Teachers (2006 TV series)
Teachers is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC. The show ran for six episodes from March 28 until its cancellation on May 2, 2006. Loosely based upon a 2001 UK series of the same name, it was developed by Matt Tarses, co-executive producer of the medical comedy "Scrubs". Overview. Set in New Jersey, "Teachers" stars Justin Bartha as Jeff Cahill, a skilled, irreverent young English teacher at the fictitious Filmore High School, whose apparent apathy toward his job masks his actual wisdom concerning teaching at an underfunded school. Sarah Alexander co-stars  as idealistic British history teacher Alice Fletcher, his only kindred spirit on the faculty, for whom Jeff also has romantic feelings. Alice does not reciprocate these feelings, but she is becoming fonder of him. Radio personality Phil Hendrie plays Dick Green, an apathetic phys-ed and physics teacher, who spends his afternoons behind the gym. Deon Richmond plays Calvin Babbitt, the drama teacher whose attitude about teaching falls somewhere between Jeff's and Alice's. He often gets caught up in Jeff's schemes. Kali Rocha stars as the uncaring, rule-abiding Principal Emma Wiggins. Matt Winston stars as Mitch  Lenk, a math teacher and lap dog to Principal Wiggins. It is implied that he is romantically interested in her. Sarah Shahi stars as Tina Torres, an attractive teacher from Mexico. She is Alice's possible rival for Jeff's affections, though it seems Jeff prefers Alice. It is revealed in Episode 05 ("Testing 1-2-3") that she does not have her teaching license, having gone to school, but taking jobs before she took her finals. However, she stated later in the episode that she will be taking them. Production. Like many American sitcoms, "Teachers" was shot before a  studio audience. The series began development under the title "Filmore Middle", which reflected its original middle school setting. Though adapted for American television by Matt Tarses, a writer and producer of the critically lauded series "Sports Night" and "Scrubs", "Teachers" was panned by many critics (including the "San Francisco Chronicle"'s Tim Goodman) as unoriginal and clichéd. The show was quickly cancelled by NBC, the news coming on May 15. Ratings. Based on average total viewers per episode of "Teachers" on NBC: