Why was Freaks and Geeks cancelled?

During the 1999-2000 season, NBC aired a show that was called Freaks and Geeks. This show only lasted one season and was quickly cancelled. Although NBC only aired 12 episodes of the 18 that were schedule to air, the show gained quite a cult following. People often wonder why was this show cancelled.

The show Freaks and Geeks did poorly in the eyes of the studio executives and fell in the ranks of 93rd and had less than 6.77 million viewers. This was not good for the executives and the decided to cancel the show during its first season. After the 12th episode had aired the show was cancelled and fans were left wanting more. Once the fans of this cult show found out that there were more episodes that have never been seen, they began to rally together and demand the shows be aired. Ã’šÃ‚ The fans led a campaign that help to persuade NBC to broadcast three more of the episodes in July of 2000. The fans still wanted more and continued to pressure the studios for more. In September of 2000, Fox picked up the last 3 episodes and aired them in syndication.

The full series was later released on DVD, but one can’t help but wonder why was this show cancelled? It does appear that the show had a strong following and fans did flock out to buy the DVD. This show was called by some a brilliant coming of age story and was ahead of its time. Freaks and Geeks told the story of an American family going through the trials and tribulations of life and especially high school. The series aimed at tackling the issues that every teenager faces as they enter the years of high school. The series featured a great soundtrack as well, and one heard music that was not generally played in TV shows. Could these be some of the factors that lead to the cancelling of the show? Maybe the show was just not given enough time, as one can see that it already had a strong following.