Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "teacher-as-protagonist"
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1. Abbott Elementary (2021– )
TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy
A workplace comedy centered around a group of dedicated teachers - and an oblivious principal - in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life.
Stars: Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tyler James Williams, Lisa Ann Walter
Votes: 34,703
2. Bad Teacher (2011)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Romance
A lazy, incompetent middle school teacher who hates her job, her students, and her co-workers is forced to return to teaching to make enough money for breast implants after her wealthy fiancé dumps her.
Director: Jake Kasdan | Stars: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch
Votes: 212,676 | Gross: $100.29M
3. Election (1999)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Romance
A high school teacher meets his match in an over-achieving student politician.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Loren Nelson, Chris Klein
Votes: 104,554 | Gross: $14.88M
4. Head of the Class (1986–1991)
TV-G | 30 min | Comedy
A laidback teacher provides needed guidance about life for a special class of exceptional students.
Stars: William G. Schilling, Jeannetta Arnette, Dan Frischman, Robin Givens
Votes: 3,428
5. Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
A compassionate teacher returns to his inner city high school of his youth to teach a new generation of trouble making kids.
Stars: Gabe Kaplan, Ron Palillo, John Travolta, Marcia Strassman
Votes: 7,542
6. Freedom Writers (2007)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves and pursue education beyond high school.
Director: Richard LaGravenese | Stars: Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn
Votes: 85,390 | Gross: $36.61M
7. Trilogy of Terror (1975 TV Movie)
Unrated | 72 min | Horror, Thriller
Three bizarre horror stories, all of which star Karen Black in four different roles playing four tormented women.
Director: Dan Curtis | Stars: Robert Burton, John Karlen, George Gaynes, Jim Storm
Votes: 8,719
8. Notes on a Scandal (2006)
R | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her fifteen-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond a platonic friendship.
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Andrew Simpson, Tom Georgeson
Votes: 84,589 | Gross: $17.51M
9. Cooties (2014)
R | 88 min | Action, Comedy, Horror
A mysterious virus hits an isolated elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.
Directors: Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion | Stars: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer
Votes: 28,576 | Gross: $0.06M
10. Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
PG | 89 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After a cyber-attack reveals the identity of all of the active undercover agents in Britain, Johnny English is forced to come out of retirement to find the mastermind hacker.
Director: David Kerr | Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko, Emma Thompson
Votes: 83,264 | Gross: $4.41M
11. Bad Education (2012–2024)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
Comedy series about a teacher who is a bigger kid than the kids he teaches.
Stars: Layton Williams, Mathew Horne, Charlie Wernham, Jack Whitehall
Votes: 13,727
12. Dangerous Minds (1995)
R | 99 min | Biography, Drama
LouAnne, a retired US marine, becomes a teacher in a Californian high school. But her mostly Latino and black students from an impoverished and racially segregated locality do not easily embrace her.
Director: John N. Smith | Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, Courtney B. Vance, Robin Bartlett
Votes: 57,079 | Gross: $84.92M
13. One Eight Seven (1997)
R | 119 min | Drama, Thriller
15 months after being stabbed 9 times by a student at work as a high school teacher in NYC, Mr. Garfield is working in LA as a substitute teacher come full-time. He refuses to be a victim anymore.
Director: Kevin Reynolds | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, John Heard, Kelly Rowan, Clifton Collins Jr.
Votes: 25,107 | Gross: $5.72M
14. A.P. Bio (2018–2021)
TV-14 | 21 min | Comedy
A former philosophy professor who takes a job teaching advanced placement biology uses his students to get back at the people in his life who have wronged him.
Stars: Glenn Howerton, Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, Jean Villepique
Votes: 16,682
15. Mr. D (2012–2018)
30 min | Comedy
Follows a teacher juggle through being a teacher and deal with his students while trying to maintain his not so cool lifestyle.
Stars: Gerry Dee, Jonathan Torrens, Lauren Hammersley, Naomi Snieckus
Votes: 2,797
16. Stand and Deliver (1988)
PG | 103 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Jaime Escalante, a high school teacher who successfully inspired his dropout-prone students to learn calculus.
Director: Ramón Menéndez | Stars: Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan, Virginia Paris
Votes: 22,340 | Gross: $13.99M
17. Great Teacher Onizuka (1999–2000)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Comedy, Drama
About Eikichi Onizuka, a 22-year-old ex-gangster member and a virgin. He has one ambition that no one ever expected from him. His sole life purpose is to become the greatest high school teacher ever.
Stars: Steve Blum, Kirk Thornton, Jun'ichi Suwabe, Wataru Takagi
Votes: 11,285
18. Rita (2012–2020)
TV-MA | 40 min | Comedy, Drama
Schoolteacher Rita is a very outspoken, rebellious woman who is competent in the classroom but needs her own advisor when it comes to her personal life.
Stars: Mille Dinesen, Lise Baastrup, Nikolaj Groth, Carsten Bjørnlund
Votes: 10,113
19. Room 222 (1969–1974)
30 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Teacher Pete Dixon tries to teach the students at Walt Whitman High to be tolerant. He's assisted by girlfriend and school counselor, Liz and student teacher (later teacher) Alice. The students love him.
Stars: Lloyd Haynes, Denise Nicholas, Michael Constantine, Karen Valentine
Votes: 1,221
20. Fist Fight (2017)
R | 91 min | Comedy
When one school teacher unwittingly causes another teacher's dismissal, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
Director: Richie Keen | Stars: Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, Christina Hendricks
Votes: 45,624 | Gross: $32.19M
21. Bad Teacher (2014)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
Centers on a sexy, foul-mouthed divorcée who becomes a teacher to find her next husband.
Stars: Ari Graynor, Sara Gilbert, Ryan Hansen, Sara Rodier
Votes: 2,949
22. The Principal (1987)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A teacher is assigned to be the principal of a violent, crime-ridden high school.
Director: Christopher Cain | Stars: Jim Belushi, Louis Gossett Jr., Rae Dawn Chong, Michael Wright
Votes: 11,804 | Gross: $19.73M
23. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992–1997)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy, Family, Sport
American comedy with a larger-than-life teacher and his housemates.
Stars: Mark Curry, Holly Robinson Peete, Sandra Quarterman, Marquise Wilson
Votes: 3,578
24. The Teacher (2023)
115 min | Drama
A Palestinian schoolteacher struggles to reconcile his risky commitment to political resistance with the chance of a new relationship with volunteer-worker Lisa and his emotional support for one of his students Adam.
Director: Farah Nabulsi | Stars: Muhammad Abed Elrahman, Nabil Al Raee, Mahmood Bakri, Saleh Bakri
Votes: 215
25. Mr. Iglesias (2019–2020)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
A good-natured high school teacher working at his alma mater works with gifted but misfit and disinterested students.
Stars: Gabriel Iglesias, Sherri Shepherd, Jacob Vargas, Maggie Geha
Votes: 7,907
26. Teachers (2016–2019)
TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy
Teachers show their hilariously warped perspective as six elementary school educators try to mold young minds although their own lives aren't really together.
Stars: Caitlin Barlow, Katy Colloton, Kate Lambert, Katie O'Brien
Votes: 3,615
27. Blackboard Jungle (1955)
Approved | 101 min | Crime, Drama
A new English teacher at a violent, unruly inner-city school is determined to do his job, despite resistance from both students and faculty.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern, Margaret Hayes
Votes: 9,881
28. High School High (1996)
PG-13 | 86 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
Richard Clark has just left the well-known Wellington Academy to teach at Marion Barry High School. Now, he will try to inspire the D-average students into making good grades and try to woo a fellow teacher.
Director: Hart Bochner | Stars: Jon Lovitz, Tia Carrere, Louise Fletcher, Mekhi Phifer
Votes: 14,243 | Gross: $20.95M
29. Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor (2017)
TV-14 | 24 min | Animation, Action, Comedy
The new teacher at a magical academy doesn't seem to care about anything until a threat to the school shows a whole new side of him.
Stars: Sôma Saitô, Akane Fujita, Yume Miyamoto, Ari Ozawa
Votes: 2,876
30. Teachers (1984)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
A well meaning but burned-out high school teacher tries to maintain order against the backdrop of a pending lawsuit against his school district when it comes to light they gave a diploma to an illiterate student.
Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Nick Nolte, JoBeth Williams, Judd Hirsch, Ralph Macchio
Votes: 4,681 | Gross: $27.77M
31. School of Life (2005 TV Movie)
PG | 111 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A new teacher squares off against his crusty competitor for a teacher of the year award.
Director: William Dear | Stars: David Paymer, Ryan Reynolds, John Astin, Andrew Robb
Votes: 6,202
32. Max Dugan Returns (1983)
PG | 98 min | Comedy, Drama
An English teacher and struggling single mother's life is disrupted when her long-lost father, who abandoned her as a child, returns with some shady money in the hope of spending some time with her and the grandson he's never met.
Director: Herbert Ross | Stars: Jason Robards, Marsha Mason, Donald Sutherland, Matthew Broderick
Votes: 3,971 | Gross: $17.61M
33. F (2010)
R | 79 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A group of teachers must defend themselves from a gang of murderous youths when their school comes under siege after hours.
Director: Johannes Roberts | Stars: David Schofield, Eliza Bennett, Ruth Gemmell, Finlay Robertson
Votes: 4,203
34. Dismissed (2017)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A straight-edged teacher finds trouble when an honors student is willing to do anything to get an A.
Director: Benjamin Arfmann | Stars: Kent Osborne, Dylan Sprouse, Rae Gray, Alycia Delmore
Votes: 8,004
35. Spoor (2017)
Not Rated | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Janina Duszejko, an elderly woman, lives alone in the Klodzko Valley where a series of mysterious crimes are committed. Duszejko is convinced that she knows who or what is the murderer, but nobody believes her.
Directors: Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik | Stars: Agnieszka Mandat, Wiktor Zborowski, Jakub Gierszal, Patricia Volny
Votes: 6,043
36. Accident (1967)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
At Oxford, Austrian student Anna von Graz (Jacqueline Sassard) is dating fellow student William (Michael York), whom she plans to marry, but she ends up involved with two unhappily married Oxford professors instead.
Director: Joseph Losey | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker, Jacqueline Sassard, Michael York
Votes: 4,985
37. Bug (1975)
PG | 99 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
An earthquake releases a strain of mutant cockroaches with the ability to start fires, which proceed to cause destructive chaos in a small town. The studies carried out by scientist James ... See full summary »
Director: Jeannot Szwarc | Stars: Bradford Dillman, Joanna Miles, Richard Gilliland, Jamie Smith-Jackson
Votes: 2,641 | Gross: $3.60M
38. Up the Down Staircase (1967)
Approved | 124 min | Drama
The experiences of a young female English teacher in an inner-city New York high school.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Patrick Bedford, Sandy Dennis, Eileen Heckart, Ruth White
Votes: 2,479
39. Mademoiselle (1966)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama
Residents of a small French town are quick to accuse Manou of arson because he seduced most of the town's women. No one suspects the real culprit, a woman committing random crimes, all in an attempt to draw Manou's attention to herself.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Ettore Manni, Keith Skinner, Umberto Orsini
Votes: 1,631
40. Point de fuite (1987)
TV-MA | 10 min | Short, Comedy
A math teacher arrives at classroom to give a lesson on perspective only to find her students sitting there completely naked and in silence. Totally confused, she proceeds with the class. But there's a catch.
Director: Olivier Smolders | Stars: Catherine Aymerie, François Galland, Stéphanie Dessens, Sarah Lefévre
Votes: 440
41. A Frosty Affair (2015 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 96 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance
A rom-com about the adventures of a small town teacher, Kate Carter, going back to the city for her wedding. After a blizzard strikes, she is forced to travel with a stranger named Redford who leaves her questioning her future plans.
Director: Dylan Pearce | Stars: Jewel Staite, Shawn Roberts, Chris Craddock, Shaun Johnston
Votes: 2,021
42. Going In (2023)
97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Toronto, 1989. Leslie and Reuben were inseparable best friends until a toxic lifestyle tore them apart. Now, when their city is overrun by a wild new drug, they're forced to reunite and infiltrate a deadly underground game to stay alive.
Director: Evan Rissi | Stars: Ira Goldman, Evan Rissi, Victor D.S. Man, Chanelle Luu
Votes: 94
43. Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff (1979)
R | 105 min | Drama
An abusive sexual relationship between a white spinster schoolteacher and a young black janitor in 1956 Kansas complicates her struggle to come to grips with her sexuality and emotions.
Director: Marvin J. Chomsky | Stars: Anne Heywood, Donald Pleasence, Robert Vaughn, Earl Holliman
Votes: 456
44. The Magus (1968)
R | 117 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A teacher on a Greek island becomes involved in bizarre mind-games with the island's magus (magician) and a beautiful young woman.
Director: Guy Green | Stars: Anthony Quinn, Michael Caine, Candice Bergen, Anna Karina
Votes: 1,904
45. School's Out (2018)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A substitute teacher is put in charge of a class of future geniuses after their teacher commits suicide.
Director: Sébastien Marnier | Stars: Laurent Lafitte, Emmanuelle Bercot, Luàna Bajrami, Victor Bonnel
Votes: 3,115
46. Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed (2013)
Not Rated | 108 min | Comedy, Drama
In Spain in 1966, an English teacher picks up two hitchhikers on his quest to meet John Lennon.
Director: David Trueba | Stars: Javier Cámara, Natalia de Molina, Francesc Colomer, Ramon Fontserè
Votes: 6,590 | Gross: $0.01M
47. Unser Lehrer Doktor Specht (1992–1999)
90 min | Drama, Family
German television program about Dr. Specht, a man trying to balance his personal life with his job as a high-school teacher.
Stars: Robert Atzorn, Gisela Trowe, Claudia Wenzel, Charles Brauer
Votes: 171
48. Class of 3000 (2006–2008)
TV-Y7 | 30 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
Animated series about an Atlanta performing arts school grad who ditches a successful music career to become a music teacher.
Stars: Small Fire, André 3000, Phil LaMarr, Jennifer Hale
Votes: 1,247
49. Mrs. Hyde (2017)
Unrated | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Mrs. Géquil is a teacher despised by her colleagues and students. On a stormy night, she is struck by lightning and faints. When she wakes up, she feels different. Will she be able to keep the powerful and dangerous Mrs. Hyde contained?
Director: Serge Bozon | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Romain Duris, José Garcia, Adda Senani
Votes: 1,658 | Gross: $0.02M
50. Term of Trial (1962)
Approved | 130 min | Drama
A British high-school girl becomes infatuated with her English teacher, but after he rejects her amorous advances, she goes to the police and accuses him of indecent assault.
Director: Peter Glenville | Stars: Laurence Olivier, Simone Signoret, Roland Culver, Frank Pettingell
Votes: 866