conventional middle class American values held by his family. He finds solace in the common interests he has with his close friends Bill and Neal. They enjoy the comedy of Bill Murray and Steve Martin and TV shows like Saturday Night Live together and debate the merits of different science fiction universes. These interests combined with difficulty with social interaction has left Sam and his friends being labelled as "geeks." Even though Sam enjoys his friends and the acceptance they give him, Sam yearns to be seen as something more than a geek and to be respected by the popular kids. He struggles to get rid of his geeky persona while trying to impress his school crush, Cindy Sanders. Even when his efforts are successful, it is usually short-lived and at a cost to his personal integrity and long standing friendships. Sam and his friends are often bullied by other students like Alan White and his friends, Karen Scarfolli, and for a time Kim Kelly. Sam was selected as the son for "The Perfect TV Family" by Entertainment Weekly. Harold Weir Harold “Fiscal” Weir—played by Joe Flaherty—is the head of the Weir household. Harold is usually stern and strict but is also a loving father who intends to look out for the best interests of his children. Though Harold is frequently yelling at the dinner table about bad role models and dealing out sometimes unreasonable punishments, he has a good sense of humor and enjoys seeing his family happy. He owns and works at A1 Sporting Goods store, a small local business. Business is generally good, but he is worried about the possible impact that megastores will have. Harold's biggest concern with his children. He believes Lindsay is falling in with a bad crowd, and he has a strong distaste for her "burnout friends" although he later takes a shine to Nick after he gets kicked out of his house, by letting him stay at the Weirs' house and encourages him to practice drumming. Harold tells Lindsay that he is more helpful to Nick than to her because he expects more from her, and says that Nick's father is a "hard man" who reminds him of his own dad. It is also strongly implied that Harold's father physically abused him. It is shown often that he is very proud of Lindsay for her intelligence and maturity and Sam for his