Boston Public is an Americandrama television series created byDavid E. Kelley and broadcast onFox. Set inBoston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictionalpublic high school in theBoston Public Schools district. It features a largeensemble cast and focuses on the work and private lives of the various teachers, students, and administrators at the school. It aired from October 2000 to January 2004. Its slogan was "Every day is a fight. For respect. For dignity. For sanity."[1]
| Boston Public | |
|---|---|
_David_E._Kelley_Productions_logo.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | David E. Kelley |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Danny Lux |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 81(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Running time | 44 minutes |
| Production companies | David E. Kelley Productions 20th Century Fox Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Fox |
| Release | October 23, 2000 (2000-10-23) – January 30, 2004 (2004-01-30) |
| Related | |
History
editBoston Public initially precededAlly McBeal on Monday nights. However,Fox moved it to theFriday night death slot for its fourth season.[2] Viewership declined as a result and it was canceled after the 13th episode aired on January 30, 2004. Production halted after the 15th episode was completed. The final two episodes aired on March 1 and 2, 2005, later in syndication onTV One.[3] Neither episode wrapped up any character stories.
The title of each episode was a numbered chapter, similar to that in ahigh schooltextbook, and each character appeared in a givenstory arc, with the professional and personal lives often intersecting.
Boston Public was the winner of the 2002 Peabody Award ("Chapter Thirty-Seven") from theHenry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.[4]
Cast and characters
edit
| Actor | Character | Seasons | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chi McBride | Steven Harper | 1–4 | Principal |
| Anthony Heald | Scott Guber | 1–4 | Vice Principal |
| Jessalyn Gilsig | Lauren Davis | 1–2 | Social Studies teacher; left Winslow to teach at a private school |
| Nicky Katt | Harry Senate | 1–3 (episodes 1–49) | Teacher of "the Dungeon"; quit in episode 49 |
| Loretta Devine | Marla Hendricks | 1–4 | Social Studies teacher |
| Sharon Leal | Marilyn Sudor | 1–4 | English teacher and music instructor |
| Fyvush Finkel | Harvey Lipschultz | 1–4 | History teacher |
| Rashida Jones | Louisa Fenn | 1–2 | Secretary |
| Thomas McCarthy | Kevin Riley | 1 (episodes 1–13; special guest appearance in episode 18) | Football coach; fired in episode 13 |
| Joey Slotnick | Milton Buttle | 1 (episodes 1–13; special guest appearance in episode 15) | English teacher; fired in episode 13 |
| Kathy Baker | Meredith Peters | 1–2; recurring in season 1 | Teacher |
| Jeri Ryan | Ronnie Cooke | 2–4 | Teacher; assistant vice principal (end of season 3); guidance counselor (season 4) |
| Michael Rapaport | Danny Hanson | 2–4 | Teacher |
| China Jesusita Shavers | Brooke Harper | 2–3; recurring in season 2 | Student |
| Jon Abrahams | Zach Fischer | 3 | Physics teacher |
| Joey McIntyre | Colin Flynn | 3 | English Teacher |
| Michelle Monaghan | Kimberly Woods | 3 (episodes 49–57; not featured in opening credits but receives "also starring" billing) | Teacher; transferred to a school in another state to avoid a dangerous, obsessed student in episode 57 |
| Cara DeLizia | Marcy Kendall | 2–3 (not featured in opening credits but receives "also starring" billing); guest during season 2 | Principal's assistant and student |
| Natalia Baron | Carmen Torres | 4 | Physics teacher |
Episodes
editBoston Public ran for four seasons, consisting of 81 episodes. Each season contained 22 episodes, except the fourth season which had 15 episodes due to cancellation.[5]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 22 | October 23, 2000 (2000-10-23) | May 21, 2001 (2001-05-21) | |
| 2 | 22 | October 29, 2001 (2001-10-29) | May 20, 2002 (2002-05-20) | |
| 3 | 22 | October 21, 2002 (2002-10-21) | May 12, 2003 (2003-05-12) | |
| 4 | 15 | September 19, 2003 (2003-09-19) | January 30, 2004 (2004-01-30) | |
Crossover withThe Practice
editInThe Practice episode, "The Day After" (season 5, episode 14), Kevin Riley asksEllenor Frutt to represent him in a school board meeting when he's fired from Winslow High School, which takes place in theBoston Public episode "Chapter Thirteen" (season 1, episode 13). AfterBoston Public was canceled,Chi McBride reprised the role of Steven Harper on an episode ofThe Practice spin-off seriesBoston Legal in the episode "Let Sales Ring" (season 1, episode 16).
Awards and nominations
editBoston Public received a total of 31 nominations from various award ceremonies, and won 8 of them.[6]
Awards won
edit- Outstanding Art Direction for a Single Camera Series (2001)
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series –Loretta Devine (2001, 2003–2004)
- Peabody Award for Episode "Chapter Thirty-Seven"[7]
- Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor –Thomas Dekker (2004)
Nominations
edit- Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series –Kathy Baker (2001)
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series –Rashida Jones (2002)
- Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series –Loretta Devine (2002)
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series –Vanessa Bell Calloway (2002)
- Outstanding Drama Series (2002–2004)
Television Critics Association Awards
- Individual Achievement in Drama –Chi McBride (2001)
- Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Guest Starring Young Actress –Ashley Tisdale (2001)
- Best Family TV Drama Series (2002)
- Best Performance in a TV Series – Guest Starring Young Actor –Miko Hughes (2004)
- Choice TV Breakout Star Female –Tamyra Gray (2003)
Availability
editIn 2023,TVLine calledBoston Public "lost in the digital age," noting its unavailability on eitherDVD or streaming services.[8]
References
edit- ^Boston Public article,Great Television Shows Blog, February 22, 2007
- ^'Bernie,' 'Boston' Make Friday Switch on Fox
- ^Boston Public: Chapter Eighty episode on TV.com
- ^The Futon Critic
- ^Shows A-Z Boston Public on Fox | TheFutonCritic.com
- ^IMDd: Boston Public
- ^62nd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2003.
- ^Schwartz, Ryan (July 10, 2023)."The 10 Most Requested TV Shows Not Available on a Major Streaming Service — and Where to Potentially Find Them".TVLine. RetrievedApril 18, 2025.
External links
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