 In the early 1980s, Judd Apatow was a funny kid with a love for comedy. He'd grown up studying the greats, even interviewing a few as a high school kid in Long Island. Young Apatow was witty enough to write some killer jokes for professional comics. But when he got up on stage himself, it was crickets. But they could save the crowd because I'm gonna get the laugh, so they don't know me. Come on, man, laugh, you little bozo. His love for comedy did not make him a great stand-up comedian. I'm sure it was a brutal realization for him as a young man. He had dreamed, done all the work, met the masters, and yet it still wasn't gonna happen. But instead of giving up, Apatow reinvented himself. After years of hustling through television writers' rooms, he got the chance to create his own television show, Freaks and Geeks. It was an immediate cult classic, boasting a murderer's row of young talent like James Franco, Jason Segal, and Seth Rogen. But the show was canceled after one season. He adapted to yet another form and tried something new.