Season #: 2, 1
Critic Reviews
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An ostensibly ridiculous but subtly intelligent soap.
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It's... a lot of fun: "The O.C." for the Stanley H. Kaplan set.
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Dramatically speaking, what douses a bit of the fire of this ensemble show are a few non-compelling characters and/or bad actors.
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A lot less salacious, and a lot more cerebral, than it sounds.
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It's probably too much to ask costars Matthew Modine and Broadway royalty Audra McDonald to inject some depth, but we're pleading anyway. [31 Mar 2006, p.57]
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So much of tonight's series pilot feels so glib and rings so false, it's hard to believe this soapy saga comes from the quality-not-quantity production team of Tom Fontana and Julie Martin.
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Although more like "Felicity" than "The Paper Chase" in attitude and subject matter, early indications are that the characters in this eight-episode series have neither the depth nor texture of either of those shows.
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As an ensemble they are, like their teacher, attractive but not very exciting. [10 Apr 2006, p.35]
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The setup produces neither juicy soap opera nor original, searing drama. The Bedford Diaries is a limp noodle.
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The show takes the characters' angst and obsessions much too seriously, elevating their histrionics to soap-operatic levels when it should be flirting with satire.
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Youngsters in this age group might find the show intriguing. The rest of us, censorship or no, will likely be bored.
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About 10 years too late to qualify as provocative.
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Disheartening proof that even the most talented producers sometimes concoct a prime-time crock.
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The Bedford Diaries... is not merely the worst show of the vernal season but one of the worst ever concocted by the soon-to-vanish WB.
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Problem is, the characters are neither likeable enough to cheer for nor despicable enough to loathe. They're just sort of unformed lumps of gray clay with a few stereotypical streaks of color.
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The university setting is intended to lend some intellectual weight to all the sexual imagery and conversation, but the road to mediocre TV drama is paved with such disingenuous intentions.
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The student characters seem weak and inauthentic, and many of the actors look as though they're going through college for the third or fourth time.
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It wants to be shockingly frank but is mostly dour and phony.
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Oddly enough, the sex isn't what's offensive about the show. Everything else is.
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This silly excuse for a show is made up of a great-looking ensemble in the most blatant teen-sexuality show in broadcast history.
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"The Bedford Diaries" is just woeful -- the most trite, forced and stage-managed piece of empty titillation you're likely to see.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 13
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Mixed: 0 out of 13
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Negative: 1 out of 13
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deannabOct 10, 2006
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hasanrMay 15, 2006this is the best show ever, it talks about real problems, I wish they give it another season
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VIVIANCMay 13, 2006I think it is a good show. It is about real life situtations.