than Daniel or Ken but still notable.
The Stoner: He's the biggest pothead in the Freak group, even best-friend Daniel says so, though in the finale, he quits due to Sara's improving influence.
Daniel: The guy's turning into a wastebasket.

Ken Miller

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ken.jpeg

Played By: Seth Rogen

Ken is wise-cracking and sarcastic and will always unleash a biting quip at the expense of those around him. Like Kim, he is initially hostile towards Lindsay joining the Freak crowd, but is shown to have a softer side in the later episodes of the series, particularly via his relationship with "tuba girl" Amy.

A Day in the Limelight: He plays a somewhat supporting, snarky-sidekick role in the series and isn't the subject of a main storyline right up until the penultimate episode, "The Little Things", which focuses on his struggle with his sexuality.
Brilliant, but Lazy: He's a witty guy who is implied to do well in school but doesn't seem to have interest in particularly anything but being sarcastic. His plan upon graduating is to sell his dad's business and move to Hawaii.
Deadpan Snarker: His most overt trait — practically everything that comes out of his mouth is a withering put-down.
Gayngst: "The Little Things" episode focuses on his sexual confusion on learning that his girlfriend, Amy, was born with both male and female sexual organs (although she is now female, physically).
Hired Help as Family: Ken mentions that his parents are wealthy workaholics and he was "mostly raised by the nanny".
Idle Rich: He plans on selling his father's business and retiring young.
Invisible Parents: Unlike all of the other main characters, Ken's parents are never seen. From what he briefly mentions of them, they never seem to have been around much in his life.
Ken: I was raised by a nanny...Katherine.
(When asked what his parents are like) Well...they're good at their jobs...
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Comes across as a grumpy, snarky Jerkass but he has considerable hidden warmth, as revealed in "The Little Things".
Odd Friendship: Not so much a friendship, but in their few interactions together, Ken seems to like Sam more than he does most people.
Perpetual Frowner: Of the Freak crowd; it's rare to see him crack a smile and his default tone is aching sarcasm.
The Slacker: Is never seen doing any sort of school-work, and it's implied he's smart enough to just coast.
What Is This Feeling?: Played subtly with when he gets a crush on Amy, the first girl he’s shown interest in.
Lindsay: Oh my God...you really like her, don't you!
Ken: ...I feel odd.

Geeks

Sam Weir

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sam_01.jpg

Played By: John Francis Daley

Lindsay's younger brother and the deuteragonist of the series. A sweet, slightly awkward young man who just wants to survive high school unscathed, though he's often picked on for being somewhat shorter and less physically developed than his peers. Whilst he enjoys hanging out with his best friends Bill and Neal, he struggles continually to be seen as more than a just a geek (especially while trying to impress his crush, Cindy Sanders). Unfortunately, the constant bullying by kids such as his nemesis Alan often leads Sam to feel more embarrassed, than cool.

Annoying Younger Sibling: Occasionally, but Sam and Lindsay get along pretty well and at worst, they just bicker.
Audience Surrogate: For anyone who ever felt awkward or had a tough time at high school at any point (specifically, a good chunk of the audience)...
Author Avatar: Sam = Paul Feig, the Series' writer/director, who struggled through high school just like Sam.
Big Brother Instinct: Despite being younger than Lindsay, he still tries to keep her from hanging around too much with the Freaks. He even asks Ken (though he didn't know who Lindsay was) to keep her out of trouble.
Butt-Monkey: If something humiliating is going to happen to one of the characters, it'll usually be him.
Catchphrase: "Oh, hi Cindy" whenever he starts a conversation with Cindy Sanders.
Cringe Comedy: Sam frequently finds himself in ball-shrinkingly humiliating situations, whether it's being the main target of Alan and Karen's wrath, or hilariously embarrassing incidents involving public nudity, Parisian Night Suits or being egged (unintentionally) by his own sister.
Deadpan Snarker: He has his moments although they often get him in trouble, especially if he's cheeky to Mr. Weir.
Fanboy: He loves comedians and comedy actors like Bill Murray and has a poster of Steve Martin in his room.
Geek Physiques: Of the skinny, 103 pounds variety.
Alan: Nice pecs Weir! You look like a flat-chested girl!
Give Geeks a Chance: Actually gets to date his crush, Cindy Sanders. Of course, it didn't last, as they are much too different, but at least he got to fulfil his wish.
Height Angst: He's rather insecure about being somewhat short for his age.
The Hero: Along with his sister, Lindsay.
Heroic BSoD: A small occurrence after seeing his first porno in "Tests and Breasts". This sends him into an uncomfortably confused state.
Lovable Nerd: A sweet, endearingly dorky kid who just wants to keep his head down and survive high school relatively unscathed.
Mistaken for Badass: After gym-class, he's stripped of his towel by Alan, shoved into the main hallway, and has to streak through the school. Fortunately for him, not only does Cindy never see it, but when she finds out, her and the jocks all think he did it on purpose and think he's cool.
Older Than They Look: He's 14, but looks younger. He looks 14 but is an aversion of Dawson Casting surrounded by straight examples.
Karen Scarfoli: You don't even have any hair on your pits!
Naked People Are Funny: When locked out of the locker room completely naked, a Censor Box is used when he's forced to streak through the halls.
Nice Guy: Sam is overall a really good kid.
Saw "Star Wars" Twenty-Seven Times: Neal mentions this of Sam in the first episode, as he doubts Cindy would ever take notice of him with that in mind. He's partially the Trope Namer.
Shower Shy: Sam in the episode "I'm with the Band," when the school starts requiring students to shower after PE. Things only get worse for him when he finally tries to overcome his fear, only to be pushed out of the locker room and into the hallway without clothes or a Modesty Towel.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Him and Cindy, who's a good few inches taller than him.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Despite having a pretty tough time throughout the series, Sam genuinely wants to do well and better himself — he's no slacker, and has goals and dreams.

Bill Haverchuck

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bill.jpeg

Played By: Martin Starr

The nerdiest of the Geek gang, Bill is ungainly, tall for his age, and wears huge glasses. He's unpretentious and child-like, with a dry but witty sense of humor, and is the most mild-mannered and introverted of the three Geeks, exhibiting no desire to move beyond their established routine.

Beware the Nice Ones: Bill is the gentlest and least confrontational of the Geeks, but he goes absolutely ballistic when Coach Fredricks, whom he barely tolerates at the best of times, starts dating his mom.
Daytime Drama Queen: He adores 80s classic soap Dallas.
Disappeared Dad: It's mentioned that he has contact with his father, but it's quite rare and we've never seen him on-screen.
Earn Your Happy Ending: It's not his ending per se, but Bill getting to make out with head cheerleader Vicki Appleby just seems like a deserved reward for a nice guy that goes through as much as anyone in the series, save maybe Kim.
Geek: Bill looks the most stereotypically geeky out of the Geek crowd, and is a passionate film buff, as well as being an ardent Dallas Fan Boy.
Give Geeks a Chance: Gets to make out with the head cheerleader, Vicki, when the pair get stuck in a closet playing "seven minutes in heaven" at Mona's party.
The Glasses Come Off: Played for laughs in the fight with Alan in the pilot.
The Klutz: He's clumsy, more than a little uncoordinated, and constantly holds his arms out as if always unbalanced.
Momma's Boy: He's been primarily raised with a lot of love by his mother, Gloria, to whom he remains very close.
Nerd Glasses: Of the large, clunky, unflattering variety.
Nerdy Nasalness: Speaks as if with a permanently blocked nose and his mouth is constantly slackly hanging open.
No Social Skills: He's awkward around everybody apart from his mom, Sam and Neil (though sometimes, even around the latter too)
Picked Last: A hugely upsetting issue for him — leading him to call Coach Fredricks out on it in an emotionally charged breakdown.
Plot Allergy: His peanut allergy, in "Chokin' and Tokin'", where school-bully Alan plants a peanut in his sandwich as a cruel prank and he ends up on life-support in hospital.
Single Mom Stripper: In one episode, Bill worriedly asks his mom if she's going to start "dancing" again.
Wholesome Cross Dresser: As seen in the Halloween episode, "Tricks and Treats", where he trick-or-treats dressed as Jaime Sommers.
You're Not My Father: As seen when Coach Fredricks starts dating his mom.

Neal Schweiber

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Played By: Samm Levine

Neal is a self-proclaimed comedian and wannabe ladies' man. Unlike Sam and Bill, he's very outgoing and loves to be the center of attention. Despite his abundant confidence and charisma, it affords him no more respect or reputation than Sam or Bill, and he's somewhat in denial that he's just as geeky as his friends.

Ambiguously Jewish: Averted. Although it's not an important part of the plot, it comes up quite a few times.
Neal: Last year I was elected school treasurer. I didn't even run!
Attention Whore: Exemplified when he buys his own ventriloquist's dummy, which he does merely because he thinks people will admire him for it.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: From the outside, the Schweibers are a rich, nice Jewish family, although later episodes reveal his dad's cheating ways.
Calling the Old Man Out: This comes to a head at the Schweiber's cocktail party in "Noshing and Moshing", where he uses his ventriloquism act as a platform to berate and humiliate his father over cheating on his mom.
Bill: I told you that thing would take him over...
Casanova Wannabe: Neal thinks he's a ladies' man, but it's all just bluster and his faux-sophistication mostly just confuses his female schoolmates.
Cringe Comedy: Even Sam and Bill are embarrassed by his ventriloquism skit.
Culture Blind: He's essentially a little old man from the The '50s stuck in kid-form....in The '80s; the Writer's Bible described him as "a 50 year old Borscht Belt comedian wrapped in a 14 year old's body".
Deadpan Snarker: Somewhat more quick-witted than Bill and Sam, and is often confounded by what he perceives to be their negative qualities, although he's Not So Above It All either.
Dogged Nice Guy: Neal has been in love with Lindsay since he was five years old and always showed himself to worry about her, but his dogged nice side showed in "Beers and Weirs".
Jewish and Nerdy: A Jewish member of the Geeks who often wears collared shirts with little knitted tank-tops that emphasize his intelligence.
Sam: At least I don't dress like a ventriloquist's dummy.
Jewish Smartass: Neal is Jewish and the snarkiest of the geek trio, even making quips about Jewish stereotypes like a borscht belt comedian, including joking that people wanted him to be a school treasurer because he was Jewish; his older brother is even snarkier.
Locked Out of the Loop: Before Sam and Bill told him, everyone in his family except him knew his father was cheating on his mother. Poor kid.
Parental Issues: He reacts (understandably) very badly to the news his father is cheating on his mom.
Pronouncing My Name for You: Mr Kowchevski, Cindy and others constantly pronounce his name incorrectly as "Sch-WEE-ber".
Neal: It's SCHW-'EYE'-BER!!
Sad Clown: It becomes clear over the series run that he uses humour to mask his insecurities.
Ventriloquism: In reaction to his father's cheating, he uses this as a prop to distract himself — and gain the attention he craves.

Parents and Other Family Members

Harold and Jean Weir

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Played By: Joe Flaherty and Becky Ann Baker

Sam and Lindsay's parents. Harold is at-times comedically stern and demands to be taken seriously, despite the cultural chasm between him and his kids. Jean is an archetypal loving, sweet mom and is mostly seen happily caring for her family.

Abusive Parents: In "Smooching and Mooching", it's implied that Harold's father was one of these.
Harold: Nick's father is a hard man, and my father was the same.
Lindsay: Yeah, I know the feeling...
Harold: Lindsay, trust me, you don't.
Actor Allusion:
- Harold (played by former Count Floyd Joe Flaherty) donning a vampire costume in "Tricks and Treats".
- When Jean reads the "For My Eyes Only" warning at the beginning of Lindsay's diary in "The Diary" (which promises pain and death to anyone who reads it), Harold lets out a sarcastic Count Floyd-esque "Ooooh! Scary!"
And Starring: Both get this billing in the credits.
Bad Omen Anecdote: Harold's preferred type of anecdote, used liberally in an attempt to dissuade his kids from any activity he doesn't approve of (which are many).
Bumbling Dad: Harold takes himself very seriously, but his kids find him amusing at best and confoundingly frustrating at his worst.
Celebrity Paradox: The geeks make reference to the film Stripes, which includes Joe Flaherty (Mr. Weir) in a small role.
Dad the Veteran: Harold references his former life as a serviceman in "Tricks and Treats":
Harold: I'm certainly glad we decided to celebrate Halloween. The last time I had this much fun, I was pinned down in a foxhole by the North Koreans.
Deadpan Snarker: Harold, constantly — his default tone is fatigued, grumpy deadpan.
Lindsay: Daddy, if I started smoking I would tell you.
Harold: Oh. Good, now I don't have to worry.
Do You Want to Copulate?:
- Slightly surprisingly, Jean is completely upfront about sex, and she and Harold enjoy a spontaneous sex-life, even in later mid-life.
  Jean: Nobody's home. You wanna have a little sex?
  Harold:[Beat] Okay.
  [both run for the bedroom]
- The climax of their story in "The Diary" involves them having makeup sex after their They Really Do Love Each Other scene (to the amusement of Lindsay, the disgust of Sam and Bill, and the Bile Fascination of Neal)
Extreme Doormat: Jean can be this with Harold, which is probably where Lindsay gets this tendency with the Freaks.
Good Parents: Particularly compared to the rest of the cast's parents but even generally. They support their kids, Jean readily identifies (or at least tries to) with Lindsay's issues and Harold identifies with Sam's problems with puberty.
Grumpy Old Man: Harold can certainly be this at times. His lighter and more fun side shows up more in the later episodes, though.
Happily Married: While there are occasional disagreements, it's clear that the Weirs are content with each other.
Housewife: Jean, of the traditional variety, who is often seen preparing the family meal and clucking round her kids in a very sweet, maternal manner.
Hypocritical Humor: Harold disparages punk rock and the Sex Pistols in particular. Lindsay points that every generation has an example of The New Rock & Roll, a comparison that Harold makes a lame attempt at deflecting.
Insane Troll Logic: Harold believes that anyone who isn't a straight-A student and model citizen will die. Even though death gets everyone no matter what. He also has a habit of using world-famous rockstars like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin as examples of no-hopers, never pausing to consider that they actually made something of themselves before dying.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Although strict and stubborn, Harold is a loving father who is very proud of both his children. He empathises with Nick having a hard father, letting him stay at the house and providing him with both a break and some much needed fatherly-type encouragement.
Laser-Guided Karma: Harold and Jean nosily poke through Lindsay's diary only to find a blistering analysis of their lameness.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Jean is a warm, supportive mother anyone would want as a parent. Harold is also this, most of the time, though he has a more conservative, reactionary side than his wife.
Scare 'Em Straight: Harold often employs this method.
Harold: I had a friend that used to smoke. You know what he's doing now? He's DEAD! You think smoking makes you look cool? Let's go dig him up now and see how cool he looks.
Harold: I knew a girl who had premarital sex, do you know what she did on homecoming night? She DIED! Of an overdose. Heroin.
Harold: You know who used to cut class? Jimi Hendrix. Know what happened to him? He DIED! Choking on his own vomit.
Harold: You can't cut corners in life! You know who cut corners? Kennedy! Kennedy cut corners when he was running the Bay of Pigs. A lot of good men lost their lives because of it. You know who else cut corners? Janis Joplin...
Lindsay: DAD! What are you talking about?!
- This even gets lampshaded by Sam:
  Sam: Dad, are any of your friends alive?
  Harold: The smart ones.

Vic and Lydia Schweiber

Dr. Vic and Lydia Schweiber

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Played By: Sam McMurray and Amy Aquino

Neal's parents. Wealthy, cool and very Jewish, the Schweibers have a beautiful home, but aren't as happy as their facade implies.

Broken Pedestal: He's essentially Neal's hero — until his cheating ways are discovered.
Cool Car: Dr. Vic drives a Corvette.
Cool Old Guy: How the Geeks see Neal's dad...before his cheating is discovered.
Extreme Doormat: Lydia — she knows her husband is cheating, but never voices her feelings.
Good Parents: Lydia is a cool, supportive mom, who's well aware of Vic's cheating but never confronts him to spare her sons the misery.
Handsome Lech: Dr. Vic, although he isn't a bad guy per se, but rather seems to regret not living as much as he could have and seems entirely aware of how much pain his actions cause.
Happy Marriage Charade: He and his wife pretend to be more faithful and happy than they are.
Not That Kind of Doctor: Dr. Schweiber is a dentist, not a medical doctor.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Both Vic and Lydia are highly proud of their sons, and also exhibit a more playful, with-it vibe than the other parents depicted.
Sympathetic Adulterer: Dr. Vic has been cheating on his wife for years, but he still loves her and his family and he seems genuinely regretful of the damage his actions have caused.

Barry Schweiber

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Played By: David Krumholtz

Neal's much-admired older brother who's in his second year of college and pays his family a visit later on in the series.

Big Brother Mentor: To Neal, of course, but all of the Geeks look up to him too.
Cool Big Bro: Barry is a lovingly supportive brother and Neal's idol.
The Casanova: Barry used to be "geekier than Neal", but things changed once he started college:
Barry: I reinvented myself as the handsome, dashing Jew.
Conspiracy Theorist: Tries convincing Lindsay that George H. W. Bush was behind Ronald Reagan's attempted assassination. She doesn't buy it.
Nice Jewish Boy: Handsome, charming and very Jewish.
Temporary Love Interest: Lindsay finds him very attractive and they make out after his parent's cocktail party.
Yiddish as a Second Language: When he and Lindsay are discussing the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, he calls the idea of it being done to impress Jodie Foster fakakta, which, as he explains, means "lame" (or crap). Lindsay later uses the expression to describe Nick and his friends getting stoned all the time.

Gloria Haverchuck

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Played by: Claudia Christian

Bill's attractive, slightly naive single mother. They live a modest life in a two bedroom apartment, which Gloria funds through her waitressing job.

Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: Dating her son's despised PE teacher, for example.
Mama Bear: She's very protective of her son, and really lays into Alan after Bill falls into a coma following Alan's peanut prank.
Single Mom Stripper: Although, she is now retired, noting that the bars "wouldn't want an old broad like me anymore" when Bill worriedly asks is she's going to "start dancing again".
Stacy's Mom: Gloria's definitely a 'hot mom' and Neal doesn't hide his feelings on the matter (though Sam is horrified):
Neal: I can kinda see why Coach Fredricks is dating her. She is kinda hot.
Sam: Neal! She's your friend's mother!

Col. Henry Andopolis

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Played By: Kevin Tighe

Nick's sternly intimidating military-man father, with whom he has a tense, chilly relationship.

The Captain: He's a tough military man and very strict with Nick.
Creepy Monotone: He comes across as far more imposing because he doesn't shout.
Cruel to Be Kind: His actions towards Nick are based around this principle, though the cruelness tends to undermine any point he may have.
Jerkass Has a Point: He's not exactly wrong about his son needing more focus and direction in his life (even Daniel, of all people, admits that the Colonel's more realistic about Nick's chances of succeeding in music than Nick himself). Problem is that his parenting style is so strict and intolerant that Nick refuses to see his side of the argument.
Military School: Where he keeps threatening to send Nick, if his grades don't improve.
Stealth Mentor: He claims to be looking out for Nick's future, which in essence is true, but the way he goes about it is incredibly harsh.
Col. Andopolis: End of conversation...

Cookie Kelly and Arlo

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Played By: Ann Dowd and Jack Conley

Kim's battleaxe mother and meat-headed stepfather.

Ax-Crazy: They're both completely nuts and constantly ready to blow at the slightest hint of provocation.
Abusive Parents: The episode "Kim Kelly is My Friend" was not shown by NBC in the original run because of its portrayal of Kim's violent home-life. A deleted scene showing Cookie and Kim interacting genuinely civilly was actually cut, perhaps to enhance their more simplified abusiveness.
Berserk Button: The notion that Kim had tried to pull a fast one by presenting Lindsay as a "nice girl" good influence causes Cookie to explode.
"Benton Harbor Street...?"
Dumb Muscle: Kim's step-dad Arlo, who shovels food in and eats with his mouth hanging slackly open.
Dysfunctional Family: One of the most extreme examples depicted in a teen-drama. The scene in which Kim and Lindsay flee the house and try to escape in Kim's car whilst Arlo smashes the hood and Cookie screams through the windows is shockingly intense. No wonder NBC originally refused to show it.
'80s Hair: Cookie's hair-spray edifice.
Evil Matriarch: Cookie — she's a tough, mean old broad.
Hair-Trigger Temper: It doesn't take much at all to set either of them off, especially Kim's back-chat.
Jerkass: Both of them are neglectful, aggressive, suspicious, and violent.
Joisey: Cookie's got the accent (and look).
Cookie: GED OUDDA DA CAW!! (get out of the car).
Parental Favoritism: Cookie has two kids, but hugely favors her son, Chip, over her daughter, Kim — likely due to the fact that the former lies in a pliant stupor on the couch, never giving her any cause for annoyance.
You're Not My Father: Kim says these exact words to Arlo.
Kim: You're not my father, fat-ass!

Chip Kelly

Played By: Mike White

Kim's brain-damaged, housebound older brother.

Empty Shell: Following an incident with Police Brutality, he lies on the couch all day sleeping and "never parties".
Parental Favoritism: Cookie far favors Chip to Kim, though him being in a brain-damaged, pliant stupor definitely helps.
Cookie: My son Chip, he's a doll. Kim...she's another story.
Police Brutality: Kim's older brother was beaten up by the police and appears to be brain-damaged.

Katey Desario

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Played By: Alison Martin

Daniel's beleaguered mother.

The Caretaker: Daniel's father is an invalid, and his older brother is a drug addict. Mrs. Desario's got her hands full.
Parental Obliviousness: She seems to be unaware of her son's social life and school performance.
Skewed Priorities: Rather than encourage her son Daniel to go to school (when he insists he needs to go), she's more concerned with him running errands for her.
Unnamed Parent: Daniel's parents are not named in the show. He calls his mother "ma", as per his Italian-American background.

Other Students

Millie Kentner

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Played By: Sarah Hagan

Lindsay's geeky and highly religious former best friend and next door neighbour. Millie struggles to keep Lindsay (and everyone else in the school) on the right track, often looking out for her even after Lindsay has pretty much called time on their friendship in favour of hanging out with the Freak crowd.

Brainy Brunette: She sports long, poker-straight brown hair and although not quite as smart as Lindsay, she's still a top student at McKinley.
Betty and Veronica: A non-romantic version, she’s the Betty to Kim's Veronica over Lindsay’s friendship.
Christian Rock: Millie's clearly a big fan of The Doobie Brothers.
Millie: (singing) Jesus is just alright with me! Jesus is just alriiiiight!
The Comically Serious: Millie is very often unknowingly funny, primarily due to the horrified gravitas with which she delivers her lines when encountering any concept that offends her staunchly Christian ideals.
Dry Crusader: Attends Lindsay's Wild Teen Party and proudly proclaims her abstinence.
Millie: I haven't had anything to drink, and I'm having more fun than any of you!
Endearingly Dorky: Part of Millie's appeal is her wholesome naivety and complete lack of social inhibition.
Millie: It's Lik-M-Aid. It makes my spit taste like fruit juice.
Foil: To Lindsay. Good student, goes to church, listens to her parents and cares about school in contrast to Lindsay, possibly reflecting what Lindsay used to be before she joined the Freaks.
A Friend in Need: Helps Lindsay out when she's stoned and has to babysit at the drop of a hat. She also helps her with her tweaking anxiety and the inevitable come-down that follows.
Holier Than Thou: A devout Christian girl who constantly calls out impropriety amongst her fellow students.
Informed Ability: Millie's skill as a mathlete is more talked about than shown, and her other characteristics get more focus.
The Killjoy: Millie's a massive buzz-kill, though more often than not for the right reasons.
Moral Guardians: She acts like this to Lindsay, and is constantly trying to bring her back into the mathlete crowd early on in the series.
Nice Girl: Millie can be a bit self-righteous, but she's overall a sweet and friendly person.
Not Herself: Following the death of her dog, Goliath, she goes slightly off the rails and starts hanging out with Kim of all people and plans on attending a Who concert with the Freaks. While she does come down after Kim reveals that she was the one responsible for running over her dog, it's pretty clear that she's become an at least slightly different person after this experience.
Not So Above It All: Despite her usually saintly, killjoy vibe, Millie can be quite witty on occasion.
Mark (the school dealer): The customer is king, the customer is king... [sees Millie bemusedly staring at him]...What?!
Millie: You know what.
Saintly Church: She's a devout Christian who tries to help people in bad situations instead of avoiding or mocking them.
Secret Relationship: In "Tricks and Treats", Lindsay discovers she's in one of these (albeit without having reached the French-kissing stage) with a guy she met at summer church camp.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Millie sort of acts as the latter to Lindsay's former.

Cindy Sanders

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Played By: Natasha Melnick

Sam's crush and a popular cheerleader, she and Sam are strictly friends throughout the majority of the series. When the pair do finally start dating, things do not go as planned.

All Guys Want Cheerleaders: Sam likes her for most of the series and she's generally seen in her uniform.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She's not so much a bitch per se (more just a normal, if slightly selfish, teenager), but it's pretty shocking when we finally see her flip-side in the series' penultimate episode.
Cindy: (to Sam) You're supposed to be nice! That's the only reason I'm going out with you in the first place!
Broken Pedestal: She's been variously described as "beautiful" and a "goddess" by the Geeks, though the illusion (for Bill at least) is shattered when she farts loudly and tries to blame a vinyl chair while she and Bill are studying, which is one of the first indicators we see that she's not actually as perfect as Sam believes.
Class Princess: Although Cindy turns out to be too self-involved to have a relationship with Sam, she's nice to the Geeks, volunteers as a designated driver, and is well-liked by the popular crowd at McKinley. Cindy is implied to be less popular than head cheerleader Vicky, who is more of a Lovable Alpha Bitch (by her final appearance, anyway), but Cindy appears far more often than Vicky does.
Class Representative: For the young Republicans club.
Derailing Love Interests: Prior to dating Sam, she only comes across as perfectly pleasant, just a little shallow and ditzy perhaps. Once they actually start going out, however, it turns out that she is emotionally immature, has practically nothing in common with Sam, and has a controlling and critical side that he dislikes.
Girl Next Door: How she comes across prior to dating Sam.
Pom-Pom Girl: She's a cheerleader who usually behaves nicely toward people and seems to enjoy being on the squad. However, once she starts dating Sam we see a less congenial side to her character, though this comes across more as her and Sam not having enough in common, and she does have plenty of sweet moments in the early episodes.
Satellite Love Interest: Cindy's main role throughout most of the series is that of an idealized, unattainable love interest for Sam. When they do actually start dating in the last few episodes, it actually shows the downside of dating someone you barely know. Sam has to break up with her when he finds out she’s “kinda boring” and that they have literally nothing in common.
Strawman Political: When Sam starts dating Cindy and we find out just how controlling she is, we also find out she's a staunch Republican who exhibits a general lack of context when she discusses politics.
Tsundere: Type B. This previously unseen side of her personality emerges when she starts dating Sam.

Vicki Appleby

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Played By: JoAnna Garcia Swisher

The bossy, bitchy head cheerleader at McKinley, she's friends with Cindy and later draws Maureen into the popular crowd.

Absurdly Powerful Student Council: Downplayed, though we never see the cheerleading squad's coach, and Vicki appears to be solely in charge during practises. She also personally decides on who the school mascot will be (Sam, in this case), though this would far more likely be decided by the PE staff, or other faculty members.
Alpha Bitch: Vicki seems to be at the top of the popularity hierarchy at the school and even her friend Cindy notes that she is "kinda bossy". It's also implied that she may be a Rich Bitch, as her father is a local councilman who's friendly with Harold Weir and appears to be of some repute.
Cruel Cheerleader: The head one, and exhibits all of the negative associated qualities of bitchiness, bossiness and cliquiness.
Girl Posse: She's head-cheerleader and rules with an iron fist, it would seem. Cindy admits that she finds her very rude and annoying.
Hair-Trigger Temper: She's really irritable and is prone to snapping at any students who piss her off, even mildly.
Heel Realization: She becomes less frosty as the series progresses and in "Smooching and Mooching", she apologises to Bill when he calls her out for acting like a jerk while they're stuck in a closet playing "seven minutes in heaven". To make up for it, she proceeds to french the hell out of him.
Lonely at the Top: Some of Vicky's dialogue to Bill in "Smooching and Mooching" hints that despite her prominent social status, she envies how Bill seems happy and relaxed all the time. There are further hints that Vicky has never felt comfortable enough to discuss these feelings with her own social circle.
Pet the Dog: Shows genuine concern when Bill is in the hospital.
Lust Object: For Neal, who fancies her almost as much as he does Lindsay.

Todd Schellinger

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Played By: Riley Smith

McKinley High's gorgeous star basketball player and the object of Cindy's affections.

Big Man on Campus: Hero of the McKinley High basketball team.
Chick Magnet: Cindy (and various other girls) find him irresistible.
Down to the Last Play: Todd sneaks in a final point in the last few seconds of the basketball game in "We've Got Spirit", securing McKinley a win over their bitter rivals, Lincoln High.
'80s Hair: He sports the "feathered" look — something Sam tries to emulate, though his hair lacks Todd's buoyancy.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Todd is blond and official Mr. Nice Guy.
Lovable Jock: He's a genuinely humble, friendly guy and one of the school’s star athletes.
Todd: Hey man, gimme a high 5 for the big game!
Lust Object: For Cindy.
Mr. Fanservice: In-universe and out (holy shit).
Nice Guy: He's a very friendly guy and averts the typical Jerk Jock stereotypes expected of a star athlete. After he breaks up with Cindy, and she begins dating Sam, Todd shows no animosity towards him, and immediately shuts Cindy down when she tries to cause a fight between them.
Romantic False Lead: His relationship with Cindy doesn't last more than an episode, and like Sam, it's him who does the breaking up.

Gordon Crisp

Played By: Jerry Messing

A jolly, rotund, socially uninhibited geek who joins Sam's crowd midway through the series.

Big Fun: He shows an infectious enthusiasm for the Geeks’ favorite interests: sci-fi, Dungeons & Dragons, etc.
Harris: The world loves a jolly fat guy.
Geek Physiques: Of the clinically obese variety.
Hidden Depths: He's seen to be quite an intuitive, astute guy and offers Sam relationship advice about Cindy.
Nice Guy: Once he's taken up by the Geeks, he's seen to be a very complimentary, constructive friend.
Gordon: (When he learns Sam is now dating Cindy) She's the one who's lucky — you're a catch!
The Pig-Pen: He's not messy, but due to a medical condition (trimethylaminuria), he reeks.
Sixth Ranger: Joins the regular Geek posse about halfway through the series.

Harris Trinsky

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Played By: Stephen Lea Sheppard

A guru-like sophomore who acts as the school's go-to guy for advice on any topic.

All-Powerful Bystander: Lampshaded in "Discos and Dragons", where he plays the Dungeon Master in the Geeks' Dungeons and Dragons game.
Mentor Archetype: Very much so to the Geeks (and occasionally Daniel), he provides sage counselling on a variety of topics.
Harris: Get a woman laughing, you've got a woman loving.
Nerds Are Sexy: His girlfriend, Judith, finds him irresistible.
Judith: Oh Harris, you're so bad! (giggles)
Older and Wiser: Than the Geeks, despite being a Sophomore and therefore only one school year older.
Harris: *sigh* You're so young.
Please Put Some Clothes On: He has no compunction about strutting around in the locker room naked, much to Sam's discomfort.
The Smart Guy: A lot of the better advice the Geeks get comes from him.
Wise Beyond Their Years: Even older students like Daniel ask his advice on things.
Zen Survivor: To the Geeks — he actually survived freshman year! "Harris" is also One of Us; he's a moderator on RPG.net, and a writer and editor for Exalted.

Alan White

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Played By: Chauncey Leopardi

A obnoxious school bully who picks on Sam and his friends mercilessly throughout the first half of the series.

Arch-Enemy: To Sam throughout the early part of the series.
Being Evil Sucks: In reality, he's an unhappy, lonely kid but can't bring himself to hang out with the Geeks, despite sharing the same interests (such as comic books and sci-fi).
The Bully: He picks on Sam and the rest of the Geeks mercilessly during the first half of the series.
Bully Turned Buddy: He has a My God, What Have I Done? moment after he nearly kills Bill by putting peanuts in his food (which Bill is severely allergic to), and visits him in the hospital where he confesses to Bill that he antagonized him and his friends because he himself had many things in common and that the geeks left him out on their fun; Bill, in turn, invites him to a Sci-Fi convention he's going to with Neal, Sam, and Gordon. Alan decides to back out of going with them to the convention, but stops antagonizing the Geeks in subsequent episodes (and even goes as far as saying that Bill's "the man" when he talks back to Coach Fredricks).
Converse with the Unconscious: Alan gives a heartfelt apology to the unconscious Bill, after he puts peanuts in his sandwich and Bill is rushed to the hospital, whilst also giving us some backstory as to why he picks on the Geeks so much.
Create Your Own Villain: He admits to Bill that he is angry because they left him out of their fun in the lower grades.
Everyone Has Standards: He's genuinely remorseful after putting Bill in the hospital.
Heel–Face Turn: He does this briefly, but only after almost killing Bill by hiding a peanut in his sandwich, to which he did not realise Bill was deathly allergic. A small amount of Redemption Rejection in that he does not take the Geeks up on their offer of friendship, though he's sincerely apologetic to Bill and is noticeably less antagonising to them after this.
Jerkass: He's a vile little shit most of the time he's on-screen.
My God, What Have I Done?: He never meant to hurt Bill and is devastated when he finds out what he did. He makes his apology to Bill alone and completely unforced in the end, and lives up to his promise of never bullying the Geeks again.
The Napoleon: His short stature probably explains a lot.

Amy Andrews

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Played By: Jessica Campbell

A member of the school marching band who later becomes Ken's girlfriend.

Artistic License – Music: The instrument that she plays is actually a sousaphone. Then again, “Soooos-uh-phone guuuuurl” is too much of a mouthful.
Deadpan Snarker: She can even out-snark Ken at his own game, and during their first encounter, it’s she who wins their Snark-to-Snark Combat, which amusingly makes Ken fall for her even harder.
Hermaphrodite: She was born with both male and female sex organs, but is now physically purely female. This causes temporary Gayngst in Ken when she tells him in confidence.
In-Series Nickname: "Tuba-girl", as she's in the school's marching band.
Love Interest: For Ken — and according to Daniel, she’s his very first one.
They're Called "Personal Issues" for a Reason: She is understandably hurt and furious when she finds out Ken has told Nick and Daniel her secret. All's well in the end though, as Ken later tells Amy he is sorry and he doesn't care. They are still together when the show finishes.

Maureen Sampson

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Played By: Kayla Ewell

A pretty transfer student who initially makes friends with Sam and his crowd before she's drawn in to the popular crowd.

Girl Next Door: Accessibly pretty, and a lovely personality too.
Head-Turning Beauty: The Geeks' reaction to her is to fall in love the moment she walks into their class for the first time.
In with the In Crowd: Downplayed, as she remains friendly toward the Geeks after joining the cheer squad, but despite her original promise otherwise, she stops spending time with them afterwards (except for when Bill's in his coma).
New Transfer Student: Transfers from Florida due to her dad's work.
Nice Girl: A very nice and friendly person, even after she joins the cheer squad (she's very supportive of Bill when he's in his coma, for example).
One of the Boys: The Geeks are instantly smitten with her when she reveals a similar sense of humour and a love of firing off bottle rockets.
Pom-Pom Girl: Remains fairly friendly after taking up cheering and seems to be held in high esteem by the rest of the squad, given how her remaining scenes are all shared with head cheerleader, Vicki.
Replacement Goldfish: With Maureen on the scene, Sam (brilliantly) doesn't give Cindy a look in, and when they pass in the hallway, rather than greet her with his usually perky "Oh, hi Cindy!", he merely mumbles "hey" and walks right past her.

Sara

Played By: Lizzy Caplan

Frequently seen in the background of many episodes, she eventually hooks up with Nick in the finale.

Ascended Extra: She's one of the show's recurring extras (appearing as far back as the pilot) before her big spotlight in the finale. She's a gorgeous, sweet girl, yet Nick still can’t keep his mind off Lindsay.
Disco Dawn: She loves disco, despite the fevered backlash against it at the time.
Sara: We're going to dress up like ABBA!
Dogged Nice Girl: She admits to having had a crush on Nick for years, but never had the courage to ask him out.
Genki Girl: She's excited and supportive in personality when we get to know her properly in the finale.

Eli

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Played By: Ben Foster

A disabled student who is perky and friendly, yet frequently on the receiving end of cruel teasing.

Berserk Button: Calling him "retarded" (standard for 1980 in a descriptive sense, and not necessarily abusive) causes an explosive, emotional reaction in Eli, as he far prefers the terms "special".
Butt-Monkey: He is mentally disabled and is subject to ridicule from some of the more Jerkass students.
Fan Boy: He adores Three's Company and will happily chat away to anyone about the show.
Speech Impediment: He emphasizes "sh" sounds - "Yesh pleashe!"
We Need a Distraction: The Geeks deploy him as such when bitchy head cheerleader Vicki is in danger of stealing their new friend Maureen away.

Karen Scarfolli

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Played By: Rashida Jones

An intimidating, aggressive girl who bullies Sam and is originally friends with Kim.

The Bully: She takes particular exception to poor Sam, giving him the nickname "Pygmy Geek".
Karen (to Neal): What was that, Bilbo Baggins!?
Jerkass: She's a rotten, aggressive bitch.
The Lad-ette: A masculine, physically tough girl who is initially best friends the series' lead ladette, Kim Kelly.
Really Gets Around: Even hitting on Daniel, for which she (obviously) incurs Kim's wrath.
What Happened to the Mouse?: She's never seen or mentioned again after "Kim Kelly is My Friend" (maybe Kim threw her over a fence?)

Shelly Weaver

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Played By: Alexandra Breckenridge

A smug, patronising mathlete who views Lindsay as a serious academic rival.

Academic Alpha Bitch: A very boastful and condescending mathlete star who does all she can to stop Lindsay from rejoining the mathletes and dethroning her as the school's star mathematician.
Break the Haughty: She freezes and embarrasses herself at a mathlete competition where Lindsay's brilliance wins the day.
Condescending Compassion: Shelly's default tone is bogus concern and grimacing condescension.
Holier Than Thou: She's unbelievably prim and patronizing to Lindsay when she tries to drop back in with the mathlete crowd.
Shelly (to Lindsay): I just don't know why you'd give up first block to hang around with freaks?
Gossipy Hens: As one of the school's "good girls", she finds Kim utterly abhorrent, especially because, as she (untruthfully) relays to the other mathletes, she's pregnant.
The Rival: To Lindsay, when it comes to math.
Smug Snake: She's a little too confident in her abilities to win the mathlete scrimmage and her rivalry with Lindsay ultimately pulls her focus, causing her to lose her bout.

Mark

Played By: Mark Allan Staubach

The school's dopey, friendly neighbourhood weed-dealer.

Messy Hair: He sports a big curly mop of blond hair.
The Stoner: He clearly uses his own product and he's friends with the Freak crowd, serving as Nick's main go-to-guy for pot.
Stoners Are Funny: He's a friendly, vaguely goofy kind of guy.

Eugene Seidelman

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Played By: Ron Lester

A huge, barrel-shaped jock.

Fat Bastard: He's literally spherical...and a bastard.
Giant Mook: He's one of the nastier elements at McKinley, bullying Sam and even Lindsay on occasion.
Jerkass: So much so that even teachers enjoy putting him in his place.
Kowchevski: Seidelman knock it off! Why don't you pick on someone your own size — there's a bus in the parking lot.

Sean

Played By: Shaun Weiss

A wisecracking dick who hangs out with the Freaks early on in the series.

Ascended Extra: For one episode, in which he is the bass player in the Freaks' (well Nick, Daniel and Ken's) band. And he's still a jerkass there.
Jerkass: If he isn't being a jerk to Eli at the start of the series, he is being a prick to Sam, or Lindsay, or Millie. This guy is just a complete jerk.

Jenna Zank

Played By: Shawnee Free Jones

A punk girl who works at the local store and catches Daniel's eye.

Deadpan Snarker: Practically everything that comes out of her mouth is withering sarcasm.
Pretender Diss: When Daniel attempts to pass himself off as a "punker" like her, she's very quick to try to catch him out, noting that punks never call themselves "punkers", and that the bands he says he likes are "all the obvious guys".
Daniel: Yeah, Puss rule!
Jenna: It's "Pus"....and they're on next.
The Quincy Punk: A short-tempered sarcastic punk girl, with huge structured hair, cadaver white foundation and black lipstick. Her fuck-it attitude is compounded by the fact that she's also a high school dropout, having left McKinley to work in the local convenience store.
The Tease: Daniel chats with her while she's working a shift at the store, and she invites him to meet her at "The Armpit", a local alternative music club, even flirtily writing the address on his bare arm. Once there, it soon becomes apparent that she already has a date and was either winding him up, or just didn't care.

Laurie

Played By: Samaire Armstrong

A beautiful young Deadhead who strikes up a friendship with Lindsay and Kim in the finale.

Granola Girl: She's a flaky Deadhead, and befriends Lindsay in the series finale.
Head-Turning Beauty: Laurie is a beautiful flower-child, and certainly catches Ken's eye.
Ken: The Grateful Dead: music sucks, the chicks are HOT!
Wandering the Earth: As the series concludes, she and her boyfriend, with Lindsay and Kim in tow, all head off for a summer following the 'Dead around America.

Teachers

Jeff Rosso

Mr. Jeff Rosso

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jeff_russo.png

Played By: Dave "Gruber" Allen

The school guidance counselor. The most-seen of all the staff, Mr Rosso appears to be the functional head of staff. A genuinely well-meaning person, his messages however are sometimes hampered by his old fashioned (in 1980) hippie attitudes and ways.

Adults Are Useless: Zig-zagged. He's genuinely sympathetic to the students and tries to help them out, but they aren't always receptive to his advice and his Totally Radical attitude often irritates them.
Ambiguous Criminal History: he's still on a government watchlist as a security risk for something he did as a young man during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Beware the Nice Ones: Gives this speech to Daniel before sending him to the AV club.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: For all his eccentricities, he's a genuinely good guidance counsellor and is usually right about the students' problems.
Cool Car: "Boattail" Buick Riviera, circa 1971-73.
Cool Teacher: Tries to be this and mostly fails spectacularly. But he's still pretty badass at times, especially in "Carded and Discarded" in which he's shown to be an amazing musician and frontman.
Crazy-Prepared: In the Halloween episode "Tricks and Treats", we find he keeps multiple jack-o'-lanterns on hand, in preparation for them being smashed in by pranksters.
First-Name Basis: In the pilot he tells Lindsay to call her "Jeff" when he's trying to gain her trust. She does so until the end of the episode, when he tells her that maybe she'd better start calling him "Mr. Rosso" again.
Hidden Depths: At first glance, he's a painfully uncool relic from the sixties. But he is smarter and more perceptive than he seems and often gives genuinely good advice. He's also the lead singer of a decently popular local band, "Feedback."
Hippie Teacher: He's this to a T, even if you ignore his long hair, general attitude and musician background. He mentions protesting the Vietnam War in his youth, has a Carter/Mondale poster in his office and is even deemed a "security risk" by the Secret Service when George Bush visits the school.
Honor Before Reason: He believes in what he is doing so much he doesn't even mind the admittedly crappy salary.
He Cleans Up Nicely: As seen when (then) Vice President George Bush visits the school.
Large and in Charge: He stands at 6'5, an inch above even Nick.
Mistaken for Gay: By Ken at one point.
Nice Guy: He may try too hard with his students at times, but there is absolutely no doubt he is genuinely looking out for them.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Although he appears foolish, he is quite intelligent and usually preempts the kids' problems.
Politically Motivated Teacher: On occasion. Of the liberal persuasion, naturally.
Psychologist Teacher: He's the school guidance counselor.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He often tries to talk to kids and reach them instead of just punishing them.
Totally Radical: In universe, his attempts to relate to the kids just reeks of this trope.
When I Was Your Age...: Relates to other students this way. Sometimes it works...mostly it doesn't.
Rosso: I have herpes...

Ben Fredricks

Coach Ben Fredricks

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fredericks.jpg

Played By: Thomas F. Wilson

The school's physical education teacher and Coach. Tries to be a no-nonsense teacher (and definitely is fixated on sports) but also shows himself to be a flexible, caring and attentive person, particularly if it's not about sports.

Coach Nasty: He comes off like this to the Geeks, but he's actually a pretty nice guy once off the field. Even on the field he's a pretty decent person, just one who comes across as overly passionate about sports. When one of the Geeks does something well, he's either impressed or downright happy for them.
Jerk Jock: How the Geeks initially perceive him, but he actually turns out to be quite a nice Lovable Jock when they get to know him.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As seen when he risks losing his job to have a more frank discussion about sex with Sam after realizing that he's seen a pornographic movie.
Pet the Dog: Gets quite a few moments to show he's a lot nicer than he seems at first.
Teacher/Parent Romance: Starts a relationship with Bill's mother Gloria. Bill struggles with the relationship at first; but when he realises that Fredricks is genuine about the relationship (and is making the effort to get to know Bill better), he accepts it.

Frank Kowchevski

Mr. Frank Kowchevski

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kowchevski_01.jpeg

Played By: Steve Bannos

Head of the Math Department. While professional, he takes a no-nonsense approach to teaching and has little respect for deviance in his classrooms.

Deadpan Snarker: His default tone is withering sarcasm.
Kowchevski: Actually Lindsay, I think I'm the best person at math in this school...
Hidden Depths: He's a former Marine who fought in Vietnam, volunteers his time to lead the Mathletes club (and seems genuinely invested in their success), and as revealed in a deleted scene, he is gay.
Jerkass: He's an unpleasant man who treats students badly and makes no effort to hide his contempt for Daniel.
Only Sane Man: At least, according to him.
Pet the Dog:
- He gets a few sympathetic moments throughout the series, like when he stops a kid who bullies Neal about his ventriloquist dummy, but they're mostly incidental.
- In his deleted scene talking to Ken about being gay, he is pretty polite, understanding and articulate.
Sadist Teacher: A martinet who's more concerned with running an orderly classroom than connecting with students. It's especially evident in "Tests and Breasts" when he makes his contempt for Daniel abundantly clear, and shows no interest in Lindsay's offer to help tutor him.
Shell-Shocked Veteran:
- When Rosso presses him on his unscrupulous methods for proving Daniel cheated on a test...
  Kowchevski: Let me tell you something. I knew kids like Desario in Vietnam. Those were the kind of kids that got you killed.
- A deleted scene has him inform Daniel that he is a former Marine.
Straight Gay: Seriously. Watch the deleted scenes on the DVD...all is revealed when he's called upon by Mr. Rosso to help out Ken with his Gayngst.

Mr. Casper

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/casper.jpeg

Played By: Ron Marasco

English Literature Teacher. Somewhat of a faux-intellectual, he is snide and smug in most of his interactions with students.

Ambiguously Gay: He has an overtly camp manner.
Apathetic Teacher: As seen with the despairing attitude he displays towards the pupils in his English Lit class.
Mr. Casper: *sigh* Pearls before swine...
Break the Haughty: He's pretty pompous, which makes him a prime target for back-chat from his pupils, such as when Lindsay rips apart his attack on Kim by proving her opinion on Kerouac's On the Road book valid.
Deadpan Snarker: He's quite fond of insults that manage to be both flowery and cruel.
Jerkass: He's very insulting and cruel towards students and seem to take pleasure in humiliating them in front of his class.
Sadist Teacher: He's a waspish, bitchy sort, and reserves particular venom for Daniel when he is trying to set up a projector for his class in "Discos and Dragons".
Smug Snake: He has a very high opinion of himself and a low one of others and isn't afraid to express it.
Surrounded by Idiots: He clearly thinks he's this and makes his disdain for his students' intellectual abilities clear.

Mr. Fleck

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Played By: Steve Higgins

In charge of the Audio-Visual (AV) Department. Only seen in the last episode, he is highly respected and liked by the Geeks, and shows some understanding to Daniel when he is parachuted into his area.

Best Years of Your Life: Inverted. He tells the Geeks that, as bad things are now, life gets much better after high school.
Cool Teacher: Easily amongst the nicest of the teachers at McKinley, he heads up the AV club that the Geeks enjoy thoroughly.
Mentor Archetype: To the Geeks — he's more like a friend than a teacher.
Nice Guy: He's a pleasant man who comforts the Geeks about their current situation.
Seen It All: He reassures the Geeks on the high school hierarchy and how the lives will turn out for the jocks who bully them.
Fleck: ...and yes, Mr. Jock who cleaned me out, I will have fries with that.

Miss Foote

Played By: Leslie Mann

A kind, very attractive history teacher at McKinley and the subject of Bill's affections later on in the series.

Cool Teacher: Like Mr. Fleck, she's far nicer than most of the McKinley staff. Even Alan shuts up after she gently chides him for teasing Bill in class.
Hot for Teacher: Bill is especially taken with her, and goes all dreamy-eyed during her history class in "Chokin' and Tokin".
Hot Teacher: The Geeks get dreamy eyed in her presence and she's something of a beauty, with pixie-cropped hair and vast blue eyes.

Hector Lacovara

Mr. Hector Lacovara

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lacovara.jpeg

Played By: Trace Beaulieu

Biology teacher and possible Head of the Science Department. Regularly seen and heard, although he doesn't get a great deal of character development.

Dork Knight: He's a good man but socially awkward.
Teasing the Substitute Teacher: Minus the substitute part. Even though he's a regular teacher, he gets little to no respect from his students. Even Neal feels confident enough (even though he is acting out) to make fun of him openly.
When I Was Your Age...: He excitedly tells Lindsay that he attended the same summit that she is currently invited to years earlier. It doesn't help convincing her to go, especially as she realises exactly how far it (hasn't) taken him in life.

Characters / Freaks and Geeks

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