The Faculty (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Faculty was an American sitcom
starring Meredith Baxter
as a middle school
administrator. The show aired on ABC
from March 1996 to May 1996.
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. Co-creator Neil Thompson called it "an adult-based show," and said that the relationships among the school's staff were the central element.
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
.
: "everyone around her can be a little nuts, but there has to be some center there that viewers can believe in."
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.
Baxter was also one of the show's executive producers, along with Thompson, whose parents and sister were teachers, and Gary Murphy.
.
Reviews of the show were generally unfavorable. Matt Roush of USA Today
said The Faculty "fails the critical tests of originality and pungency," although he called Baxter the show's "one unmistakable asset." 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
. Frederic Biddle 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."
In contrast, The San Diego Union-Tribune
's John Freeman praised the show, calling its ensemble cast
"notably strong" and naming Shulman and Goetz as stand-outs.
The Faculty won its time slot with its premiere episode, placing 34th in the weekly Nielsen ratings
.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
starring Meredith Baxter
Meredith Baxter
Meredith Baxter , also known for some years as Meredith Baxter-Birney, is an American actress and producer. She is known for her acting roles including three television series: Family , an ABC television-network drama, Family Ties , an NBC television-network situation comedy, and Dan Vs. , a...
as a middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
administrator. The show aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from March 1996 to May 1996.
Premise
Baxter played Flynn Sullivan, a divorcedDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
vice-principal
Vice-principal
In larger school systems, a principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal or assistant principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making authority that the principal carries...
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. Co-creator Neil Thompson called it "an adult-based show," and said that the relationships among the school's staff were the central element.
The premiere episode featured Sullivan's decision whether to expel
Expulsion (academia)
Expulsion or exclusion refers to the permanent removal of a student from a school system or university for violating that institution's rules. Laws and procedures regarding expulsion vary between countries and states.-State sector:...
a student for painting graffiti on a school wall that accused a teacher of having sex with a sheep
Zoophilia
Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
.
Cast
- Meredith BaxterMeredith BaxterMeredith Baxter , also known for some years as Meredith Baxter-Birney, is an American actress and producer. She is known for her acting roles including three television series: Family , an ABC television-network drama, Family Ties , an NBC television-network situation comedy, and Dan Vs. , a...
as Flynn Sullivan, school vice principal - Jenica Bergere as Amanda, new math teacher
- Peter Michael GoetzPeter Michael GoetzPeter Michael Goetz is an American actor.Goetz was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Esther L. and Irving A. Goetz, a construction engineer. Goetz studied at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and the University of Minnesota, from which he...
as Herb, school principal - Nancy LenehanNancy LenehanNancy Lenehan is an American actress who has appeared in film and television since the 1980s. Her most recent starring role was on the short-lived sitcom Worst Week. She also co-starred as Sandy Kelly, the matriarch in the sitcom Married to the Kellys...
as Daisy, Herb's secretary - Peter MacKenziePeter MackenziePeter MacKenzie is an American actor. His first major role was on Herman's Head. He is a character actor. He also played "Mr. Firestein" in the season 3 episode of The Drew Carey Show titled "The Sex Drug", as Mimi Bobeck's counsel in her sex harassment case against Nigel Wick, and co-starred in...
as Clark, a history teacher - Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.. as Luis, a school nurse
- Constance Shulman as Shelly, Flynn's best friend and the school's most cynical teacher
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." 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 RichardsMary Richards
Mary Richards, portrayed by Mary Tyler Moore, is the main character of the television sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show.-Family:Mary Richards, born in Roseburg, Minnesota, is the daughter of Walter and Dottie Richards...
: "everyone around her can be a little nuts, but there has to be some center there that viewers can believe in."
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
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
). She and her colleagues considered settings including a fashion magazine
Fashion journalism
Fashion journalism is an umbrella term used to describe all aspects of published fashion media. It includes fashion writers, fashion critics or fashion reporters...
, an advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
and a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
before deciding on a school.
Baxter was also one of the show's executive producers, along with Thompson, whose parents and sister were teachers, and Gary Murphy.
Reaction and cancellation
The Faculty premiered on Wednesday, March 13, 1996 as a midseason replacementMidseason replacement
In American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
.
Reviews of the show were generally unfavorable. Matt Roush of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
said The Faculty "fails the critical tests of originality and pungency," although he called Baxter the show's "one unmistakable asset." Howard Rosenberg
Howard Rosenberg
Howard Rosenberg is a retired TV critic for the Los Angeles Times. He worked there for 25 years and won a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. In recent years he has written the book No Time to Think: The Menace of Media Speed and the 24-Hour News Cycle with Charles S. Feldman and compiled an anthology of...
of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
said the sitcom was "of light merit," comparing its characters unfavorably to the funnier school personalities of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. Frederic Biddle 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."
In contrast, The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
's John Freeman praised the show, calling its ensemble cast
Ensemble cast
An ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
"notably strong" and naming Shulman and Goetz as stand-outs.
The Faculty won its time slot with its premiere episode, placing 34th in the weekly Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
.