The Faculty (TV series)
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Neil Thompson
Will Mackenzie
Peter MacKenzie
Jenica Bergere
Peter Michael Goetz
Nancy Lenehan
Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.
| 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 |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| 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]
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
- Jenica Bergere 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 release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Will Mackenzie | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | March 13, 1996 | |
|
Flynn Sullivan (Meredith Baxter) is a junior high vice-principal who must deal with a student accused of writing X-rated graffiti. | |||||
| 2 | "Carlos Garcia" | Tom Cherones | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | March 20, 1996 | |
|
The faculty creates a fictitious overachieving student named "Carlos Garcia" as a joke on new teacher Amanda (Jenica Bergere). | |||||
| 3 | "Opportunity Knockers" | Will Mackenzie | Bill Bryan | March 27, 1996 | |
|
Shelly Ray (Constance Shulman) is offered free treatment from a plastic surgeon if she does not report him to her insurance company after a car crash accident. | |||||
| 4 | "Somewhere There's Music" | Will Mackenzie | Barbara Wallace & Thomas R. Wolfe | April 3, 1996 | |
|
Flynn and Herb (Peter Michael Goetz) attempt to secure more funding for the school band from a frugal school board. Meanwhile, Shelly and Clark battle over a Civil War diary. Janet Hubert guest stars. | |||||
| 5 | "Behavior Among Adults" | Will Mackenzie | Kim Friese | April 10, 1996 | |
|
A sex education class becomes too hot to handle and Daisy (Nancy Lenehan) relinquishes control of the supply closet. | |||||
| 6 | "Spirit Day" | Glenn Casale | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | April 24, 1996 | |
|
Shelly has little enthusiasm for the school's annual "Spirit Day"--especially after she and Flynn have an argument that carries over into the day's festivities. | |||||
| 7 | "Daisy's Secret" | Jeff Meyer | Cheryl Holliday | April 24, 1996 | |
|
While Daisy serves jury duty, a temp discovers that school property is missing, leading the staff to wonder if their secretary is a thief. Dawnn Lewis guest stars. | |||||
| 8 | "He's the Janitor" | Will Mackenzie | Gary Murphy & Neil Thompson | May 8, 1996 | |
|
Flynn's been in a drought -- datewise -- since her divorce, but she really cleans up when she snags a contractor who's later hired as the school janitor. Lyman Ward, Angelo Tiffe and Michael McGrady guest star. | |||||
| 9 | "Bus Stop" | Will Mackenzie | Bill Bryan | May 29, 1996 | |
|
Clark and Shelly get lost on a field trip with a busload of kids. Meanwhile, back at the school, Flynn's pugnacious mother visits. Lynsey Bartilson and Bonnie Bartlett guest star. | |||||
| 10 | "Parents' Night" | Jeff Meyer | Barbara Wallace & Thomas R. Wolfe | June 5, 1996 | |
|
Flynn is stressed out over her job and agrees to take an experimental anti-anxiety drug; Amanda needs some mothering at her first parents' night; and Herb has a reunion date with a college sweetheart. Kathleen Noone, Pat Millicano and Marianne Muellerleile guest star. | |||||
| 11 | "Clark's Crisis" | Tom Cherones | Cheryl Holliday | June 12, 1996 | |
|
Flynn tries to lift the spirits of a dejected Clark after he and his wife separate. Amanda organizes a birthday party for Al, a school-bus driver. Jack McGee, Adrienne Evans and Mike Hagerty guest star. | |||||
| 12 | "The Brain Teaser" | Glenn Casale | Kim Friese | June 19, 1996 | |
|
Shelly sponsors a student in the Academic Challenge; Herb needs to lower his cholesterol and Luis offers his assistance. Ernest Liu and Troy Mallory guest star. | |||||
| 13 | "Julie's Party" | Tom Cherones | Barbara Wallace & Thomas R. Wolfe | June 26, 1996 | |
|
Flynn plans an 18th-birthday party for her daughter Julie (Sharon Annett), who's away at college; but when Julie backs out, mom is suspicious and visits her dorm. Cee Cee Michaela and Phil Buckman guest star. | |||||
Background and production
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]