History Series / BostonPublic

* LoopholeAbuse: Sheryl Holt's favorite way of saving her ass, her website, and its content. After a while, Guber got really sick of dealing with her, so he turned the tables and used a simple loophole of his own: Since every time he suspended Sheryl and her father would send a lawyer, Guber simply did the math and realized how costly it will be in the long run if he keeps on suspending her ''every single day'' and then force the lawyer to wait for him for a few hours.

* LoopholeAbuse: Sheryl Holt's favorite way of saving her ass, her website, and its content. After a while, Guber got really sick of dealing with her, so he [[KickTheSonOfABitch turned the tables and used a simple loophole of his own]]: Since every time he suspended Sheryl and her father would send a lawyer, Guber simply did the math and realized how costly it will be in the long run if he keeps on suspending her ''every single day'' and then force the lawyer to wait for him for a few hours.

A comedy-drama series created by Creator/DavidEKelley and airing on {{Creator/FOX}}, ''Boston Public'' basically told the story of the TeenDrama from the point of view of the teachers. It took place in Winslow High, a public high school in Boston, hence the show's title. ''Boston Public'' was basically ''Degrassi'' [[RecycledInSpace in America!]], except the teachers are the troubled ones.

* AdultsAreUseless: Both played straight and {{inverted|trope}}. The faculty ''does'' generally make attempts to help; they're just not always effective or successful. But parents? Forget it. They are always portrayed as either useless, pretentious, or overprotective of their kids; setting [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] double standards for children and teachers; and going for {{Frivolous Lawsuit}}s about twice per episode. In most cases, this [[AllForNothing undermined every effort made]] by the teachers to help the kids, successful or not.

* BlackRepublican: Marilyn revealed that not only she was a Republican, but was against [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States affirmative action]], after a white student protested publicly against it (which, turns out, was for a petty reason - a black student was admitted into Harvard with GPA lower than his, but only by a ''tenth of a point'' and the white student was already admitted into Yale). Principal Harper and especially teacher Marla aren't sympathetic (Marla basically calls her a traitor), but during a debate, she explains her point of view concisely which brings more understanding. She also reveals that despite being Republican, she's for a 3-day wait period for gun control, against the death penalty, and regarding prayer in schools, she says that "she's a Republican, not [[Series/The700Club Pat Robertson]]."

** In a Season 2 episode, Danny leads a class discussion about the n-word and receives lots of flack for it from Marla and Steven, the latter of whom actually ends up taking over the discussion after Danny, in a fit of anger at being denied the chance to explore the double standard that exists around the racial slur, suggests he do so.

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy: Principal Steven Harper is bald and black.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: The faculty and the students are constantly growing in numbers, while some of them quit or graduate. It's even impossible to point out the main character and if it's the school itself.

* SatelliteCharacter: Despite impressive cast, the series circles almost entirely around them and everyone else is just an extra that exists only as long as they interact with the main cast. This is particularly notable with any sort of love interests, especially if they are Gruber's.

%%* InnerCitySchool

%%* SatelliteCharacter

%%* SoapBoxSadie

* ArmorPiercingResponse: When Harvey is facing termination for his bigotry in season one, Kevin Jackson, a Black student speaks out against it. The following exchange is what saves Harvey's job:

'''Steven Harper:''' It doesn't offend you when he says it's his job to get your Black ass into college?
-->'''Kevin:''' Not really.
-->'''Steven:''' Why not?
-->'''Kevin:''' Because he will. That man will get my Black ass into college.

A comedy-drama series created by Creator/DavidEKelley and airing on {{Creator/FOX}}, ''Boston Public'' basically told the story of the TeenDrama from the point of view of the teachers. It took place in Winslow High, a public high school in Boston, hence the show's title. ''Boston Public'' was basically ''Degrassi'' [[AC: [[RecycledInSpace In America!]]]], except the teachers are the troubled ones.

* CodeSilver: One of the episodes from the first season revolves around a lock-down of the school and a desperate attempt by the police to find a student who murdered a restaurant owner.

** There was also Jenna Miller, a pretty teacher who once counseled a male student (who had been ogling her ass and even started to reach out to touch it) that smart guys get the chicks with "nice asses." Guber even describes her as "a nasty little thing."

* {{Jerkass}}: '''Many''' of the parents who show up, in addition to being neglectful or abusive, generally behave like absolute assholes toward the faculty. Let's name a few examples, shall we?

** In "Chapter Four," John [=LaBlonde=]'s blame Steven for their son's suicide.

* MortonsFork: Invoked [[spoiler:but ultimately subverted]] in "Chapter Three." A linebacker for the school football team is [[spoiler:seemingly]] gay and expects to share the same accommodations, including shower facilities, as the other players. The teachers discuss the dilemma they face: If they deny his request, he will sue for anti-gay discrimination; if they grant it, the other players could sue for sexual harassment. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a false dilemma, as the player isn't even gay.]]

** Harvey once used the term "African-American Black-Colored Negroes." No one was particularly amused.

* PetTheDog: Guber, several times.

** After being fired, Kevin delivers one to Steven about his double standards, hypocrisy, authoritarian ways, and walking away from any serious problems. Even if he's doing it out of anger and spite, [[StrawmanHasAPoint he is right]].

** Harvey, Marla, and Harry should be ''all'' fired right in the first episode for their quirks and highly questionable actions, yet they're part of the regular cast.

** Early in Season 1, there's Walter Harrellson, who pretty much expects the teachers to give his son Jason the lessons he needs.

* BreakTheHaughty: This happens to Guber in a Season 1 episode. Guber orders Harvey to go see a doctor to ascertain his mental state. Later, he receives an invitation to conduct an orchestra in Northampton, which requires him to drive for two hours to get to the symphony. Once Guber arrives, he's devastated to find out that Northampton doesn't have a symphony. He returns to Winslow and goes on the warpath, searching for the one responsible for pranking him; he first suspects Harry, then a visiting Milton, and Lisa Greer. The true culprit is revealed to be Harvey. Guber is dumbfounded.

-->'''Harvey''': Pick a new target, Scott.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Steven and Scott, to the point where they invite each other over for Thanksgiving dinner and exchange Christmas presents.

* HotTeacher: Lauren, Marilyn, Ronnie, and Carmen are all very attractive, to say the least. There was even a student poll where students voted for which teacher they wanted to sleep with most.

* NoMedicationForMe: Marla doesn't want to take her meds because she "can't feel anything" under them. Just for the record, she's mentally unstable and left her class with a suicide note on the board.

* PsychologistTeacher: Bob "Big Boy" Lick. Students either ridicule or openly hate him.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Steven.

* StalkerWithACrush: Lauren dates one of these at first before realizing what a psycho he is. And get this? He used to be a student of hers.

* TwoTeacherSchool: While the faculty is quite big for a show set in the school, it's still around 10 people all the time. And did you notice that the only non-Humanities teacher ever mentioned in first three seasons is Math teacher who is a PosthumousCharacter?

* AdultsAreUseless: Both played straight and {{inverted|trope}}. The faculty ''does'' generally make attempts to help; they're just not always effective or successful. But parents? Forget it. They are always portrayed as either useless, pretentious, or overprotective of their kids, setting [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritical]] double standards for children and teachers, and going for {{Frivolous Lawsuit}}s about twice per episode. In most cases, this [[AllForNothing undermined every effort made]] by the teachers to help the kids, successful or not.

* BadBoss: Superintendent Marsha Shinn in the first season. She seemed more interested in getting Steven fired for both his own actions (specifically slamming a bully against a locker in defense of another student in the very first episode) and the unusual antics of his faculty than backing him up. There is a reason she has the nickname "The Dragon Lady."

* BreakTheHaughty: This happens to Guber in a Season 1 episode. Guber orders Harvey to go see a doctor to ascertain his mental state. Later, he receives an invitation to conduct an orchestra, which requires him to drive for two hours to get to the symphony. Once Guber arrives at his destination, he's devastated to find out that the symphony doesn't exist. He returns to Winslow and goes on the warpath, searching for the one responsible for pranking him; he first suspects Harry, then a visiting Milton, and Lisa Greer. The true culprit is revealed to be Harvey. Guber is dumbfounded.

-->Oh, my head's up a horse's ass. I feel like...[[ItMakesSenseInContext bending over and pooping in my mouth]].

-->'''Marla:''' Excuse me... Are you guys any good?

* CodeSilver: One of the episodes from the first season revolves around a lock-down of the school and a desperate attempt by the police to find a student who is the murderer of a restaurant owner.
* CrossOver: With ''Series/ThePractice'' and later ''Series/BostonLegal''.

* EpicFail: The student body gives the Teacher of the Year award to Guber in an attempt at BehavioralConditioning in order to get him to lighten up. The condition works but not as they want it. Instead of viewing it as negative punishment (removing their hatred in an attempt to get him to change his behavior) as the students intended, he views it as positive reinforcement (the students appreciated the job he was doing) and continued to act as before. They seem to not have learned from their parents not to reward unwanted behavior.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Gruber took a lot of flak for firing Riley, who failed to report his fellow teacher's affair with a student. However, in having an affair with a student, Buttle was committing sexual abuse. Riley, as a teacher, was a mandatory reporter, required to report any instance of child abuse he discovered. This is the law, and the law doesn't care about how anyone feels, or if the abuser is a friend. Legally, Riley did not have the option to give Buttle the choice to end the relationship or turn himself in on his own. Failing to carry out his legal duty made Riley a criminal. Similarly, Gruber had no choice but to fire Riley for failing to carry out his duty as a mandatory reporter.
* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: The series started off featuring things that regularly happen in inner city high schools. Later seasons had really weird things happen, like a student getting electrocuted and thinking he's Jesus.
%%* LesbianJock

* LoopholeAbuse: Sheryl Holt's favorite way of saving her ass, her website, and its content. After a while, Guber got really sick of dealing with her, so he [[KickTheSonOfABitch turned the tables and used a simple loophole of his own]]--since every time he suspended Sheryl and her father would send a lawyer, Guber simply did the math and realized how costly it will be in the long run if he keeps on suspending her ''every single day'' and then force the lawyer to wait for him for a few hours.

* MortonsFork: Invoked [[spoiler:but ultimately subverted]] in a Season 1 episode. A linebacker for the school football team is [[spoiler:seemingly]] gay and expects to share the same accommodations, including shower facilities, as the other players. The teachers discuss the dilemma they face: if they deny his request, he will sue for anti-gay discrimination; if they grant it, the other players could sue for sexual harassment. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a false dilemma, as the player isn't even gay.]]

** In a Season 2 episode, Danny leads a class discussion about the n-word and receives lots of flack for it from Marla and Steven, the latter of whom actually ends up taking over the discussion after Danny suggests he do so.

* NapoleonDelusion: In the fourth season, a student gets electrocuted and believes he's UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}.

* TeacherStudentRomance: Buttle begins a relationship with Lisa Greer, whom he believes is a college student but later learns is a student at Winslow High. He ultimately ends up getting fired for it.

* TroubledSympatheticBigot: Harvey is completely oblivious about how bad his bigotry is. He doesn't even think about himself as a bigot and when he finally realizes it, it's a HeroicBSOD for him.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Gruber took a lot of flak for firing Riley, who failed to report his fellow teacher's affair with a student. However, in having an affair with a student, Buttle was committing sexual abuse. Riley, as a teacher, was a mandatory reporter, required to report any instance of child abuse he discovered. This is the law, and the law doesn't care about how anyone feels, or if the abuser is a friend. Legally, Riley did not have the option to give Buttle the choice to end the relationship or turn himself in on his own. Similarly, Gruber did not have the choice but to fire Riley for failing to carry out his duty as a mandatory reporter.

A comedy-drama series created by Creator/DavidEKelley and airing on {{FOX}}, ''Boston Public'' basically told the story of the TeenDrama from the point of view of the teachers. It took place in Winslow High, a public high school in Boston, hence the show's title. ''Boston Public'' was basically ''Degrassi'' [[AC: [[RecycledInSpace In America!]]]], except the teachers are the troubled ones.

* RunningGag: InUniverse. The students have a joke to riotously cheer Harvey singing "If I Were a Rich Man" during assembly, despite his being bad at it. It's been going on for ''20 years'' and he has no clue, even refusing to believe a colleague when they told him.

* RunningGag: InUniverse. The students have a yearly pledge to riotously cheer Harvey singing the same song during assembly, despite his being bad at it.