The WORST episodes of Boston Public

Every episode of Boston Public ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Boston Public!

Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place. It featured a large ensemble cast and focused on the work and private lives of the various teachers, students, and administrators at the school. It aired from October 2000 to January 2004. Its slogan was "Every day is a fight. For respect. For dignity. For sanity."

Last Updated: 8/29/2026Network: FOXStatus: Ended
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#1 - Chapter Fifty

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/25/2002

Violence and compassion commingle in this insightful episode. In the main plot, a rebellious, Irish-American teen squares off against an offended, African-American classmate in a racially incited brawl that distresses their caring teacher and leads to a more contentious fray with principal Harper. In other storylines, Winslow teachers undergo peer evaluations where Ronnie reluctantly grades Zach, with whom she has a somewhat romantic involvement; and Marla seeks to arrange medical help for a hearing-impaired student, whose parents aren't receptive.

Directors: Jeannot Szwarc
Writer: Jason Katims
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#2 - Chapter Sixty-One

Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/24/2003

Tensions surface over Ronnie's new post; Aisha's participation in the school musical and her relationship with J.T.; Harvey's required recertification; and Danny's care for his niece.

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#3 - Chapter Sixty

Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/17/2003

Emotional Marla imperils a promotion; rattled Hanson tends to a 4-year-old niece; conflicted Aisha (Tamyra Gray), recast in the school musical, confronts her jealous boyfriend.

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#4 - Chapter Fifty-Nine

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/10/2003

Anxiety besets Winslow staffers, scrutinized by the mayor's spy; a teacher's sex scandal is grist for the mill of student TV-journalists; boyfriend-related tensions affect school-musical star Aisha.

Directors: Bethany Rooney
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#5 - Chapter Fifty-Seven

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/10/2003

Valentine's Day marks the arrival of Guber's watchful mother; awakens a troubled coed's feelings for Kimberly; and trifles with romances among Winslow faculty members.

Directors: Robert Yannetti
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#6 - Chapter Fifty-Six

Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/3/2003

Guber's speech team star has an issue, Russell decides on a college, while mixed signals rattle Colin as his affair comes to a close.

Directors: Mike Listo
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#7 - Chapter Fifty-Five

Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/20/2003

Moral and ethical dilemmas surround Flynn's adulterous affair; the college recruitment of Winslow's basketball star; and the plight of a pregnant teen.

Directors: Steve Robman
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#8 - Chapter Fifty-Four

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/13/2003

Anne Archer plays willful and sultry Patricia Emerson, whose daughter Becky is a student in an English class taught by Colin Flynn. At a home-tutoring session for Becky, Mrs. Emerson comes on to Flynn. It's an attempted seduction that really heats up when Emerson---who says she's related to the poet-essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson---begins interpreting Emily Dickinson's ""The Sea"" for him as a poem rich in sexual metaphors. Elsewhere, Winslow's basketball coach denies charges that he illegally recruited a star player---who's enamored of Harper's daughter.

Directors: Michael Zinberg
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#9 - Chapter Fifty-Three

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 1/6/2003

A teen's pregnancy sensitizes Guber; a gang slaying deeply affects Kimberly and her prize student; romantic liaisons have differing impacts on Ronnie and Hanson.

Directors: Joe Napolitano
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#10 - Chapter Fifty-Two

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/16/2002

This holiday episode is enriched by dramatic confrontations, romantic complications and poignant reconciliations. For openers, the tense situation in a previous installment involving a parish priest and an altar boy yields a startling revelation from Hanson. In other storylines, Guber and Marylin are partnered in an off-campus dance class; Ronnie and Zach are increasingly frustrated in their zealous search for a secret trysting place; and Lipschultz is predictably discomforted---especially by an invitation to attend his black son's family gathering on Christmas Day.

Directors: Elodie Keene
Writer: Jason Katims
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#11 - Chapter Fifty-One

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/2/2002

A jailed Harper faces a manslaughter charge in the death of a student's father; a rebellious teen receives unsolicited help from Hanson, who uncovers the youth's dark secret.

Directors: Mike Listo
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#12 - Chapter Sixty-Two

Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/31/2003

Courtroom drama energizes Ronnie, who's defending two teens in a murder arraignment; high test scores by poor students prompt Guber's undercover investigation.

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#13 - Chapter Forty-Nine

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/18/2002

Senate's erratic behavior rattles Ronnie and prompts a telling showdown with Harper; pupil misconduct provokes a new teacher, whose youth belies grit.

Directors: Robert Yannetti
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#14 - Chapter Forty-Eight

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/11/2002

A sex scandal among teens rocks Winslow and prompts a mock trial of the accused instigator, a clean-cut senior who's defended, prosecuted and judged by his peers.

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#15 - Chapter Forty-Seven

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/4/2002

Temporary synopsis from TV Guide: Misconduct charges target Guber, who's up against a new superintendent; race issues fester between Marla and Danny; reckless student driving sparks reproach.

Directors: Mike Listo
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#16 - Chapter Forty-Six

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/28/2002

Temporary synopsis from TV Guide: Harsh echoes resound from the student riot; the Danny-Marla confrontations lead to racist allegations against her; a drug deal entraps one of Guber's prized pupils.

Directors: Arlene Sanford
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#17 - Chapter Forty-Five

Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/21/2002

A new year arrives at Winslow High and new tensions immediately arise. Brooke is caught in the middle when a group of students plan a walkout because the administration has been unable to handle crucial issues such as toxic mold in the bathrooms and overcrowded classrooms. Harper and Guber try to talk to the students, but the students see it as another weak attempt to appease them. And when the students stage the walkout, a riot quickly ensues. Meanwhile, Marla finds a newborn baby in the toilet and discovers that her student Amy had just given birth and left the baby in the bathroom. Amy insists that she wanted her baby and was coming back to get her. Marla rationalizes that Amy was in shock and was coming back immediately. To protect Amy, Marla tells the police that her baby was on the floor. This prompts Danny, who is highly suspicious, to tell Harper and Guber, who are then forced to notify the authorities that evening. Senate runs into his student, Trina, while taking a drive in R

Directors: Jonathan Pontell
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#18 - Chapter Forty-Four

Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/20/2002

Staff and students at Winslow High struggle to get on with their lives after a number of tragic events.

Directors: Jonathan Pontell
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#19 - Chapter Forty-Three

Season 2 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/13/2002

Lauren and Marilyn investigate a student who seems to be eating her own hair. Danny is discovered having sent letters home to the ""over-weight"" girls in his class after he is punched a girl who receives one of these letters. Marla goes to Steven and Scott about this issue, asking that he be fired. Meanwhile, Scott and Steven are continuing to have personality conflicts regarding leadership. Jamal Crenshaw's brother, Amaad, murders a store clerk and soon after, Jamal confides in Harry. Harry takes it to Ronnie, a past lawyer, who believes that Jamal's best bet is to turn himself in. However, when he doesn't; Harry and Ronnie do. Later on, Amaad comes to visit Harry at Winslow High and when things get out of hand, Harry calls the police. But before he can give them any details, he is stabbed by Amaad; three times.

Directors: Mike Listo
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#20 - Chapter Forty-Two

Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 5/6/2002

As the prom approaches, female students outrage the faculty when they auction themselves as dates, while Harper deals with angry students who oppose his allowing a gay student to compete for the queen's crown.

Directors: Arlene Sanford
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#21 - Chapter Forty-One

Season 2 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/29/2002

Ronnie puts together a surprise birthday party for Senate but her good intentions quickly turns into chaos when all the guests resort to bickering and nitpicking at each other. Among the sparks at the party, Lipschultz snoops into Harper's briefcase and reveals his application for headmaster at an opposing school, while Lauren and Scott grow closer together as she has her own issues after being called a perfectionist.

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#22 - Chapter Seventy-Two

Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/31/2003

A student discovers Harper and Marilyn have been secretly dating and threatens to go to the school board; Hanson and Claire try to assist a student who is having trouble with his dad.

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#23 - Chapter Eighty-One

Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/2/2005

Ronnie catches a male teacher hugging a female student; Hanson worries that he may be a control freak following an incident in his Drivers' Education class; several students are caught photographing themselves nude with only words written across their bodies.

Directors: Mike Listo
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#24 - Chapter Eighty

Season 4 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/1/2005

A former student of Winslow High dies in Iraq while serving the U.S. Army. Principal Harper receives a letter from the deceased student which brings back old memories back to the days when he took care of him and pulled him away from a life in the gutter. Danny Hanson struggles with a student in his class who's been hacking into the school's computer base; finding out about the teachers' private lives and upcoming tests.

Directors: Michael Rapaport
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#25 - Chapter Seventy-Nine

Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/30/2004

Henry gives bad advice to a brainiac student who wants to become an artist; Marla has a miscarriage; Rainy is thrown out of her foster home.