The Education of Max Bickford

2001
The Education of Max Bickford

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 Pilot Sep 23, 2001

An abrasive yet impassioned college professior goes through a midlife crisis.

EP2 Herding Cats Sep 30, 2001

As Max juggles various duties associated with being department chair,the Dean attempts to lighten Max's heavy course load by ordering him to teach a class with Andrea. In other developments, Max ajusts to a pushy new assistant; Nell has trouble relating to her roommate; and the board considers making the school coed.

EP3 Who Is Breckenridge Long? Oct 14, 2001

A well-meaning student committee has voted to honor an elderly alumnus who was a former policy aide to Senator Breckenridge Long. Senator Breckenridge Long conspired long ago to prevent Jewish refugees from landing safely in the United States as they fled from Nazi Germany. This issue is very personal for Max because an aunt of his was denied a visa putting her back in the hands of the Nazis, Eventually, she died in a death camp. Normally, the department chair gives the award, but Max does not want to take part in this act. Max arranges a meeting with the wealthy alumna in order to find out if she took part in the conspiracy. Her story leaves Max torn as he learns that she took part in creating the policy. Max gives the woman the award, but speaks the truth about what the woman did allowing the crowd to know her history and make their own judgments.

EP4 Hearts and Minds Oct 21, 2001

Theo, Max's dream student, prepares to do his thesis on the Vietnam War. When Theo approaches Andrea Haskell to be his thesis advisor instead, Max feels rejected. Angry at Nell's behavior, Max accuses Nell of spending too much time at band practice, which is why her grades have suffered. When Nell's band performs for the first time Max secretly shows up at the club to watch.

EP5 In The Details Oct 28, 2001

Max is worried about his own resolve when his sponsor, who had seemed to be the model of self-control, ends up falling off the wagon after 22 years. While struggling to have faith in himself, Max, who has long questioned the existence of God, is surprised by and ambivalent about Lester's sudden intense desire to have Max join a Temple so he may be Bar Mitzvah'd -- something Lester believes his late mother, a Jewish convert, would have wanted. Meanwhile, Andrea wonders if she made the right decision after reluctantly agreeing to continue as the thesis advisor to Theo, the seemingly contrite visiting male student who made an unwanted advance toward her. And, Judith doesn't know what to tell her husband, Gil, when he finally shows her the first few chapters of the book he is writing -- and she finds them to be less than inspired.

EP6 Do It Yourself Nov 11, 2001

Max is jealous when his son, Lester, seems to prefer spending time with his new friend's fun, active fireman father, and Andrea is surprised and angry to learn that some of her students plagiarized on an assignment. Less-than-handy Max is further disappointed when Lester isn't excited about helping him fix up the ""Handyman's Delight"" he just bought as an investment -- and the father-son relationship becomes even more strained when, after learning that Lester's new friend's father, Gary, let the two boys shoot at cans, he forbids Lester to see Gary. Meanwhile, Andrea -- who had just told her colleagues that the students of inspirational teachers don't cheat -- is deeply troubled by the plagiarists in her class and is torn about whether or not to expel them.

EP7 Revisionism Nov 18, 2001

Max and Judith are shocked to learn that their college friend from Berkeley has long publicly misrepresented her role in the Civil Rights movement. Jay Thomas (Emmy Award winner, ""Murphy Brown"") and Boyd Gaines (Tony Award winner, ""Contact,"" ""The Heidi Chronicles"" and ""She Loves Me"") guest star. Max must decide whether or not to confront Dr. Bernadine Lawford with a student's finding that Bernadine wasn't in this country at the time of the Freedom Rides, though she has long inspired students with her supposedly first-hand experiences of those historic events. Meanwhile, Erica starts dating and doesn't know how to tell her new beau, Paul Finazzio (Gaines), that she was once a man. And, Max and Andrea are forced to spend an evening with Jerry Zibowski (Thomas), an abrasive American Studies professor who is being considered for a position at Chadwick as a means of wooing his physicist wife to a faculty position at the college.

EP8 A Very Great Man Dec 02, 2001

A student with extremely conservative political beliefs brings up charges against Andrea for the liberal bias she believes Andrea has against her in class, and Chadwick's mother/daughter weekend heightens Nell's feelings of loss regarding her late mother. Historical figure Daniel Ellsberg makes a cameo appearance as himself, a guest lecturer discussing his role regarding the Pentagon Papers and the Vietnam War. After Andrea kicks the conservative student, Ana, out of Ellsberg's lecture for heckling him, Ana decides to lodge the official complaint against Andrea -- stating that Andrea's liberal views have affected the way she treats her and grades her. Although she is at first aghast at the charges, Andrea soon begins to wonder if her disgust for Ana's views has, in fact, influenced how she grades Ana's work. Meanwhile, feeling the need to remember and connect with her mother, Nell is especially troubled to learn that Max has started a relationship with Lyla.

EP9 It's Not The Wrapping, It's The Candy Dec 09, 2001

One of Andrea's students turns out to be emotionally disturbed, although Andrea doesn't realize it at first. Andrea feels blindsided -- and partially responsible -- when she misses the tell-tale signs that her student is on the verge of a self-destructive episode. Meanwhile, Erica is forced to reveal her new gender to an important person from her past, her ex-wife, and Max finds a way to make his daughter's academic dream come true.

EP10 The Good, The Bad And The Lawyers Jan 06, 2002

A wealthy student (whose character and grade dispute was featured in the series pilot) hires a top law firm in order to sue Max over her lowered grade. Having put Chadwick at financial risk for lowering Jennifer Redgate's grade after she demanded that he change her B+ to an A, an angry Judith convinces Max to reinstate Jennifer's grade and write the requested letter of apology. But when Jennifer's lawyers inform him that he would have to take a sensitivity training course, Max refuses and her suit soon escalates to punitive damages unless he gives her an A. Caring more about the principle than the consequences - which include the college's threats to strip him of tenure and his chairmanship - Max consults with Andrea's Harvard Law faculty friend and prepares to fight the suit. Meanwhile, Nell fears that Max will spend her promised Columbia University tuition on the case, and Lester is upset to learn of Nell's plans to transfer to a distant school. Two time Tony Award-winner Donna Murph

EP11 Save The Country Jan 13, 2002

Max is conflicted when his lecture on activism inspires a gifted student who was planning to get her doctorate choose instead to go to Pakistan to teach refugee camp children. Although he wants to applaud Anita's convictions, Max's fatherly instincts make him hope that she'll change her mind - especially after her father angrily confronts Max because of Anita's sudden desire to turn down the financial aid, opportunities and safe environment that Berkeley would have provided. Meanwhile, after Yasmin, a Muslim student, faces September 11-related hostility on campus, Andrea tries to support her while also finding a way to teach Yasmin's classmates the value of understanding those with different opinions or cultures. Isaac Hayes (who earned an Oscar, two Grammys and a Golden Globe Award for the ""Theme from Shaft"" and is the recurring voice of Jerome ""Chef"" McElroy on ""South Park"") and Dan Lauria (""The Wonder Years"") guest star.

EP12 The Cost Of Living Jan 20, 2002

Nell dates a college Professor. Josh may lose his job because he sees one of his students

EP13 I Never Schlunged My Father Jan 27, 2002

Max needs to get a healthy lifestyle after learning that his dad is dying

EP14 Money Changes Everthing Feb 24, 2002

Max gives a wealthy woman Kathryn Cahill the wrong Idea when she gives a donation to Chadwick.

EP15 Genesis Mar 03, 2002

Jay Bickford feels his time has come and later sneaks out of the hospital. Andrea's Mom comes back into her life.

EP16 An Open Book Mar 10, 2002

Max finishes his novel but a protest breaks out when some people find themselves in characters from the book.

EP17 Past, Present, Future Mar 17, 2002

Max joins a city planning committee that considers wether to build a mall on a histortic site. His vote decides it.

EP18 Murder of the First Mar 31, 2002

Max finds out Nell can be as forceful as he can be whey they fight over wether Doyle Dumont can speak at Chdwick.

EP19 The Bad Girl Apr 14, 2002

Love is in the air Lester fall in love with a Girl who tries to get him to smoke Andrea falls in love with a tv prodecer.

EP20 The Egg And I Apr 21, 2002

A literary agent, impressed with the manuscript of Max's novel, wants to remake him into her image of a best-selling author.

EP21 One More Time May 12, 2002

An old friend who is a famous dean at Harvard comes to visit Max to ask him to join the faculty there. Meanwhile, Max's ailing father decides to re-marry, to a younger non-Jewish woman, which upsets Max's sister.

EP22 The Pursuit of Happiness Jun 02, 2002

On rejoining a weekly poker game, Max learns of something he did to one of the guys while still a drunk, for which the friend can't forgive him. Nell decides to pawn her guitar so that she can join an expensive music education program.
7.1| 0h30m| TV-PG| en| More Info
Released: 23 September 2001 Ended
Producted By: 20th Century Fox Television
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

The Education of Max Bickford is a television drama that aired from 2001 to 2002 on CBS. It starred Richard Dreyfuss as the title character, a college professor of American Studies at Chadwick College, an all-women's school in New Jersey. Also starring was child actor Eric Ian Goldberg, who portrayed the young Lester Bickford, Max's son. Max's colleagues included Marcia Gay Harden as Andrea Haskell, his former student who had recently joined the faculty, and Helen Shaver as his best friend Erica, previously known as Steve before her transition. Max's daughter Nell, played by Katee Sackhoff, attended the college.

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Reviews

a-beerling For the first time in my live I had the plan asking a television network why they stopped broadcasting a great show. In this case 'The Education of Max Bickford'. The show was aired in Holland every late Sunday night. Following 'The West Wing. Another great show. Watching both shows was a great conclusion of the weekend. And something to look forward to.I already planned an angry e-mail to RTL4, the Dutch network that aired the show.But hey. I found out it was not their mistake. I was shocked to find out CBS ran the show for only one season. Shame on them.
Petri Pelkonen This show tells about the life of a Jewish college professor called Max Bickford (Richard Dreyfuss) and his family, which includes Lester (Eric Ian Goldberg) and Nell (Katee Sackhoff), who also studies at the women's college where her father teaches.Other great characters are Andrea Haskell (Marcia Gay Harden), who's also a professor and Erica Bettis (Helen Shaver), who used to be a man.The Education of Max Bickford ran from 2001 to 2002.My question is why? Why did it last for one season only? I liked it.The comedy worked in it, the drama worked in it and the cast was magnificent.The adult actors were great, the kid actors were great.And then you could see these amazing guest stars making visits.There was Eli Wallach in three episodes as Jay Bickford, Max' father.In one episode there was Peter O'Toole as Sidney McKnight, an old professor.These legends can make any show better, and this one was good already.So why didn't it last? What can you do? Some shows go on and some don't.That's the way it goes.
bob_laird We have been watching Max Bickford since the beginning. As a university professor for the past 35 years, who has been a Chair of a Department, and dealt with Presidents and Deans, Academic Senates and Boards of Governors, I was unsure what to expect when the series started. From my experience, the series truly gives the flavour of academic life, certainly as seen from the perspective of someone who, like Max, has to deal with colleagues of all temperaments and genders. I am often left wondering if the writers were students at MY institution!Beyond the academic realism, the human side of this series is a real joy to watch and savour. To see a parent willing to sacrifice himself for his kids, to stand up for the "old-fashioned" liberal causes he believes in, and to challenge the rich and the powerful when necessary, is to enter again the world of principles and love that had seemed to have been overridden by the social Darwinism so necessary to the operation of the new economic order.This is a great show--we certainly hope that it continues in the CBS lineup--it should have real legs. Thanks.
Rosemea D.S. MacPherson I watched ` The Education of Max Bickford' and found that the premise of the series is quite promising. I like Richard Dreyfuss (American Graffiti, The Good Bye Girl, Mr. Holland's Opus) and know his work pretty well. Max Bickford reminded me of Mr. Holland in Mr. Holland's Opus, a person who is ready to succeed in life, but the problems and circumstances life itself brings stalls his success. He gets just as annoyed as Elliot Garfield, Dreyfuss character in' The Good Bye Girl' does. He does it really well. Actually he can go through a broad spectrum of emotions and succeed. Dreyfus is an outstanding actor. Max Bickford is a professor who seems to be very good. He is a single parent and sole provider for the family. His teenager is a typical rebel teen, and his little son is very wise. The first episode did not show why he is still single, but did mention that his wife had died. He worked a lot in his profession and just found out that one of his ex-students, Marcia Gay Harden (The Spitfire Grill) received a chair instead of him. That made him really mad. I guess I would have made me mad too. It made him made enough to accept the position of department head that he earlier had refused as political garbage. Then there is a she who used to be a he. `Erica Bettis` Helen Shaver' (The Color of Money). The audience is presented with a series of issues, that could raise good discussion between the characters and to create an atmosphere of a great show! My husband and I both enjoyed the first episode. I liked going to college so much that a new show about a teacher brings back that mystery of finding out what a professor is all about! I recommend this series, and please do yourself a favor and watch something fun and intelligent.Good Show!