Bad Education
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The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Bad Education is an edgy British comedy about a high school teacher who is absolutely terrible at his job. It's your standard boundary-pushing comedy in that most of its humor comes from things that would be generally accepted as inappropriate, including drug use, alcohol abuse, constant profanity (including by high school students), sexual innuendo, statutory rape, and gender and racial stereotypes. A wide variety of profanity is used, including "c--t," "s--t," "tw-t," "p---y," etc. Consequences for bad behavior are almost never seen, and when they are, another character often bails out the offender so there's no accountability. And of course, the central joke is that a high school teacher is the one who most frequently displays this bad behavior, and nearly always in front of his students.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Not that bad
Definitely not an 17+
I think it should be 12+
What's the story?
BAD EDUCATION is an edgy British comedy about Alfie Wickers (Jack Whitehall), a high school teacher who is absolutely terrible at his job. His headmaster and peers are taken in by his boyish charm, while his students want to keep him around for the easy A. Instead of learning about history, they help Mr. Wickers in his seemingly endless pursuit of a date with fellow teacher, Miss Gulliver (Sarah Solemani), who keeps him at arm's length.
Is it any good?
Television as a medium has proven itself capable of just about anything, and yet almost every "edgy" comedy from the past two decades is pretty much the same. Bad Education starts with a decent premise -- a teacher who's more immature than his students -- but then just lazily hits the same marks as every post-Family Guy offense-fest that's had so much as a three-episode run. Unfortunately, that includes racial stereotypes, gender stereotypes, inappropriate behavior with students, jokes about statutory rape, jokes about Nazis, jokes about "slave labor," and jokes about disabilities. The performers are charming and naturally funny enough that sometimes the jokes land, and the show can at times be fun to watch, but for the most part, Bad Education is working off of lesson plans that haven't been updated in 20 years.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about teachers. What do we know about Mr. Wickers? What do you think he likes about being a teacher? Is there anything that makes him a good teacher?
How does the school compare to your experience at school? Are the classes anything like regular classes? Do any of the teachers or administrators act like your teachers or administrators? Do the students remind you of your fellow students?
What do you think is the impetus behind Mr. Wickers' decision to become a teacher? Is any sort of backstory offered?
TV details
- Premiere date: August 14, 2012
- Cast: Jack Whitehall, Sarah Solemani, Mathew Horne
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Comedy
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Available on: Streaming
- Last updated: September 24, 2020
Our editors recommend
For kids who love British humor
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
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