NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Boston Public

Boston Public was an American television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on FOX from October 23, 2000 through to January 30, 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. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links BostonPublic. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is a prolific multi-Emmy award winning American writer, executive producer, and creator of the well-known television series Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, and Boston Legal. ... Chi McBride (right) on Boston Public Chi McBride (born September 23, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor. ... Anthony Heald is an American actor best known for portraying Hannibal Lecters smarmy psychiatrist, Frederick Chilton, in The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon, and as deputy principal Scott Guber in Boston Public. ... Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress. ... Sharon Leal (born on October 17, 1972 in Tucson, Arizona) is an actress of Filipino and African American descent. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Fyvush Finkel (born October 9, 1923) is an American actor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jessalyn Gilsig (born in 1971 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Jewish-Canadian actress who is most famous for her role in the TV series Nip/Tuck. ... Nicky Katt (born May 11, 1970 in South Dakota) is an American actor best known for his role on David E. Kelleys Fox drama Boston Public. ... Rashida Leah Jones (born February 25, 1976), is an American actress, writer, model, and musician, best known for her portrayal of Karen Filippelli on The Office. ... Thomas McCarthy (born January 30, 1969) is an actor and director who has appeared in several movies, including Meet the Parents and Good Night, and Good Luck, and television shows, such as Boston Public and Law & Order. ... Joey Slotnick, left, poses with Steve Wozniak. ... This article is about the actress. ... China Jesusita Shavers (born on June 16, 1977) is American actress. ... Jon Avery Abrahams (born 29 October 1977 in New York) is an American actor, most notably playing Bobby Prinze in the horror spoof Scary Movie. ... Joe McIntyre AKA Joey McIntyre or Joseph McIntyre (born Joseph Mulrey McIntyre December 31, 1972 in Needham, Massachusetts. ... Natalia Baron (born February 10, 1978) is an American actress. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is a prolific multi-Emmy award winning American writer, executive producer, and creator of the well-known television series Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, and Boston Legal. ... The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ... is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A public high school is a secondary school that is financed by tax revenues and other government-collected revenues, and administered exclusively by, and at the discretion of, state and local officials. ... â€œBostonâ€ redirects here. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An ensemble cast is a cast in which the principal performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance in a dramatic production. ...

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."

Reruns of the show air on TV One, in the United States, weekdays at 4:00 p.m.(eastern time) and the Show Case Diva channel, in Canada, weekdays at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). TV One, owned by Radio One, targets African-American viewers aged 25 to 54 (unlike competitor Black Entertainment Television, which has moved to an 18-to-34 demographic since its acquisition by Viacom). ...

History

At the beginning, it 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 its 2003 season. The number of viewers plummeted accordingly, and it was cancelled after a truncated fourth season. For the character, see Ally McBeal (character). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The last episode to air on its normal time slot was on January 30, 2004. The final two episodes aired over a year 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. is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... TV One, owned by Radio One, targets African-American viewers aged 25 to 54 (unlike competitor Black Entertainment Television, which has moved to an 18-to-34 demographic since its acquisition by Viacom). ...

Social soapbox

The series often served as a soapbox about various contemporary issues. In the tradition of series such as Picket Fences, the show 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 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, state funding for public education, and general teenager angst/alienation. The show typically highlighted the tendency of public schools to serve as the flash points for the many of the pollitically volitile 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. A man soapboxing in Chinatown, San Francisco. ... Picket Fences is a 60-minute drama which initially ran from September 18, 1992 to June 26, 1996 on the CBS television network in the United States. ... Affirmative action refers to policies intended to promote access to education or employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minorities or women). ... For an incident of violence at a school involving at least one actual death, see School massacre. ... Bullying is the tormenting of others through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation. ... Racism is the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior or inferior to members of other races. ... Gay bashing is an expression used to designate verbal confrontation with, denigration of, or physical violence against people thought to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT) because of their apparent sexual orientation or gender identity. ... School prayer in its most common usage refers to state sanctioned prayer by students in state schools. ... Terrorist redirects here. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows what he found. ... For other uses, see Angst (disambiguation). ...

Criticism

The most notable criticism in the series was that major characters would vanish from the series without a trace. Other characters such as Harvey and Scott 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 season four, after three seasons of pursuing women of non-Jewish descent, Scott was given a scene where he told Steven that he believed Jews should marry within the faith. Certainly not something we'd heard before (one episode even featured Scott's mother suggesting he date 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, 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's indictment against the National Rifle Association, 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 and lobbying group, major television sponsors such as Kellogg's, Southwest Airlines, Merrill Lynch, Wendy's, Qwest, Papa John's Pizza, Hallmark Cards, Marriott, Home Depot, Kmart, Warner-Lambert and Campbell's Soup consequently stopped running ads during the series because of such criticism. These claims have not been verified by independent groups. [1] Ths article deals with conservatism as a political philosophy. ... The American Family Association (AFA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values. ... Fundamentalist Christianity is a fundamentalist movement, especially within American Protestantism. ... This article is about the political effort. ... Kellogg Company (often referred to as simply Kellogg or Kelloggs) is an American multinational producer of breakfast foods, snack foods, cookies, and crackers, with corporate headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA. Kellogg trades under the ticker symbol NYSE: K. Revenues in 2006 were $10. ... This article is about the American airline. ... Merrill Lynch & Co. ... Wendys is an international chain of fast food restaurants founded by Dave Thomas that sells primarily hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries and beverages. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Papa Johns Pizza (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the third largest carryout and delivery pizza restaurant in the United States behind Pizza Hut and Dominos Pizza; it is based in Louisville, Kentucky. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Marriott International, Inc. ... The Home Depot (NYSE: HD), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a big-box home improvement retailer that aims for both the do-it-yourself consumer and the professional in home improvement and construction. ... Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) is the fourth largest retailer in the United States, behind Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, and Kroger. ... Pfizer, Incorporated (NYSE: PFE), is a global pharmaceutical company based in New York City. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Major cast

While the series won praise for its dramatic realism in shining the light on the challenges facing high school faculty and administrators, critics pointed out the bizarre story lines and characters that, even had the series continued, would not have seemed to make sense. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Boston_Public. ... Image File history File links Boston_Public. ...

Steven Harper (Chi McBride) was the tough high school principal with a heart of gold. Throughout, he probably remained the most consistent character on the show and its strongest presence and the show's focal point. He constantly struggled with the hang-ups and problems of his employees and students, from Harry Senate's shooting a gun off in class, to Milton Buttle's affair with a student in season one, to Marla and Danny's bickering (and even fist-fighting) in Seasons 2 & 3. During the second season of the series, Brooke, his rebellious, liberal activist daughter, gets transferred to Winslow High, and he had to try to build a relationship with her and his estranged ex-wife. By the end of season 3 his daughter had been written out (she had graduated high school and was accepted at Harvard at the end of Season 3). In season 4 he embarked on a relationship with Marylin Sudor. Harper was consistently the school's leader, handling teachers with problems and much of his character revolved around his pride in the teaching profession and his loyalty to the kids and the faculty. Steven Harper is considered to be one of the most important characters in this series. Chi McBride (right) on Boston Public Chi McBride (born September 23, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor. ...

Scott Guber (Anthony Heald) who was forced to play the disciplinary bad cop to both the students and the faculty. As someone who grew up bullied because his peers mistakenly thought he was gay, Scott treated bigotry and bullying as serious a crime as cutting class or cheating on an exam. On the other hand, some episodes had him seriously bullying teachers with a condescending managerial tone that caused them to dislike him. In fact, the students and faculty saw him as so tough they labeled him The Nazi. However, his dedication to the school and the kids was eventually noted in Season 1 when the kids gave him a special end-of-year award. Scott's ongoing goal was also to one day be a principal himself, a goal he pursued in season 1, a season also devoted to his growing dislike for being the "bad guy" to Steven's good guy. He was disappointed to receive an unfavorable recommendation from Steven who said he wasn't ready and was too autocratic to be a principal. Over the next seasons, Scott and Steven would sometimes wrangle over the boundaries between their two jobs, but their friendship was key to both of them and key to the show. Anthony Heald is an American actor best known for portraying Hannibal Lecters smarmy psychiatrist, Frederick Chilton, in The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon, and as deputy principal Scott Guber in Boston Public. ...

Guber's love of classical music, composing and conducting was a staple of the character's off duty time and occasionally allowed for storylines. And Scott's romantic life, unlike Steven's, was often fodder for storylines on the show. In Season 1, he pursued Lauren Davis to the point she called it harassment He later asked Marilyn out leaving Lauren and Marilyn to conclude he asked out any woman who was nice to him. This tendency came to a head in Season 2 when he began an ill-advised relationship with the duplicitous Hook Lady, Meredith Peters, who in Season 1 locked her son Jeremy in the basement. Jeremy returned the favor and she escaped only by chain saw, severing her hand in the process. The Guber-Peters relationship was filled with ups and downs in Season 2. Guber's attempts to get on Jeremy's good side were occasionally chronicled, including his sensitivity to Jeremy's rather randomly placed bisexuality. Both characters basicially disappeared after Guber separated from the erratic and pathological Meredith late in Season 2. Guber then took up with Lauren. As she didn't come back for season 3, we never learned how that relationship ended, but by the end of Season 3, Guber had increased his level of friendship with Marilyn through dancing lessons, and by Season 4, he was pursuing her. She rejected his advances as she was seeing Steven. Weeks later yet again, Scott found love in Violet Montgomery (Sherilyn Fenn), a former adult film actress turned free-spirited who shared his taste in music and agreed to date him exclusively. Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn[1] on February 1, 1965 in Detroit, Michigan) is an Emmy and Golden Globe award nominated American actress and filmmaker, best known for playing Audrey Horne on the cult TV series Twin Peaks, for her roles in Ruby, Of Mice and Men, Boxing Helena...

One of the two social studies teachers was Lauren Davis (Jessalyn Gilsig), who earned the occasional nickname "nun" because of her straighlaced ways in Season 1. By season 2, when the ostensibly hipper Ronnie Cooke (Jeri Ryan) appeared, Lauren's character changed, making her what her colleagues called a "prima donna perfectionist." Scott had a crush on Lauren, a relationship that never seemed to go anywhere until right before Lauren was written out of the show. In Season 1, Steven felt that she was being racist because she was tougher on her African-American students, an accusation she was willing to consider in order to save Harvey from being fired. She briefly dated Harry Senate, but broke up with him, in what was Season 1's biggest romance (not including students, at least...). Later, she began dating Daniel Evans, a former student who turned out to be a stalker. Her carrying a gun to protect herself ended up with a summertime suspension. During Season Two, Lauren was shocked when some of her students were hospitalized because they were so stressed out about her work assignments. When the third season premiered, Gilsig had left the show, and it was mentioned that Lauren had left Winslow High for a job at a private school. Jessalyn Gilsig (born in 1971 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Jewish-Canadian actress who is most famous for her role in the TV series Nip/Tuck. ... 1. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ...

Harvey Lipschultz (Fyvush Finkel) was a somewhat stereotypical elderly Jewish man. He was not a fan of political correctness, and his character seemed to switch from being a well-meaning old man that once met with the football team to ask them not to discriminate against a player who is rumored to be gay, while other times he came off as an Archie Bunker bigot or a simple comical buffoon of a bygone era. He served in the Second World War; on the night before he left to go to Europe, he had a one-night stand with an African American woman who later gave birth to a son, Lester, who was able to track down Harvey and introduce him to his family, including Lester's children and grandchildren. After the war, Harvey came home and married a woman named Helen and remained faithful to her until she died, although she did have an affair. He frequenly reflected back on Helen who died shortly before season 1 began. In Season 3, a stock dip erased his life savings. Often threatening to retire, and also often being threatened with firing, Harvey was able to continue working after he agreed to attend racial sensitivity classes in Season 1, and in Season 3, was barely saved from retirement by some last minute budget restructuring. Fyvush Finkel (born October 9, 1923) is an American actor. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... Information Gender Male Age 50 (in 1974) Date of birth 1924 Date of death Unknown (still alive as of 1983) Occupation Blue Collar (19??-1978) Bar Owner (1979-????) Family Michael Stivic (son-in-law) Joey Stivic (grandson) Alfred Bunker (brother) Barbara Lee Billie Bunker (niece) Katherine Bunker (sister-in-law... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

Harry Senate (Nicky Katt) was perhaps the most popular of BP's characters. A teacher who was assigned to teach in the infamous "Dungeon" classroom after Marla walks out on the class season 1, Harry specialized in using his own darker side to reach kids on the edge. Harry was infamous for deploying unusual (and often dangerous) methods to try and reach his students, such as firing a gun off in class in a concerted effort to teach the unruly students in the classrooms a lesson in respect, agreeing to become the faculty sponsor for a student branch of the National Rifle Association only to later deliver a disparaging speech against the organization, which he linked to an American glorification of gun violence, and starting up a "Suicide Club" to get kids to open up about their feelings surrounding suicide. In an early season 1 storyline, he was kissed by a student, Dana Poole, who later blackmailed him. He almost lost his job for this and his other radical antics, one being his knowing of a student, Tyronn Anderson, had killed a rival gang member in self-defense. However, his great compassion and ability to persuade his students to never give up and do the right thing ultimately saved his job. Harry began a relationship with Lauren, and the two initially seemed happy but Lauren simply did not feel as is Harry was really opening up to her. Nicky Katt (born May 11, 1970 in South Dakota) is an American actor best known for his role on David E. Kelleys Fox drama Boston Public. ... This article concerns the National Rifle Association of the USA. For the UK organisation, see National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a non-profit group for the promotion of marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection of hunting and personal protection firearm rights... Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold in the cafeteria at Columbine High School, shortly before committing suicide. ...

Harry and Lauren broke up shortly after Harry confided in her that he knew Tyronn killed someone; Lauren would later briefly date Daniel Evans. As for Harry, his more serious relationship was with Ronnie Cooke in Seasons 2 and 3. Ronnie had initially been brought into the school by Harry to talk about her job as a bigtime lawyer. She was so impressed by Harry's handling of students that she signed up.

In the second season finale, Harry was stabbed by a former student and almost died. It took the near-death of Harry Senate for the faculty to realize how much they had come to love him as more than a colleague, but also as a close friend. Initially, Harry was supposed to die from his wounds; this was David E. Kelley's way of writing Nicky Katt out of the show so that he could pursue a movie career. When Katt became available again, but for only a part of the next season, Kelley and his writers allowed Harry to survive the attack, only to suffer from a slow mental breakdown that would ultimately provide Katt with a very different exit from the show.

A combination of post traumatic stress (as a result of the stabbing) and his inability to "save" some of his most troubled students prompted Harry's breakdown. Given the option of being fired or going on a leave of absence, Harry was dismayed but realized that his current mental state was affecting his ability as a teacher; he chose to take a leave of absence to get himself together, promising Steven that he would someday return. As he walked out of the building, Harry gave an incoming and idealistic teacher Kimberly Woods some good advice. Kelley admitted that Harry's choice to take a leave of absence was a way of allowing for his eventual return should Katt become available again; the show's premature cancellation prevented the possibility.

Ronnie Cooke (Jeri Ryan) as mentioned was a college friend of Harry's, a successful, very wealthy corporate lawyer who decided that her true calling in life was to teach at public high school. As a lawyer, Ronnie often acted as a legal advocate for the students in what some argued were completed unrealistic and "off-topic" situations. She handled at least two murder-related trials (one for Steven, one for some students.) Other times, the stories fit the school: one of her first actions as a teacher was to help Danny Hanson organize his students to sue Harvey for emotional abuse, She also helped students get out of various legal jams. Ronnie soon got over Harry when Senate left the show. She began an on-and-off relationship with Zach Fischer, and accepted a position from the mayor's liaison to be Winslow's new assistant principal after she impressed the school board with her testing techniques. This made Marla, the other candidate for the job, jealous, and angered Scott, who saw Ronnie as a glory-hound who was willing to cut funding for public education in order to further a political career. Zach became jealous of the mayor's liaison who clearly liked Ronnie. Eventually, Ronnie and Scott came to an understanding and were able to avoid budget cuts by cutting all funding on varsity sports. Marla moved on and Zach become a Buddhist, seriously, and by Season 4 was gone, anyhow. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Marla Hendricks (Loretta Devine) was a social studies teacher who suffered from severe bipolar manic depression, the effects of which were mainly only seen in Season 1. She had to take pills to make it through a stressful day, which seemed to be just about every day. She was occasionally depicted as a vocally religious woman, encouraging students to pray on school grounds and running a gospel choir. She was also frequently the one to give lectures to other faculty members, parents, or students about the financial and emotional challenges facing teachers, along with other topical issues such as bullying, multiculturalism, and the usage of the "N-word" by white people. On the other hand, on many occasions, Marla was depicted, like Danny and Harvey, as someone who thought before she spoke. She was vocal and no-nonsense, and often insulted teachers, students, and even Steven when they needed it, or sometimes just because she needed it. Scott once accused her of being too emotional on too many different issues to the point it diluted her potency as an advocate. Her bold personality kept her from advancing into administration when she insulted a mayor's liaison when he interrupted a play rehearsal. In Season 3, she had a brief relationship with a political advocate played by Vern Troyer. In Season 4, she decided to have a baby, and asked Steven if he would consider donating his sperm. When Steven refused, she continued to try and get pregnant but failed. Marla had a miscarriage, but later got the chance of experiecing motherhood when she took in a student named Rainy. Overall, Marla was considered an excellent and compassionate teacher, adept at reaching kids and parents. Like the other faculty, her personal foibles sometimes got in her way, but she was overall, there for the kids and her colleagues. Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress. ...

Danny Hanson (Michael Rapaport) was some kind of humanities teacher brought in Season 2. Danny came from a working-class Irish-Catholic home and had a populist political philosophy and a certain ambivalence about religion because he was sexually molested by his priest. He also had a conservative side when it came to race and didn't like the sacred cow status some racial issues were given. He was the one who brought the "n word" debate to Winslow. Marla, in Season 2, rightly suggested his main flaw wasn't being controversial, but raising questions that he didn't have any helpful solutions too. The two fought a lot, including one fist fight, but also admitted they had a lot in common. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Populism is a political ideology or rhetorical style that holds that the common person is oppressed by the elite in society, which exists only to serve its own interests, and therefore, the instruments of the State need to be grasped from this self-serving elite and instead used for the... Child sexual abuse is an umbrella term describing criminal and civil offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification. ...

Like Marla his hotheaded attitude got him into trouble in his professional and personal life; to name a few examples, when he walked in on his fiancé having sex with another man, he threw a phone at the man, and later started the class project on the "N-word." He also sent a letter home to a student's parents advising she was overweight. The student hit him for that. He also helped students with various issues including a kid who had (small world) been molested by the same priest who hurt him, and a 12 year old genius. Danny had a special relationship with overachieving Debbie in Season 2, which came under scrutiny but turned out to be completely a healthy teacher-student mentorship. Overachievement is an educational label applied to students, whom perform better than their peers when normalized for the instructors perceptions of background, intelligence or talent. ...

In the series' third season, Danny began dating Claire Ellison; they eventually married and gained custody of Allison, his 5 year old niece while Joanie, his sister, was in rehabilitation for drug addiction. By Season 4, the marriage was faltering and Joanie came back for Allison (which is rather legally dubious as they had legally adopted her) The series left Danny and Claire willing to work on their marriage while Alison went to live with her mom.

Marilyn Sudor (Sharon Leal) was the music instructor and an English teacher. Student storylines had her involved with the gang kid who Harry was covering for, with Jeremy Peters, who was being locked in the basement by his mother, and later with Aisha, (Tamyra Gray) a young talented singer who needed to break up with her abusive boyfriend. Marilyn admitted in Season 3 that she too had been in an abusive relationship (with an ex husband who showed up for an annulment in Season 4). One of the most attractive teachers in the school, Marilyn was often the listed as the teacher the "boys most wanted to sleep" with in a yearly student poll. Romantically, Marilyn joined with Scott to take some dancing lessons but was quick to assert that they were going to just be friends. She dated a basketball coach who turned out to be in coaching to advance his college coaching chances. In the final season, she began dating Steven, and their romance became public after a student facing suspension for kissing Marilyn at a scholarship awards ceremony threatened to go before the school board because he felt that he was suspended for kissing the principal's girlfriend; eventually, Steven agreed to reduce the student's punishment so that it would not cause him to lose his scholarship or hurt his college application process. Marilyn was also involved in many of the musical numbers the show employed, singing at school concerts, doing a singing trio with Louisa and Marla and working with young musicians. She was known for being by the book, compassionate straight forward, but also a rather enigmatic and sort of was a utility player a lot of the time. Sharon Leal (born on October 17, 1972 in Tucson, Arizona) is an actress of Filipino and African American descent. ... Tamyra Monica Gray (born July 26, 1979 in Takoma Park, Maryland) is an American actress and singer, best known for her rise to fame as one of the finalists on the first season of the reality television program American Idol in 2002. ...

In the third season, three new teachers were hired. The first two were Zach Fischer(Jon Abrahams) and Colin Flynn (Joey McIntyre). Zach seemed to be a replacement for Harry, except with no mysterious personal demons. He didn't deal with the same on-edge kids, but was very liked by students who dubbed him "Fish". He soon began to date Ronnie. Colin had a brief affair with Patricia Emerson, the mother of Becky Emerson, who had a crush on him herself, but broke it off when a jealous Becky threatened to reveal the affair in a poem she was going to read in public. The third character was Kimberly Woods (Michelle Monaghan), a young and somewhat naive woman in a "Teach for America" program whose class discussion on affirmative action results in racial violence that ended up putting Steven on trial for murder. Kimberly was later forced to leave Winslow High after an obsessed lesbian student stalked and threatened to kill her. Zach and Colin disappeared from the show in the final season with no explanation as to what happened to them. Jon Avery Abrahams (born 29 October 1977 in New York) is an American actor, most notably playing Bobby Prinze in the horror spoof Scary Movie. ... Joe McIntyre AKA Joey McIntyre or Joseph McIntyre (born Joseph Mulrey McIntyre December 31, 1972 in Needham, Massachusetts. ... Michelle Monaghan (born March 23, 1976, Winthrop, Iowa, USA) is an American actress. ... Affirmative action refers to policies intended to promote access to education or employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minorities or women). ... A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. ...

In the fourth and final season, three new characters came onto the show. The first was Carmen Torres (Natalia Baron), the 21-year-old Spanish fluent physics teacher who would clash with Steven over his insistence that she not speak and teach Spanish in the classroom. Interestingly, the storyline never brought up the controversial reality that Massachusetts schools have a state-mandated English-only policy. Carmen started a brief relationship with Jake (Milo Ventimiglia), an undercover cop who was posing as a "bad boy" teenager in order to bring down a student who was selling drugs; Jake was murdered when the drug bust went wrong. In the meantime, she helped a student who also liked the late cop and who also had a drinking problem. She revealed her own drinking problem, but little was made of it. She also revealed her mom committed suicide. Carmen disappears in the middle of the final season. No explanation is provided. Natalia Baron (born February 10, 1978) is an American actress. ... Milo Anthony Ventimiglia (born July 8, 1977) is an American actor. ...

Other faculty members

There were some minor faculty members that served to comment on the current administration and teacher techniques and status.

Louisa Fenn (Rashida Jones) was the wisecracking, sassy high school secretary who briefly dated Milton Buttle until he broke up with her after meeting Lisa. Louisa learned of Milton's affair with Lisa and pondered ratting on him, but didn't; she did, however, gain a spiteful attitude towards Lisa. In the second season, she was discovered to be secretly writing "Dear Helen", a sex column for the school paper, which eventually led to her dismissal. Louisa came from a biracial family, as her father was African-American while her mother was Caucasian. Before departing from the series, she started up an unofficial girl band with Marla and Marilyn. Rashida Leah Jones (born February 25, 1976), is an American actress, writer, model, and musician, best known for her portrayal of Karen Filippelli on The Office. ...

Milton Buttle (Joey Slotnick) was the nerdy, mild-mannered English teacher who was often on the receiving end of Sheryl Holt's online parodies. He met Lisa Greer at a Starbucks one day and started a relationship with her, only to find that she was a student at Winslow High. Despite this, he reluctantly continued his relationship with Lisa but was discovered and fired, though he continued dating Lisa. Eventually, he and Lisa broke up. Joey Slotnick, left, poses with Steve Wozniak. ...

Kevin Riley (Thomas McCarthy) was the football coach who was fired when he told Scott that he knew that about the secret affair between Milton and Lisa in an attempt to get Scott and Steven to go easy on Milton. Kevin sued to get his job back in an episode that crossed over with the television series The Practice, but he lost his case and angrily snubbed Steven when he attempted to make peace with Kevin. The coach that replaced Kevin was a minor character who was rarely seen. Thomas McCarthy (born January 30, 1969) is an actor and director who has appeared in several movies, including Meet the Parents and Good Night, and Good Luck, and television shows, such as Boston Public and Law & Order. ... The Practice was an American legal drama created by David E. Kelley centering on the partners and associates at a Boston, Massachusetts law firm. ...

Dr. Benjamin Harris (Leslie Jordan) was an effeminate Southern chemistry teacher who originated in the Ally McBeal episode "The Wedding (4x23)." He first appeared when he helped Jeremy Peters dissect his mother Meredith's severed hand in the second-season premier, then got into trouble when he organized a school production of Susan Miller's It's Our Town Too that centered around homosexuality. He later resigned after he was discovered having had cybersex with two 18-year-old female Winslow students who had posed as college students in an Internet chatroom. Leslie Allen Jordan (according to his biography born April 29, 1955) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor. ... For the character, see Ally McBeal (character). ...

Superintendent Marsha Shinn (Debbi Morgan) was the judgmental and overly critical superintendent who once visited the school to complain about the unorthodox teaching methods of the faculty in an attempt to get Steven fired after he physically assaulted a school bully. Marla called her "The Dragon Lady". She apparently quit her job since a new superintendent showed up at the school in later episodes. This article is about the actress. ...

Mr. Bob 'Big Boy' Lick (Dwight "Heavy D" Myers) was the school's heavyset but compassionate counselor whom most students did not seem to like or trust, but both Steven and Scott often referred students over to him. He took a sabbatical during the final season without advising the administration and never returned. Heavy D & The Boyz on the cover of the 2002 compilation The Millennium Collection (The Best Of Heavy D & The Boyz) Heavy D & the Boyz was an American hip hop group led by 250-pound (113-kg) Heavy D. The Boyz were G-Wiz (Glen Parrish), Trouble T-Roy (Troy...

Superintendent Elizabeth Vasquez (Elizabeth Pena) (presumably) replaced Marsha Shinn as the superintendent of schools. Unlike Shinn, she was less judgmental and was persuaded by Steven to not suspend or fire Scott for his role in the student riot; she even half-jokingly told Steven to keep Scott from talking to the athletes. However, she was fired in the middle of the third season. Elizabeth Pena is a Cuban-born actress. ...

Minor characters and students

Minor characters in the series were primarily (but not always) students who were introduced to make a comment on society in general.

Dana Poole (Sarah Thompson) was a popular student who kissed Harry, then tried to blackmail him. Despite this, Harry reached out to her and tried to help her when she became a stripper. As a college student, Dana returned to interview the high school faculty and staff about the low teacher salaries and began to date Harry, only to later break up with him at his birthday party because he lied to his co-workers about how long their relationship had been going on. Sarah Thompson (born October 25, 1979 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress. ...

Susan Potter (Joanna Garcia) was a popular student who was caught giving oral sex in the school hallway to sway a student election. JoAnna Garcia (born August 10, 1979, in Tampa, Florida, USA) is an American television and film actress of Cuban descent. ... Oral sex consists of all sexual activities that involve the use of the mouth, which may include use of the tongue, teeth, and throat, to stimulate genitalia. ...

Sheryl Holt (Lamya Jezek) was the editor of the student newspaper and webmaster of an online website, Holt 45. The website was a frequent problem for the faculty, as it often spoofed them and their private lives with graphic innuendoes.

Christine Banks (Lindsay Hollister) was an unpopular, overweight girl who was often bullied and got into trouble when she responded to the harassment with violence. Kevin persuaded her to earn respect from the students by being on the wrestling team, and it worked. However, Christine suffered a heart attack after playing a match, and later died. Lindsay Hollister (born 3 June 1977 in Colombus, Ohio) is an American actress. ...

Brooke Harper (China Shavers) was Steven's headstrong daughter who was transferred to her father's high school after being kicked out of a private school for kidnapping the school's mascot as part of an animal rights protest. She continued her political activism, including organizing the students to stage a walkout over toxic chemicals and overcrowded classrooms in the school that ended up sparking a riot as the school athletes feared that these problems will be fixed by cutting the sports budget. Brooke once dated a 27-year-old man named Roland McClane as well as Jeremy Peters, but neither relationship lasted long. She always hoped for her parents to get back together, but had accepted that it was not going to happen. At the end of the third season, Brooke had graduated and had been accepted to Harvard University. China Jesusita Shavers (born on June 16, 1977) is American actress. ... For the album by Moby, see Animal Rights (album). ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ...

Meredith Peters (Kathy Baker) was Scott's girlfriend in Season 2. She also worked as a teacher. She was always a little questionable - Kelley apparently wanted the fans to always wonder if she was lying or not. She eventually got fired for hitting Marcie Kendall. This article is about the actress. ...

Jeremy Peters (Kaj-Erik Eriksen) was Meredith's son. Meredith had a reputation for locking him in the basement to discipline him. A nerd season 1, he transmuted to a disturbed wisemouth, bisexual, angry teen season 2 and disappeared by Season 3. Scott alikened their mother-son relationship to that of Norman Bates and his mother. Kaj-Erik Eriksen (born February 15, 1979) is a Canadian television actor. ... Norman Bates is a fictional character created by writer Robert Bloch as the central character in his novel Psycho. ...

Marcie Kendall (Cara DeLizia) was a student whom Meredith slapped with her prosthesis during an argument, leading to Meredith being fired. In the third season, Marcie began Scott's assistant and was involved in the student walkout. Later on, she became pregnant by Brian Harrower, her boyfriend; overwhelmed by her impending responsibilities of being a mother, she decided to give up her baby for adoption. Cara DeLizia (born April 10, 1984 in Silver Spring, Maryland) is a young American television actress most known for her potrayal as Fiona Fi Phillips alongside Mackenzie Phillips in the Disney Original Series So Weird. ...

Robin Chambers (L.B. Fisher) was a transgender student who caused an uproar and some gay-bashing when he chose to become a candidate for prom queen. He won the contest and ended up wining a dance with the prom king, who subtly came out as being gay to Robin; the two danced the night away. Neither student is seen again. A transgender person in New York Citys Gay Pride Parade Transgender (IPA: , from trans (Latin) and gender (English) ) is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies that diverge from the normative gender role (woman or man) commonly, but not always, assigned at... A Prom Queen is a woman who is elected to be, as the name suggests, queen of the prom. ...

Patricia Emerson (Anne Archer) was the sultry, middle-aged mother of Becky Emerson who claimed to be the descendant of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson and even kept her maiden name when she married her husband, an arms dealer. She complained to Colin about his grade on Becky's assignment and, unhappy with her marriage, flirted with him, leading to an affair with the young teacher. Ultimately, she reconciled with her husband and ended the affair. Anne Archer Anne Archer (born August 24, 1947) is an Academy Award nominated American movie and TV actress. ... Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 â€“ April 27, 1882) was an American essayist, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early nineteenth century. ...

Rebecca 'Becky' Emerson (Courtney Peldon) was the beautiful but nutty daughter of Patricia Emerson who developed a crush on Colin and was devastated when she learned that he was sleeping with her mother. As a result, she threatened to expose Colin's affair at a poetry until she saw her parents together again and decided not to. Later, she became the anchorwoman of the student television station and was about to air footage of a married teacher having sex with another woman in a classroom, but was persuaded from doing so by Danny. In the series' fourth and final season, Becky became Scott's assistant and once gave him surprisingly insightful advice. Courtney Peldon (born April 13, 1981) is an American television and film actress. ...

Devon Rick (Matt Lutz) was a gay teenager on the football team who watched as his boyfriend was beaten up by their homophobic teammates. The incident prompted Scott to start up a Gay-Straight Alliance and lecture the school on the evils of homophobia. Eventually, Scott persuaded Devon to come out and identify the students who beat up his boyfriend. Matt Lutz (born Matthew Christopher Lutz on October 15, 1978 in Anderson, Indiana, USA) is an American film, television, and theatre actor, who played Phil Newberry on the Hallmark Channels McBride murder-mystery series from 2004-2006, and has had significant roles in the films A Walk to Remember... Homophobia is a term used to describe: A culturally determined phobia manifesting as fear, revulsion, or contempt for homosexuality. ... A protest by The Westboro Baptist Church; a group identified by the Anti-Defamation League as virulently homophobic. ...

Dave Fields (David Conrad) was liaison to the Mayor pushing for standardized testing and budget cuts. He persuaded Ronnie to act as his eyes and ears in the school and even offered her a possible political career, but Ronnie eventually rejected his offer of romance and politics. David Conrad (born 17 August 1967) is an American actor born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

Riley Ellis (Andrea Bowen) was a 12-year-old prodigy looking for a normal friendship while attending Winslow High. Steven persuaded Brooke to be her friend, but Riley rejected the friendship when she realized that Brooke was only doing it to try and get close to a male student that she had a crush on. She later became Becky's friend and worked with her in the student television station. Andrea Bowen, at the red carpet ceremony for the 34th Annual Annie Awards. ...

Taylor Prentice (Verne Troyer) was a little person (or dwarf) ex-professor who helped underachieving students ace exams and later dated Marla. They eventually broke up. Verne Troyer (born January 1, 1969) is an American actor and stunt man who has appeared in several movies, mostly in non-speaking roles. ... This article is about the legendary race. ...

Eccentric art teacher Henry Preston (Phil Buckman) came on towards the end of the series and had to deal with the frustration of budget cuts. Later, he persuaded a student to focus his talents on mathematics and use art as a secondary hobby. In the final episode of the series, which was left unaired in the United States until WE: Women's Entertainment showed Henry slept with Ronnie Cooke, who had previously been acting as a therapist of sorts to Henry, and was suspended from the school after hugging a sobbing female student. The suspension caused the students to stage a sit-in in his favor.

Charlie Bixby (Dennis Miller), a smart-alecky, arrogant investment banker who was forced to teach math at Winslow High as part of his community service for being convicted of securities fraud. He was able to reach his students by devising math problems with references to illicit drugs and prostitution, and volunteered at the school's suicide hotline where he befriended a teenager whom he persuaded to not kill himself. He disappeared in the middle of the final season. No explanation is provided. Perhaps his time was served. Dennis Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American Emmy Award-winning comedian, political commentator, television personality, and talk radio host. ... Whore redirects here. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ...

Peter Feldman (Miko Hughes) was a student who, after being electrocuted in Danny's class, came to believe that he was Jesus Christ reborn. As such, he began to come to school dressed in ceremonial robes, offering advice to Danny and even using student fees to help a homeless man. Eventually, it was discovered that the reason behind his assuming the identity of Jesus was that he witnessed a young boy get hit by a bus one afternoon. {{Infobox_Actor | name = Miko Hughes | image = replace this image1. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Julien (Thomas Dekker) was a student who came out to his father, who beat him and his mother. Julien ran away from home, prompting Danny and Claire to track him down and get him to live with his mother who had finally left her bigoted and abusive husband. Thomas Alexander Dekker (born 28 December 1987, in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American film and television actor. ...

Cast

Chi McBride (right) on Boston Public Chi McBride (born September 23, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor. ... Anthony Heald is an American actor best known for portraying Hannibal Lecters smarmy psychiatrist, Frederick Chilton, in The Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon, and as deputy principal Scott Guber in Boston Public. ... Loretta Devine Loretta Devine (born August 21, 1949 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress. ... Sharon Leal (born on October 17, 1972 in Tucson, Arizona) is an actress of Filipino and African American descent. ... Fyvush Finkel (born October 9, 1923) is an American actor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Natalia Baron (born February 10, 1978) is an American actress. ... Jessalyn Gilsig (born in 1971 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is a Jewish-Canadian actress who is most famous for her role in the TV series Nip/Tuck. ... Nicky Katt (born May 11, 1970 in South Dakota) is an American actor best known for his role on David E. Kelleys Fox drama Boston Public. ... Rashida Leah Jones (born February 25, 1976), is an American actress, writer, model, and musician, best known for her portrayal of Karen Filippelli on The Office. ... Thomas McCarthy (born January 30, 1969) is an actor and director who has appeared in several movies, including Meet the Parents and Good Night, and Good Luck, and television shows, such as Boston Public and Law & Order. ... Joey Slotnick, left, poses with Steve Wozniak. ... This article is about the actress. ... China Jesusita Shavers (born on June 16, 1977) is American actress. ... Jon Avery Abrahams (born 29 October 1977 in New York) is an American actor, most notably playing Bobby Prinze in the horror spoof Scary Movie. ... Joseph Mulrey McIntyre (aka Joe McIntyre, Joey McIntyre), born December 31, 1972 in Needham, Massachusetts, is a singer-songwriter and actor. ... Michelle Monaghan (born March 23, 1976, Winthrop, Iowa, USA) is an American actress. ... Cara DeLizia (born April 10, 1984 in Silver Spring, Maryland) is a young American television actress most known for her potrayal as Fiona Fi Phillips alongside Mackenzie Phillips in the Disney Original Series So Weird. ...

Trivia

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... If I Were a Rich Man is the original song for the musical Fiddler on the Roof. ... For the film, see Fiddler on the Roof (film) Fiddler on the Roof is a well-known Tony Award-winning musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. ... Fyvush Finkel (born October 9, 1923) is an American actor. ... This article is about the actress. ... Picket Fences is a 60-minute drama which initially ran from September 18, 1992 to June 26, 1996 on the CBS television network in the United States. ...

Popular locations

The Dungeon was a classroom in the ground floor of the high school where a large number of the troublemakers were put.

The Basement was a lounge for high school seniors but often used for various extracurricular activities. Zach and Ronnie had sex in the basement one evening while stranded inside the school at the start of winter break. A high school senior, Henry Frears, once rented out the room for students to have safe sex, thus promoting a high school trial with selected students as the jury. Another group of seniors were also caught using the room to sell test answers.

Doyle's Pub was a bar where the teachers would often meet after work to unwind and discuss their lives.

References

External links

Categories: Articles lacking sources from August 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Wikipedia articles needing style editing | Cleanup from December 2006 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles with trivia sections from August 2007 | 2000 television program debuts | 2000s American television series | Boston in fiction | David E. Kelley television programs | Drama television series | Black television drama series | Fox network shows | Seven Network shows | Television shows set in Massachusetts Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... TV.com is a website belonging to the CNET Games and Entertainment family of websites. ...

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