The Faculty (TV series)
The Faculty | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy |
Created by | Gary Murphy Neil Thompson |
Directed by | Tom Cherones Will Mackenzie |
Starring | Meredith Baxter Peter MacKenzie Jenica Bergere Peter Michael Goetz Nancy Lenehan Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. |
Composer | Ed Alton |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Production companies | Meredith Baxter Productions Thompson-Murphy Productions ABC Productions |
Distributor | ABC Distribution Company |
Release | |
Original network | ABC |
Original release | March 13 June 26, 1996 | –
The Faculty is an American sitcom starring Meredith Baxter as a middle school administrator.[1] The show aired on ABC from March to June 1996.[2][3]
Premise[]
Baxter played Flynn Sullivan, a divorced vice-principal balancing the demands of her career with single motherhood. The Faculty was notable among school-based programs for its focus on activity in Hamilton Middle School's faculty lounge, rather than in the classrooms.[4][5] Co-creator Neil Thompson called it "an adult-based show," and said that the relationships among the school's staff were the central element.[4]
The premiere episode featured Sullivan's decision whether to expel a student for painting graffiti on a school wall that accused a teacher of having sex with a sheep.[6]
Cast[]
- Meredith Baxter as Flynn Sullivan, school vice principal
- as Amanda Duvall, new math teacher
- Peter Michael Goetz as Herb Adams, school principal
- Nancy Lenehan as Daisy Skelnick, Herb's secretary
- Peter MacKenzie as Clark Edwards, a history teacher
- Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.. as Luis Jackson, a school nurse
- Constance Shulman as Shelly Ray, Flynn's best friend and the school's most cynical teacher[4][6][7]
Episodes[]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Pilot" | Will Mackenzie | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | March 13, 1996 |
2 | "Carlos Garcia" | Tom Cherones | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | March 20, 1996 |
3 | "Opportunity Knockers" | Will Mackenzie | Bill Bryan | March 27, 1996 |
4 | "Somewhere There's Music" | Will Mackenzie | Barbara Wallace & Thomas R. Wolfe | April 3, 1996 |
5 | "Behavior Among Adults" | Will Mackenzie | Kim Friese | April 10, 1996 |
6 | "Spirit Day" | Glenn Casale | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | April 24, 1996 |
7 | "Daisy's Secret" | Jeff Meyer | Cheryl Holliday | April 24, 1996 |
8 | "He's the Janitor" | Will Mackenzie | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | May 8, 1996 |
9 | "Bus Stop" | Will Mackenzie | Bill Bryan | May 29, 1996 |
10 | "Parents' Night" | Jeff Meyer | Barbara Wallace & Thomas R. Wolfe | June 5, 1996 |
11 | "Clark's Crisis" | Tom Cherones | Cheryl Holliday | June 12, 1996 |
12 | "The Brain Teaser" | Glenn Casale | Kim Friese | June 19, 1996 |
13 | "Julie's Party" | Tom Cherones | Barbara Wallace & Thomas R. Wolfe | June 26, 1996 |
Creation[]
Baxter said that the role of Flynn Sullivan appealed to her because it was a break with TV tradition, portraying an "intelligent, capable woman" who "isn't looked at a sexual object or as a target" and "doesn't need to be defended and protected and rescued."[1] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer described Flynn as "90 percent dignity, 10 percent dizziness." Baxter said she "would love to go with less dignity" but compared the character to Mary Richards: "everyone around her can be a little nuts, but there has to be some center there that viewers can believe in."[8]
In creating the show, Baxter knew she wanted to set it in a workplace as opposed to a family home, in contrast with her previous work (such as the hit 1980s sitcom Family Ties). She and her colleagues considered settings including a fashion magazine, an advertising agency and a newspaper before deciding on a school.[8]
Baxter was also one of the show's executive producers, along with Thompson, whose parents and sister were teachers, and Gary Murphy.[4][7]
Reaction and cancellation[]
The Faculty premiered on Wednesday, March 13, 1996 as a midseason replacement.[4]
Reviews of the show were generally unfavorable. of USA Today said The Faculty "fails the critical tests of originality and pungency," although he called Baxter the show's "one unmistakable asset."[9] Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times said the sitcom was "of light merit," comparing its characters unfavorably to the funnier school personalities of The Simpsons.[6] of The Boston Globe was particularly negative, calling Baxter a failure as a physical comedian and decrying "the stick-figure boobies who pass for supporting characters."[10]
In contrast, The San Diego Union-Tribune's praised the show, calling its ensemble cast "notably strong" and naming Shulman and Goetz as stand-outs.[11]
The Faculty won its time slot with its premiere episode, placing 34th in the weekly Nielsen ratings.[2][3]
References[]
- ^ a b Winslow, Harriet. "'The Faculty': Meredith Baxter, Vice Principal." The Washington Post, 1996-03-10, p. Y3.
- ^ a b Margulies, Lee. "TV Ratings: Two 'Frasiers' Help NBC to Lopsided Win." Los Angeles Times, 1996-03-20, p. 9.
- ^ a b Graham, Jefferson. "ABC's dramatic twist 'Murder' back minus Benzali; 'Noah' returns." USA Today, 1996-05-20, p. 1D.
- ^ a b c d e McCabe, Bruce. "Inside the teachers' lounge." The Boston Globe, 1996-03-10, p. 4.
- ^ Nichols, Judy. "Worth Noting on TV." Christian Science Monitor, 1996-03-12, p. 14.
- ^ a b c Rosenberg, Howard. Los Angeles Times, 1996-03-13, p. 3.
- ^ a b Bianculli, David. "In Charge Of "The Faculty": New Comedy Puts Meredith Baxter In Authority Role On Both Sides of Camera." St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1996-03-14, p. 41.
- ^ a b Moore, Frazier. "Meredith Baxter No Woman in Distress in Her New 'Faculty.'" Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1996-03-13, p. C4.
- ^ Roush, Matt. "Uninspired 'Faculty' goes by rote." USA Today, 1996-03-13, p. 3D.
- ^ Biddle, Frederic. "'Faculty' has a lot to learn." The Boston Globe, 1996-03-13, p. 78.
- ^ Freeman, John. "Baxter, cast have distinct faculty for sitcom humor". The San Diego Union-Tribune, 1996-03-13, p. E7.
External links[]
- The Faculty at IMDb
- 1990s American school television series
- 1990s American sitcoms
- 1996 American television series debuts
- 1996 American television series endings
- American Broadcasting Company original programming
- English-language television shows
- Middle school television series