The Education of Max Bickford
Season 1
TV-PG
79%
A history professor teaches at a women's college where his daughter is a student.
Where to Watch Season 1
22 Episodes
- Herding CatsE2
Herding CatsAs 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. - Hearts and MindsE4
Hearts and MindsTheo, 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. - In The DetailsE5
In The DetailsMax 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. - It's Not The Wrapping, It's The CandyE9
It's Not The Wrapping, It's The CandyOne 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. - The Good, The Bad And The LawyersE10
The Good, The Bad And The LawyersA 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 - Save The CountryE11
Save The CountryMax 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.
