TV Guide

Don't let that "The Avengers: Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover" meme die just yet because boy, have we got a new unlikely duo for you.

Remember Freaks and Geeks? Wait, who are we kidding? Of course you do. Much like My So-Called Life, it was an emotionally resonant '90s teen series that, for some unknowable reason, didn't live past its first season. Joke's on NBC though, because Freaks and Geeks remains a time-tested gem of the era that just so happened to also be a launching pad for some of the mega stars of now.

And yet, one simple casting shift might've made the difference between its survival as a multi-season property and its untimely shelving: Britney Spears.

Yep, Spears, who at the time of the show's airing (1999-2000) was the foremost female pop singer in the world thanks to her album, Oops! I Did It Again, was apparently a studio favorite for a walk-on role in the show.

Paul Feig told audiences at the Tribeca Film Festival (via Page Six), where he was busy promoting Freaks and Geeks: The Documentary that she came very close to popping in as a guest star. "One of the things was that [NBC] really wanted us to try and write Britney Spears into this," Feig explained. "They were like, 'She's really popular now, maybe she could play a waitress or something.'"

Of course, anyone who remembers Spears' acting ability in those projects that did pan out -- from her cinematic turn in Crossroads to her full-on caricature work in Will & Grace -- might be relieved that the role never materialized, but perhaps if she had lent her star power to the series, it could've brought in enough ratings to justify a second season green light.

Ah, Hollyweird.



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