Freaks and Geeks: The Next Generation

Freaks and Geeks creator Paul Feig is developing a new comedy series for HBO about four twentysomething friends — three guys and a girl (no pizza place) — dealing with sex and dating from a distinctly nerdy point of view. Think of it as his attempt to educate Hollywood about the complexities of the male species.

"Guys in their 20s in movies and on TV always wanna get laid, and that was not my experience," the self-proclaimed geek tells TV Guide Online. "We were looking for the great girlfriend, who could then make a wife. I wanted to portray that and get away from the ugly side of male mating."

Of the four central characters, "three work at a mall and a fourth guy secretly works in an adult book store on the outskirts of town," explains Feig. "What it enables them to do is meet in the food court all of the time, which is very Freaks and Geeksy in a way. I just love how people kind of talk when they're eating together.

"And on top of that," he adds, "they have a game night which sort of bonds them together. I find that culture to be really fun. Playing a game just sort of centered everybody and gave us something to do. And [winning] was a way to correct the things that happened during the day that didn't go right."

And when casting gets underway on Nice Guys, the Emmy nominee may dip into his late, great NBC dramedy's talent pool. "I think the geeks would be too young, but some of the freaks are of the right age," he says. Still, it may be a second-generation golden boy who lands the best role. "I'm a big Colin Hanks fan," he says of Tom's son and former Roswell geek. "I always look for the younger version of myself, and he's such a sweet and awkward kid."