I was personally taught Phys Ed by Gerry Donoghue ("Gerry Dee") in grade 9 (about 12 years ago). He was a riot of a teacher. This show makes him an exaggerated and incompetent version of himself. He was by no means incompetent, but he was always hilarious. It was a loss to students that he left teaching, but a gain to Canadian entertainment. To the people with bad reviews, this show is a comedy, not a drama. It is fictional, with clever references to elements of high school. As the other reviewer said, I also loved the Louis/Lance (Neil) Armstrong joke, and it's a joke which speaks to the more intelligent and learned audience. Perhaps those bad reviewers are not so sharp on their history knowledge and didn't get the joke. As for the awkward aspect, not sure if you've heard of mega hits Curb your Enthusiasm and The Office, perhaps you should look them up on this IMDb website. This show will make you smile especially if you've ever been a student or teacher in Canada (or anywhere for that matter). My one criticism would be that more congruency between episodes and characters would be nice (like the character Eva MacPhee was only ever in the show once, along with the caretaker, certain students, etc). But overall, a great half hour every week!