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"Boston Public" (2000) More at IMDb Pro »
19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
A surprising wonderful TV Drama!!!, 30 January 2001
Author: Graham Greenlee (wizzbang@earthlink.net) from Arcadia, California, USA
When I tuned into Boston Public for the first episode, I wasn't expecting much. Though I was a fan of David E. Kelley, the ads for the show looked rather bland and/or unintelligent. And after the first five minutes, I found myself pleasantly wrong.
I have since watched every episode, and "Boston Public" is one of the few shows I think is really worth my time. With good acting, that week-in, week-out off some very exceptional writing. Though you hate some of the things that some of these characters do, like Fyvish Finkel's 'Harvey Lipschitz' is very racist, you are drawn to all ten members of the cast and love each and everyone one of them.
Chi McBride and Jessalyn Gilsig stand out among the cast as the much-beleaguered principal and the social studies teacher with a passion, respectively, and I foresee a great career for both during and after the series' run.
If you're wondering the television channel one night, and you're in the mood for a comedy/drama with substance, check out "Boston Public," and you'll be hooked.
11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Surprisingly good., 23 January 2001
Author: (llihilloh)
Fox is known for its awful nightly line ups. And with their new show, 'Temptation Island', I have learned to tune into different networks. Few shows come around that I like such as 'Malcolm in the Middle' and of course, 'Boston Public.'
I've caught this show maybe four times but every time I've found that it has good topics and some funny writing. Also, some good, un-known actors. (Well, I haven't seen any of them before.) The show deals with some exciting and interesting story lines that deals with the different teachers and students of a typical high school. The writing is very funny. And when its meant to be serious, it accomplishes that too. The actors can handle comedy and drama which is exactly what I like to see. Of course, I can't remember who is who since all of the guys seem to look alike. Anyway, the cast as a whole works well together. The principal seems to have some good lines come out of him.
Finally, Fox has come out with a decent show. Now watch, they'll go and cancel it in hopes of something better coming along. My predictions could be wrong but that seems to be the trend with excellent programs.
9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
The most realistic depiction on TV of what teaching actually is., 5 January 2006
Author: acrimmins from United States
This series takes a pro-teacher attitude, showing us as we are: diverse, flawed, passionate about learning, student-centered and student-stymied. Challenges to teachers, administrators and students are true-to-life. A strong ensemble cast demonstrates the joys and frustrations of a career in education. I know each one of these teachers and have worked with them. At times I have been each one: discouraged, uplifted, supported, disappointed, competent, unable to cope, in control, self-doubting, on top of it, ground under it all. I know these kids and their parents. The show where Michael Rappaport's character tries to deal with feelings aroused in students by use of the "N" word was the finest television drama I have ever seen. I miss Boston Public.
9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
good show...but does fox not know how to advertise?, 13 December 2000
Author: JBoze313 from Evansville, Indiana
Ok. I think FOX has to be one of the worst networks on television when it comes to advertising! Before this show premiered, FOX hyped this show a lot, and all of the previews basically made it look like a slapstick comedy that was nothing but laughs. I didn't watch it because of that. I thought it would be too silly. I watched one episode this week, and I must say, I love this show. The characters, from what I saw, are deep and complicated, and the storyline is brilliant. In the previews for this show, they showed the teacher talking about the girl not wearing a bra, and talking about her breasts. This is where I think FOX went wrong, because the show is not like that at all. I think it was a cheap ploy to get people to watch, stupid tho, because the show is better than what they tried to make it out to be. 9.5/10 Definitely.
22 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
Too complicated for the general viewing public, 22 January 2004
Author: John from New Mexico, USA
You'll hear a lot of people complain about Boston Public, calling it stupid or contrived or even sappy. But the sad fact is, it's main failing is that it addresses serious topics for an audience that would rather watch Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. People don't want socially relevant television ... they want South Park entertainment.
Well, it IS a great show. The character development is done with finely tuned precision, making one often forget that they are watching and not actually "there". The people on the show meld into their roles so well that it makes me shudder to think back to High School.
But one thing this show does NOT do is make me want to be a teacher.
6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Good Show, 1 July 2005
Author: Mr_Sensitive from THAILAND, BANGKOK
Many people might find this is an offensive series especially toward teacher and condemn it as bad show. But what ever it is, I really like this show. It is so intense, emotional, alright acting, and the keep on changing cast make it not boring.
Yes, I agreed some stuff is offensive, but the series is too good to miss. Each week the faculty faces different problem (some of the stuff I highly doubted) but it is still fun to watch it.
What I really like is how the story of the teachers tried to deal with the everyday problem in school and put their personal life into it. (though it not happen in real life but still nice to see it).
Anyway, it was kind of sad to see it got cancel cause it got low rating, but at least it was still in its prime to me.
Recommendation: Yes, it is a pretty good relationship series.
Rating: 7.5/10 (Grade: B)
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Fine new TV series, one of the very few we actually plan to watch each week., 13 February 2001
Author: TxMike from Houston, Tx, USA, Earth
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
My wife and I, retired, both love to watch this new TV series. While we don't agree with everything it stands for, we both agree that it is both entertaining and thought-provoking, something you rarely see on TV.
I read a "Boston Public" review by a teacher who says the show "is an insult to teachers." What an insecure teacher! Such comments show a complete lack of imagination. People don't really think TV shows on FOX are intended to be factual reporting, do they? Ever watch the old Mission Impossible TV series? Some viewers would be upset that the "team" always succeeded. That isn't real life. Duh!! I would just explain, with a large grin, "They only show us the episodes where the team succeeded. They don't show us the ones where everyone gets blown up!" People without imagination didn't understand that comment either.
To me, Boston Public is much that way. If you want to impose some reality, they don't show all the boring days, or the lesson planning, or the ordinary kids eating lunch. What they do show are the exceptional, interesting, thought-provoking, though fictionalized, "episodes" of high school life. A teacher should not be insulted by this TV show, anymore than doctors should be insulted by "Hannibal" or police officers insulted by "Lethal Weapon". If teachers are, then it doesn't show much imagination on their part. "Teaching" is much more than subject competence - it is also about dealing with ambiguous real-world situations. If Boston Public makes people think, then it is not only good entertainment, it also becomes a public service.
Last night we just watched the episode where two teachers had been fired, the second for having concealed his knowledge of a teacher/student sexual affair, even lying when asked point blank. They went to court. In the school's final summation, the principal explained that teachers need to be trusted. All the other teachers, with all their flaws, still can be trusted. The fired teacher cannot. The judge comments later that in weighing his decision, his 17-yr-old daughter visited him, and at that point he realized that if it had been his daughter, and a teacher concealed knowledge of such an affair, such teacher would be terribly negligent, and he thus ruled for the school, upholding the firing.
Who can argue that this is an insult to teachers and the teaching profession? "Boston Public" will tire and burn out some day, maybe even this year, but right now it is one fine TV show.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Went downhill after the first season..., 20 October 2002
Author: Bobzilla85 from Alexandria, VA
Boston Public started off wonderfully, but after the first season it just went downhill...as stated before, the first season dealt with the teachers issues, both at the workplace and at home. While it was EXTREMELY hokey at times (why would a teacher who shot a gun in class keep his job while another who knew of an affair and didn't rat out about it gets fired?) the characters managed to keep the show interesting. Yet in the second season, Mr. Kelley decided to focus on social issues, and the show became a dull drivel. Now that Boston Public has lost the focus on the teachers, there isn't much substance left for the show to run on. I hope that Mr. Kelley quits being such a fool, and brings the show back to its roots rather than cliche plots and horrribly written social commentary.
PS - also stated before, this show is NOTHING what real high school is like. 40 year-old writers have no clue as to the real situations going on in schools around America, they just read a newspaper clip and spice it up exponentially for a script.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Lots of potential to be a great show!, 24 October 2000
Author: Dave Van Houwelingen (dvanhouwelingen@hotmail.com) from Waterloo, Ontario
After watching the first episode of BOSTON PUBLIC, I am hooked. The cast is great, and the writers have really captured what it's like to be a student in high school- as well as a teacher. Now, the first episode had its problems (do you really believe Senate wouldn't have been fired for firing that gun, or that Harper won't be for slamming that kid into the locker), but it is still a very intelligent show. We have to look past these mistakes at the show as a whole. This show captures high school in a bad neighborhood perfectly. I hope this show stays around for a while (unlikely the even more brillant FREAKS AND GEEKS that got axed after only one stellar year) and with a debut episode like that, it'll only get better.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Best Drama Ever to Come To FOX!!, 20 January 2003
Author: AtomicAnthony from Queens, NY
This is the best Drama ever to come to FOX. They have had others, but this one stands out most completely! The story-lines are original, the characters are special, and the writing is great. Around the time of its beginning, FOX needed a good hit, and Boston Public came and surprised viewers.
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