What can I say about Richard Dreyfuss that hasn't already been said in reviews. Having seen all his movies, he never ceases to amaze me at the character roles he develops. He will never be a romantic leading man, but his diversity allows the viewer to love him for who he is without being the stereotypical male actor. I feel like I know Max but he is more complicated than the show has yet to divulge."The Education of Max Bickford" has really grown on me. As I predicted I didn't think Aunt Erica/Uncle Stevie could be a recurring theme for long. Even though, CBS didn't overdue it with that role but it too added some interesting plots to the series along with humor. I also loved the way Richard Dreyfuss has evolved Max into a more lovable character, with the human flaws and frailties we all can identify with in our middle-age, daily lives. His children, Nell and Lester are typical of kids today on a multifaceted levels. And Max is finding dating at his age awkward, after many years of marriage and the subsequent loss of his wife. Then to compound matters, and I can really identify with this; his irascible father enters the picture with all the stubbornness and hard-headedness he displayed his whole life.Max is sandwiched in between two generations both of which he can identify with to a point, but never fully understands either. To add to the interest of his teaching at Chadwick they have incorporated Marcia Gay Hardin, aka Andrea Haskell, who does a wonderful job on the series. She adds some of the balance that Max needs in his life but again she is a colleague and not a new love interest, even though he had his one time fling with her, while she was a student at the college. Perhaps a more intimate relationship will blossom as the show progresses.For me it will be interesting to see what follows next season because the writers and Dreyfuss have allowed for a wide open door of possibilities. The surprise guest cast even keeps the show on its proverbial toes and adds another dimension and spark for the viewers. One thing I can say that holds my interest is that even though the setting doesn't change, the stories are always a surprise and fully entertaining. Many shows are so predictable that after several episodes one becomes bored. But for Max Bickford, I would give the show a 9.5 on the rating scale.

Just goes to show you, after reading recent comments, no change will please everyone. I am in the camp that was getting tired of watching the "severe" Max Bickford, and was considering dropping it all togther, until they changed the focus and softened him up a bit. I watch the show because I find it entertaining, and it usually makes me think. It seldom tries to come up with a solution, but it touches on such diverse topics as transexuality, aging, doing drugs, lying to parents, bigotry, free speech, plagarism, and on and on. I suppose daughter "Nell" is my favorite character. I know "Max", I am almost Max in my own world. But Nell is a good, bright, conflicted girl trying to find her path into and through young adulthood. I like this show, however I wouldn't expect everyone to. You have to be in touch with the real world.

Apparently, the creators of "The Education of Max Bickford," have LEFT the show, because the honchos at CBS want to make Max more "sympathetic." Why does corrupt corporate marketing constantly encroach upon quality television? One of the things that makes "Bickford" such a delight is its departure from one-dimensional characters and caricatured portrayals which are so endemic to network programming. Yes, Max is hypocritical, contradictory, enervating and downright offensive. And yet, amidst all his spiritual blemishes, Max's good intentions, deep respect for his colleagues and love for his family shine through. As opposed to the black-and-white world of the cop-medical legal dramas that pervade our airwaves these days, the main character's complexity enhances his humanity, rather than diminishes it. Sound like someone you know? Look around...there's more than just a little bit of Max Bickford in each of us. Perhaps the lower ratings are due to the uniquely American need for blinding escapism, albeit at the cost of introspection. God forbid network television should be an instrument of self-reflection. No, they need those ratings, those delicious and oh-so-informative demographics, which translate into advertising revenue and profit. Where is our profit as the intelligent, discriminating TV viewer, huh? HUH?

I like many people watched this show in preparation for the TV movie on "9/11". I must admit when I saw Richard Dreyfus was starring I thought that this show had a lot of promise. Unfortunatly I was wrong.This show is billed as a comedy, unfortunately the show was neither funny nor innovative. The show that I watched involved a script which gets loose and many of the fellow faculty gets mad at him, then after everyone has read the script, he gets locked in the basement of the school.If you think this sounds like something you have seen, don't think twice... they took two common sitcom ideas and combined them (the misunderstanding followed by getting locked in a room with someone you hate). Well it is common to reuse other shows ideas this show added nothing interesting, and was quite boring. I believe the show was trying to give shock value but it wasn't, I believe that the show was supposed to get us to watch more of the show, and it turned me directly away from this show.The writing is mediocre, the comedy is none existing, but the only good thing about this show is Richard Dreyfus' acting, which is not enough to keep your interest.