Here is the transcript from
Jeff Judah's Q&A,
as published on the official board. Read at your leisure.
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Dave The Moderator: Jeff, thank you for joining us for the first of a series of Q & A sessions with members of the cast and creative staff of Freaks and Geeks. The following questions were submitted by your fans at the Official Freaks and Geeks message board:
Becker asks: How would you describe your new show,
Life As We Know It, to your old F&G
fans and is there anything that they can especially look forward to in this new show that will be particularly special to them?
Jeff Judah answers: I would first describe it as NOT Freaks and Geeks. That was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of a show that was created and inspired by the life of Paul Feig and shaped by Judd Apatow. Our show is based on the British novel
Doing It by Melvin Burgess.
It is quite the opposite of Freaks. In the novel, these are present day characters, some of them in the fast crowd, others on the periphery of it, who are dealing with a different set of rules. Today`s teens are bombarded with sexual imagery and this is the world in which our characters operate. However, as great as the book is, (Gabe and I both finished it in a day) we could never have adapted it straight for broadcast TV. It`s totally HBO in tone and character. In Britain, it was alternately hailed as a great piece of literature as well as a piece of trash. We`ve had some similar reactions ourselves to the show. Sex seems to polarize people.
What we tried to do was add a shred of light to the characters, that though they may seem to be obsessed with sex in the beginning of the pilot, that`s more of the way they lead their public lives versus how they really feel. Some people say we have too much talk about sex (see EW) others say it`s just right. As for mine and Gabe`s life from that age, it`s the right tone of how we talked about sex and how much we wanted it, yet had no idea what it really involved our how to get it. To say the show is just about sex does it a disservice, but to also say that sex does not occupy the mind of an adolescent and color their behavior as well as their desires is being naive.
As for what to look forward to, I would say besides the drama and comedy and music of the show…. There is Samm Levine, Becky Ann Baker, Natasha Melnick and Busy Phillips who will appear in some of the first 12 episodes. We almost got James Franco but he had a scheduling conflict. We would love to have everyone at some time on the show. If we last that long.
Diana: What can we expect from your new show? Will the story lines be in the same vein as your F&G episodes?
Jeff: As above, they aren`t the same characters as F&G, they have less obvious external problems, but they will be dealing with the issues of teenagers, albeit there is a little more of a negative parental influence in this show. We think this Baby Boom generation of parents has shirked a lot of their responsibility in raising their children and are more focused on their own needs rather than those of their kids.
But we have added a few F&G type characters, starting in the first episode after the pilot with one named Christopher Flynn.
Becker: Behind the scenes, are there other former F&G and/or Undeclared alumni working on this new show as well?
Jeff: Joel Madison from Undeclared is a writer/producer. A couple of other writers may come on as their schedules clear up. Terri Potts was the associate producer on the pilot. Allison Jones is our casting director.
DTM: What is it like working with a new but already world-famous actress like Kelly Osbourne?
Jeff: Kelly is great. I may have been one of the few people who had never seen The Osbournes when Kelly auditioned for the show so I had no baggage. Her performance before the network and in the pilot showed an ability to display a real honesty in her emotions. You didn`t think she was reading lines when she did the most painful scene about being rejected because of what she looked like.
She is like the mother hen of the set, always making sure everybody gets along, taking people to dinner and making sure everyone is happy. I think after having since watched her reality show it`s clear she is playing a character there and is actually really fun to be around.
Becker: How did your experiences working on F&G and Undeclared affect your work on this new project?
Jeff: In every facet. We were trained by Judd and learned so much because he let you be involved in every step of the creative process. We do the same thing. Staff writers help cast their episodes, are on the set giving notes as well as helping with the editing. Our ideal is train each writer to eventually run the show. That`s what Judd did.
Also, we take almost all of the stories from real life. We had the writers fill out a very personal questionnaire, just as we did on Freaks. Not only does it quickly bond the staff to know so much about one another, it also makes for great stories because they are true.
DTM: Do you think the fact that ABC has struggled the last few years will lead the network to give your show more time to grow an audience during a tough time slot or might it have the opposite effect?
Jeff: We hope it helps! I mean, against the top two shows on TV should give us some kind of break. I think if we can get the young 18-34 demo we will be okay, but I`ve been in TV long enough to not believe it at all.
Tami: What happened with the Jennifer Love Hewitt pilot you and Gabe Sachs were working on? Is it still a possible mid-season replacement?
Jeff: Still a midseason possibility. Just had a meeting about it on Friday. We are preparing some changes to the pilot and possible story areas. I would put the odds at better than 60-40 that it goes. But again, you never know.
Boffo: Is there light at the end of the reality-show tunnel? Do people in the industry see this as just an ebb tide for getting TV comedy (let alone good TV comedy) on the air and that it will soon recover, or is this a new paradigm with only a handful each year between episodes of Who Wants to Marry My Dad and Temptation Island?
Jeff: As long as Reality TV is cheaper to produce and gets the same or better ratings they will keep ordering it.
Tami: How did you get your first writing job, and what was it?
Jeff: My first on the payroll job was for Gabe when he was doing a candid camera style show called Pranks back in the mid 90`s. It was also the first job for Peter Huyck & Alex Gregory who later joined me at Letterman and went on to work at Larry Sanders, Frasier and King of the Hill. So Gabe had a good eye for new writers.
The way I got it was through my agent. And the way I got my agent was by being known as a guy who got several jokes on Letterman, The Academy Awards (the Roger Ebert Forrest Gump fat joke) and Saturday Night Live. I had scored enough of those and they liked my original material. I can`t stress enough how important it is as a young writer to always have original material to show potential agents or producers.
When I was working with Gabe I got the call that I was being hired by Letterman which was my first union job and the achievement of long time goal.
Eden: For you personally, what was the best thing to come out of writing for F&G?
Jeff: It was just so fun to be able to write such personal stories. And also, learning how to run a show the way you wanted to some day. As stated in another answer, it was very helpful to see how Judd did things.
Becker: How difficult was it to create your own production company, actually get a pilot made and then get from that stage to being picked up?
Jeff: A production company is easy. You just add productions to your name. Getting a pilot made is a lot of work and a lot of luck. There are so many variables besides writing a good script. Your reputation, the POV of the network, getting support from key execs at the studio and network, etc. Getting it picked up seems easier until you have actually done it. Then you can`t believe you actually got there based on all of those who didn`t.
The best advice is to keep writing original material that people love and eventually you will get there. When Gabe and I start a pitching season, we have 5-6 show ideas ready. We work really hard and if something doesn`t pan out, we get right to the next thing. We turn around notes in a day or two and try not to fight with the execs when we disagree but try to actually understand what they are asking for. Many times, what they want is just a few adjustments. We never leave a call or a room until we have agreed with the network what the changes are going to be.
...cont. below...
And the board goes WILD!