Awkward Geek

Awkward Geek is an American review web series produced by Network Z. The series was created by Luke Ferino and developed by Ferino, Sidney Morrow, and Nathan Victor. It stars Luke Ferino as the Awkward Geek, simply known as "the Geek", a foul-mouthed pop culture critic and "historian" who rants about varous films and later television series. Though the first season primarily focused on the Geek's reviews of content, the series would grow to encompass sketches featuring nunerous popular guest stars.

The Awkward Geek first appeared in an episode of the sketch comedy web series The Network Z Show in 2006. On The Network Z Show, he starred in a recurring sketch where he reviewed fictional films. Due to positive online comments the crew received about the character, in 2007, Ferino worked with Network Z co-founders Morrow and Victor to develop a series focusing on the character reviewing actual films.

Awkward Geek premiered on NetworkZero.com on January 16, 2008 and on on January 23, 2008. The series received positive critical reception, and was praised for its writing, music, and originality. It quickly developed a large fandom that remains active to this day. Several filmmakers have taken the Geek's rants as actual criticisms and cited them as influencing them to improve their work. Awkward Geek also spawned several Internet memes, including Geekology, the PBS Dance, and Funky Fresh Funkiness.

The series originally ran for twelve seasons, ending with a 45-minute episode titled "The Death of the Awkward Geek" on August 7, 2019. The abrupt decision to end the series and the finale itself were both criticized by fans. The series' conclusion was seen by many as the end of Network Z's "Golden Age" and led to a decline in viewership on its website and YouTube channel. In November 2021, Network Z announced that "by popular demand", a thirteenth season had entered production. The revival premiered on January 5, 2022.

Home media
Awkward Geek has been released on and  by Webstand Home Media. The company has released DVDs by season, starting with in 2010. It has also released several themed compilation DVDs. Seasonal Blu-ray discs began being released in 2012, along with compilation Blu-ray discs.

Originally, the Blu-ray discs featured bonus content absent from the DVDs, but since the mid-2010s they have contained identical content. All home video releases are available on NetworkZero.com and in the United States and Canada.