Boston Public
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| Boston Public | |
|---|---|
 Series intertitle |
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| Format | Drama, Teen drama |
| Created by | David E. Kelley |
| Starring | see below |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 81 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
David E. Kelley Jason Katims (2002-2004) |
| Running time | approx. 45 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | FOX |
| Original run | October 23, 2000 – January 30, 2004 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Boston Public was an American television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on FOX from October 2000 to January 2004. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place. It featured a large ensemble cast and focused on the work and private lives of the various teachers, students, and administrators at the school and their various personalities. Its slogan, as it was depicted on the show's website at the time, was "Every day is a fight. For respect. For dignity. For sanity." [1]
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[edit] History
At the beginning, Boston Public preceded Ally McBeal on Monday nights and received initial popularity and critical acclaim for its drama and ethnically diverse cast. However, the series had a hard time finding a direction or an audience. It was generally felt that the important 18-to-24 year-old demographic would not be interested in a drama about high school teachers, so attempts were made to focus more on the lives of high school students. However, this only caused critics to accuse it of copycatting. These problems, along with bizarre storylines and casting changes, caused its ratings to decline. The final nail in the coffin was when FOX moved it to the Friday night death slot for the 2003-2004 season. The number of viewers plummeted accordingly, and it was cancelled after a truncated fourth season.
The last episode to air on its normal time slot was on January 30, 2004. The final two episodes aired on March 1, 2005 later in syndication on TV One. Neither episode wrapped up any of the character stories as the series was cancelled in the middle of its fourth season.
[edit] Social soapbox
The series often served as a soapbox about various contemporary issues. In the tradition of series such as Picket Fences, Boston Public often intertwined a social issue in context of the lives of the characters, and approaching it through discourse between the characters and developments in the storyline that were meant to be reflective of particular sides of the issue.
The title of each episode was a numbered chapter, similar to that in a high school textbook, and each character had a certain story arc, with the professional and personal lives often intersecting with the issue at hand. The particular issues tackled by the show included many modern controversies and problems facing American public high schools today, such as affirmative action, teenage pregnancy, school violence, bullying, obesity, racism, gay-bashing, school prayer, terrorism, political correctness, poverty, rape, drug abuse, state funding for public education, and general teenager angst/alienation.
The show typically highlighted the tendency of public schools to serve as the flashpoints for the many of the politically volatile controversies in larger scope of American society. Social commentary also sometimes took the form of using the high school setting to serve as a microcosm of America, enabling the show to act as a forum for public discussion, while other times making more subtle criticisms and statements of contemporary American culture.
Boston Public was the Winner of the 2002 Peabody Award ("Chapter Thirty-Seven") from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
Synopsis: Hanson's classroom is filled with controversy over the double-standard applied to use of the "n" word.
Guest Cast for Chapter Thirty-Seven:
Jessalyn Gilsig as Lauren Davis, Chi McBride as Steven Harper, Anthony Heald as Scott Guber, Nicky Katt as Harry Senate, Loretta Devine as Marla Hendricks, Rashida Jones as Louisa, Sharon Leal as Marilyn Sudor, Fyvush Finkel as Harvey Lipschultz, Jeri Ryan as Ronnie Cooke, Kathy Baker as Mrs Peters, Michael Rapaport as Danny Hanson, Joel Anderson as Mr Richards, Tamara LaSeon Bass as Debbie Nixon, Matt Casper as Mason, Monique Edwards as Ellen Rausch, Cathy Lind Hayes as Rose Stone, Aldis Hodge as Andrae, Kate Johnson as Tami, Kimberlee Peterson as Natalie Stone, Troy Ruptash as Kyle Locklin, Daniel Nathan Spector as Joshua Campbell, Stuart Stone as Jordan Murphy, Amy Warner as Mrs Richards, DeJuan Guy as J.T.
[edit] Criticism
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This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (November 2007) |
The most notable criticism in the series was that major characters would vanish from the series without a trace. Other characters such as Harvey Lipschultz and Scott Guber often experienced sudden and unexplained changes in their story arc or personality. For example, Scott works very hard to gain Jeremy Peters' trust while dating his mother; however, once he and Meredith are no longer dating, Scott quickly dismisses Jeremy, as if the only reason he was fighting to gain his trust was because he was dating his mother, which to many seemed out of character. Later, in one episode during the fourth season, after three seasons of pursuing women of non-Jewish descent, Scott tells Steven that he believes Jews should marry within the faith, certainly not something we'd heard before (one episode even featured Scott's mother suggesting he date Marilyn Sudor, an African-American woman.) Other complaints includes that the characters were changed to fit the "issue of the episode" instead of acting organically and that the school, too, often changed with the week's themes or stories – sometimes it was a poor urban school that couldn't make ends meet or couldn't pass state tests, while other times it had a pool, a cable station, elaborate musical theater productions, and hyper-achieving students. Most fans accepted these changes as dramatic license, but others vocally disapproved of many of the show's choices.
Conservative interest groups were unhappy with Harry Senate's indictment against the NRA, episodes that were critical of conservative attitudes towards homosexuality, and explicit talk about sexual matters. They were also unimpressed with the sexual innuendoes and dialogue that often made its way into the series. According to the American Family Association, a Christian fundamentalist lobbying group, major television sponsors consequently stopped running ads during the series because of such criticism. These claims have not been verified by independent groups. [2]
[edit] Regular cast
- See also: List of Boston Public minor characters
[edit] Main Crew
David E. Kelley, Jason Katims, and Roy Campanella Jr.
Roy Campanella Jr. is an American director, producer and writer. He is the son of Roy Campanella, a former baseball player.
- Directing Credits: Philly, Boston Public, Masquerade, Playing With Fire, Beverly Hills, 90210, Rendezvous, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Vanishing Son, The Marshal, Baywatch, Diagnosis Murder, Heaven Help Us, I'll Fly Away, Brother Future, Mancuso, FBI, Hooperman, Wiseguy, Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story, Sonny Spoon, Body of Evidence, Frank's Place, Knots Landing, Arthur Hailey's Hotel, Falcon Crest, Passion And Memory, The Colbys, Knight Rider, Simon & Simon, Lou Grant, The Thieves, Impressions of Joyce, Pass/Fail.
- Producing Credits: 227 (also a Creative Consultant), A Private Affair, Hidden Blessings, Midnight Blue, Rhapsody, Incognito, After All, Intimate Betrayal
- Writing Credits: Passion And Memory and Brother Future.
- Awards & Nominations: He's been nominated for 2 DGA Awards in 1992 and 1993, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Shows - Daytime and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night. He won for Brother Future.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] References
- ^ Boston Public article, Great Television Shows Blog, February 22, 2007
- ^ VW Boston Public Update, VW Update, 2002
[edit] External links
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