Dangerous Minds

Dangerous Minds is the most appealing and meaningful new drama of the season. And, to borrow a word from the title, it's also the most dangerous. [30 Sept 1996, p.E-1]

It's seldom been done on television any better - in terms of production or acting. The script is intelligent, Potts is terrific, and her students (Vicellous Reon Shannon and Tamala Jones, in particular) are good, too...As a weekly series at 7 p.m., though, Dangerous Minds needs to lighten up a little. It's a bit dark and down. [30 Sept 1996, p.6]

Better than the movie...How often can you say that about a network knockoff? [30 Sept 1996, p.3D]

Some of the conflicts and characters in Dangeous Minds are diluted. Language, by necessity, is a lot less raw, camera work is unnecessarily gimmicky, and most conflicts are resolved more neatly...However, the TV version's writers (including Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider of "Northern Exposure") take as much care as did the movie to not resolve everything nicely or neatly. [30 Sept 1996, p.67]

Potts has some nice moments. Even an actress as able as she, though, ultimately buckles under the tonnage of this character's supremacy, and strong supporting work from Greg Serano, Tamala Jones and Vicellous Reon Shannon as the students she takes under her wing is not enough to shore her up. [30 Sept 1996, p.F10]

If Dangerous Minds had really been interested in such thorny issues, it might have been onto something. Instead, the conversation simply serves to shine Ms. Johnson's halo. That's not exactly credible for a show that pretends to depict gritty reality. [30 Sept 1996, p.C16]

The whole enterprise dissolves too quickly into a '90s version of "White Shadow," with teacher Johnson as the angel of mercy sent to rescue her "at-risk" minority students from the forces of evil. [30 Sept 1996, p.34]