I've been watching Boston Public for a couple of weeks now, which is saying a lot, as I don't generally watch TV. I'm not sure why I like it so much. It seems to be devoid of the sexuality that seems to plague most network TV these days. Instead, the focus is on the problems of administering a public high school. Cool.
Granted, there are a lot of off-the-wall things that happen. For instance, one of the teachers was fired because he was having an affair with a student. Another teacher was fired because he had knowledge of the affair and lied to the principal about it. The focus isn't on sexuality, but rather on right and wrong. I think that's a lot of what I like about the show: it seems to have better morals than other shows. The writers actually seem to be able to differentiate between right and wrong, unlike the writers / producers of other FOX shows (read: any reality TV show).
The show is fairly fast-paced, reminding me of ER. It moves around between different sub-plots and thus keeps interest well. The acting is decent, as is the writing. The show seems to reflect life in a fictitious (not sure if it's actually fictitious) public high school. Maybe this works for me because I'm recently out of high school and the issues dealt with are believable. Whatever the reason, I like the show and it's one of the few shows I'll sit through for mere entertainment.
Another plus is the dysfunctionality of the main characters. People aren't perfect. These characters aren't perfect. It makes sense. I can identify with them. That's really key to getting a study audience--get them to identify with what you're producing. It's good stuff.
