Bad Teacher (2014) User Reviews (11)

Love Ari Graynor but I'm uncertain about the concept

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 10 May 2014]

Meredith Davis (Ari Graynor) is getting divorced but she's left with nothing since she signed a prenup. When she's at the elementary school, she notices all the rich single dads. She decides to get close by being a teacher. She befriends principal Carl Gaines (David Alan Grier) and fakes a resume. She is the worst possible teacher. Irene (Sara Gilbert) is the meek pushover teacher. Ginny (Kristin Davis) is the mean queen bee. Joel (Ryan Hansen) is the nice gym teacher.

I kind of feel the same way about this show as I did the movie. Bad teacher isn't bad enough. The only way this show would work is if the show is completely inappropriate. Of course that would rule out a network TV show. Therefore it's trapped in a neverland where she's mean but she always pulls back to do the right thing.

I love Ari Graynor and her comedic sense. I first noticed her in 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' as the drunk best friend. They really need to rethink the concept behind the show. For example, I think it would be better for Meredith to have a best friend or a sister companion. Quite frankly, I'm not sure that 'Bad Teacher' is a good concept for network TV. What's next? 'Bad Santa'? It's canceled 3 episodes in.

The humor is pretty good, but I think it could be edgier

[hazysistersunshine33 · 6/10 · 12 July 2014]

If you've seen the movie, then you know the basic premise of the TV show. This time it's Ari Gayner plays the divorcée who has to lower herself to getting an actual job as a teacher because her husband left her for a younger woman. She's a real sex pot and a foul mouth. She's also pretty shallow, but she seems to learn a lesson and show a little ethics and the kids all seem to like her. It's all going to work out in the end with some lesson on the way. The humor is pretty good, but I think it could be edgier. It would be better on a pay station where they could really get raunchy with it. I've only seen the pilot, but I will get around to watching the second someday.

Awful and in bad taste.

[plex · 1/10 · 25 April 2014]

I saw the movie with Carmen Diaz and sort of liked it for what it was, a dark fluff film. But IMO, that should have been the beginning and end of it. Ripped directly from the feature film, the TV version is far more annoying, and the main premise of the show had already played itself out by this first episode. It sort of reminds me of what Peg Bundy ( from Married with Children), as THAT character, would have been if she were allowed to become a grade-school teacher. But MWC worked because it WAS so ridiculous, a sort of updated version of All In the Family, set to a Bugs-Bunny cartoon. Bad Teacher fails because it tries to sell us on its credibility, which is a BAD move on their part. Aside from that, the other main problem I see for this show is the casting of the central character Ari Graynor as the bad teacher. She's bad alright, bad at acting, and not likable at all. Her character is supposed to be someone who is hot enough to attract interest from all the men she meets and mingle within the show. I simply don't see that she's that person. I hope the network yanks this one, PRONTO!

Waste of time

[theremedysolution · 1/10 · 1 May 2014]

Literally...one of the worst shows I have seen since that garbage the Crazy Ones. It was like getting a root canal with the lame attempts at humor designed for an adult audience downplayed for TV. Disney animated movies are more intelligent and better written. Rather watch re-runs of MASH then this junk. I really don't know where CBS is going with their new TV line up? This last episode was so contrived and ridiculous I feel sorry for not only those that watched it, but also to those that had to act out the script. It must have been ridiculous for them. Or they were saying, "getting paid". Or they are just bad at their jobs and expect us to say "it's all good". Frankly Cameron Diaz must be having a whole bottle of Chardonnay thinking..."wow, how did they take a good movie and crap out this show?"

Worst than a waste of ti

[clairelu60 · 1/10 · 12 September 2019]

I've seen movies/shows with worse acting than this, shows where actors don't even know who their character is, shows with plots so generic than a toddler could predict the premise of every episode. And I've loved many of those movies/shows, just from the charm and the feel-good atmosphere. They're a guilty pleasure, something you love despite the fact that you know it has zero substance.

This series has all the bad acting, lack of chemistry and boring plot with but none of the charm. The main character, Meredith, bribes her students to act like they're learning with fake money, she stalks a guy two minutes after meeting him, and takes her class of children with her, she goes to a child's parents workplace and makes a false, public claim of sexual assault (simply because they were worried about her teaching style, which is warranted since she never worked a day before lying her way into the job, let alone get a teaching degree). Had any of these things been explained at all, by some tragedy in her life, the show might not have seemed so awful, but there was no explanation. In fact multiple characters laughed it off and after watching this woman hit on a rich guy solely for his money in every episode, we are expected to believe she is a good person.

I shouldn't like it but I do.

[irncldgiant · 10/10 · 12 July 2014]

I don't know what it is about this show but it ticks all the right boxes. The cast is funny, I really don't like the villain, the guest characters don't over shadow anything yet they still add flavor and it really is enjoyable. Sure it's probably not going to get any "recognition" but who cares? I have fun watching it and it entertains me. Which when you boil it all down(surprise surprise) is exactly what entertainment is supposed to do, be entertaining. If you've watched the movie great, Cameron Diaz needs all the help she can get right now, if you haven't that's good too. Just accept this for what it is and stop trying to find hidden meaning in it. It's a comedy that makes me laugh. What more do you want?

Another movie that should never have been a series

[JoJoWatcher · 1/10 · 26 April 2014]

They took a movie I thought was OK (6/10) and turned it into a bad series. The jokes were not good, and it is easy to see that this theme of the sexy bad girl teacher will run its course well before this first season is over. I keep a pretty open mind when it comes to new shows, because you never know when you might be catching the first episode of a hit. I watched the entire episode and don't remember getting so much as a giggle or smirk. I am willing to give the show another episode, but unless there are different/better writers who worked on episode two I am just expecting more of the same. Hopefully they can prove me wrong. I really do not think that they will air the entire first season, and if they do it will be a miracle if they get a 2nd season. I find it hard to believe that no other ideas CBS had were better than this.

Kristin Davis is a scene stealer!

[Sylviastel · 8/10 · 17 May 2014]

The show is loosely adapted from the film with Cameron Diaz who starred in the film and is now producer. The show has an all star cast with David Alan Grier as the principal. Kristin Davis shines as the history teacher who aspires to be principal. Davis plays the teacher who thinks she knows it all. Ari Graynor plays Meredith also known as the bad teacher who aspires to marry a rich guy and live a life of leisure. She also gets away with much and causes trouble. She was the popular cheerleader type of girl who the boys came too. Davis' character is her opposite. As somebody who works in the school system, there are a lot more teachers like Meredith out there. Much like the students, the teachers have cliques. Those kids don't change as adults. While I could go on and on about the school politics and the system, I won't. This is a comedy and its not bad.

Outragesly awful

[jazebelle · 1/10 · 13 May 2014]

Oh wow. I'm still dumbfounded after the first episode of Bad Teacher. This series is very bad. My face was twisted in disgust throughout the first 10 minutes of the show. I can't believe it actually got aired, even though it's been canceled now. Off all the shows that have not been renewed for a second season, canceling Bad Teacher was the best decision ever made. Poor story line, horrible writing, extremely immature acting skills and zero chemistry from all the characters. Actresses like Sara Gilbert and Kristin Davies deserved to be seen in much better roles instead of wasting their talent on such mediocre screen time. What's worse is, in this day and age, where we have good quality sitcoms such as Brooklyn Nine-nine, Moms and a few more that recently debuted, Bad Teacher is horribly miss placed and should have been trashed on its first script itself. It's very trashy and impossible to sit through. The only attention it will gain is a pile of bad reviews from baffled audiences

The Worst Show Ever

[AngSC38 · 1/10 · 9 May 2014]

This is a horrible show, shouldn't have even been on in the first place!! It's immoral & I would yank my kid from that school if there were ever a teacher like this there. I didn't ever even watch the movie so I definitely will not be watching the show. There is enough immoral happenings in our school system without encouraging more. I have only met a few that act inappropriately, I see most of it on the news but nevertheless, shows like this should never be on, I don't know what idiots approved this for TV, but need to be fired! I don't think the movie shouldn't have ever been made less lone the show. Needless to say, this is the worst piece of crap I've seen & there has been some really bad ones before.

A very well written and hilarious show

[bcjanmay-comp · 10/10 · 17 July 2014]

A very good show which for some reason has low ratings here.

I am a big fan of shows like community and In betweeners (US version). This too has tons of cheesy comic lines.

I have watched the original Diaz's version and feel that this one's 1000x times funnier than that.

The show's leading lady Ari Graynor is too good.

Especially the acting of Sara Gilbert (science teacher) and the kid Sara Rodier (lily) is beyond awesome.

This show has great actors and super dialogues.

The gym teacher(way better and fitter than Jason Segel) and the principal are awesome, especially the science exhibition episode was ultimate.

All in all a great watch. Hilary Winston rock on.