Boston Public | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama |
Created by | David E. Kelley |
Starring |
Jessalyn Gilsig Chi McBride Anthony Heald Nicky Katt Thomas McCarthy Loretta Devine Joey Slotnick Rashida Jones Sharon Leal Jeri Ryan Jon Abrahams China Jesushita Shavers Joey McIntyre Natalia Baron Michael Rapaport Kathy Baker Fyvush Finkel |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 81 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
David E. Kelley (2000–2002) Jonathan Pontell (2000–2004) Jason Katims (2001–2004) |
Running time | 44 minutes |
Production company(s) |
David E. Kelley Productions 20th Century Fox Television |
Distributor | 20th Television |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | October 23, 2000 | – January 30, 2004
Chronology | |
Related shows |
The Practice Boston Legal |
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school in the Boston Public Schools district. It features a large ensemble 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."
Boston Public initially preceded Ally McBeal on Monday nights, became revered and received critical acclaim for its drama and ethnically diverse cast. However, Fox moved it to the Friday night death slot for its fourth season. 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 on TV One. Neither episode wrapped up any character stories.
The title of each episode was a numbered chapter, similar to that in a high school textbook, and each character appeared in a given story arc, with the professional and personal lives often intersecting.
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.
Boston 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.
In The Practice episode, "The Day After" (season 5, episode 14), Kevin Riley asks Ellenor Frutt to represent him in a school board meeting when he's fired from Boston Public, which takes place in the Boston Public episode "Chapter Thirteen" (season 1, episode 13). After Boston Public was canceled, Chi McBride reprised the role of Steven Harper on an episode of The Practice spin-off series Boston Legal in the episode "Let Sales Ring" (season 1, episode 16).