ONE SEASON WONDERS: Matt Waters

On Wednesdays, I take a look at shows that lasted one season or less. Here's a look at Matt Waters!

MATT WATERS

Programming Details:
January 3, 1996 - February 7, 1996
6 episodes
CBS

Starring: Montel B. Williams, Kristen Wilson, Richard Chevolleau, Cyndi Cartagena, Felix A. Pire, Nathaniel Marston, Amy Hargreaves and Sam McMurray
Created by: James D. Parriott & Steven Phillip Smith

Plot: Matt Waters (Williams) is a retired naval officer returning to his alma mater, Bayview High School, to teach science after his brother is killed in a gang-related murder. The rest of the cast included his colleagues (Moore, McMurray) and students (Chevolleau, Pire, Cartagena, Marston, Hargreaves)

Brief Pilot Review:
This is a very standard school drama that we've seen in many TV shows and movies. We've got a tough guy who's new to teaching coming in and trying to deal with a population that wants nothing to do with him but of course he's going to win him over with his unconventional teaching methods like offering money to students! Look, I know many TV shows have cliches about the professions they depict, but since I'm a teacher, the school-set ones can sometimes get an extra critical eye from me. 

Montel Williams is not really a great actor. He's not glaringly bad, but he's also not deserving of being the lead in a drama that takes itself too seriously. There are some real cliche moments (yes, there are the actual lines "sometimes you gotta lose the battle to win the war" and "don't go through the rest of your life wondering what you could have been") but some of the kids in the show were solid. Despite my critical eye on shows like this, I always like when good ones appear. Maybe this would have grown into that but Williams' limited acting ability makes me doubt that. Also, every teen drama of that area seemed to use the same or similar font that Matt Waters does.

What Went Wrong:

At the time Matt Waters premiered, Montel Williams was well known for his successful daytime talk show that ran from 1991-2008. It's a good thing that Williams didn't give up his successful gig for this show. Williams' show was somewhere in between The Jerry Springer Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. It dabbled in some tabloid type topics but it was handled in a more respectful way with Williams seeing himself in a mentor/teacher role so that's probably why he thought he could successfully play one on a TV drama despite limited acting experiences.

Reviews were not kind to Matt Waters. It was compared unfavorably to 70s school shows Room 222 and The White Shadow. The Baltimore Sun said "give it an F" while the Washington Post called it "still and shallow." Matt Waters had originally been slated for the Fall of 1995 alongside many other youth-skewing new shows for CBS led by the glossy Central Park West. However, it was deemed not ready and did not debut until January after CBS had an embarrassingly bad fall for its new shows. Ultimately, it didn't fare any better than the new fall shows. Matt Waters was cancelled after six episodes and Williams went back to full time work on his talk show.

Tomorrow: A new feature on the blog - "Very Very" with the first edition being Very Very Snowbound!

Next Wednesday: A One Season Wonder look at Bless This House!