![]() | This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style.(May 2018) |
Head of the Class | |
---|---|
![]() Title card | |
Genre | Sitcom |
Created by |
|
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Ed Alton |
Composer | Ed Alton |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 5 [1] |
No. of episodes | 114 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 22–24 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | September 17, 1986 – June 25, 1991 |
Related | |
Billy |
Head of the Class is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. [2] [3]
The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at the fictional Millard Fillmore High School in Manhattan, and their history teacher Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman). The program was ostensibly a vehicle for Hesseman, best known for his role as radio DJ Dr. Johnny Fever on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–1982). Hesseman left Head of the Class in 1990 and was replaced by Scottish comedian Billy Connolly as teacher Billy MacGregor for the final season.
The series was created and executive produced by Richard Eustis and Michael Elias. Elias had previously worked as a substitute teacher in New York City while hoping to become an actor.
A revival of the series was ordered and co-produced by Bill Lawrence's Doozer and Warner Horizon Scripted Television. It was released on HBO Max.
Head of the Class is mainly set in the classroom of academically gifted high school students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at Millard Fillmore High School in New York City. The IHP students comprised a diverse range of personalities, ethnicities and academic specialties.
For the first three years of the show, the IHP class had ten students. Arvid Engen (Dan Frischman) was a skinny, bespectacled nerd, mathematics expert, and budding scientist. Arvid's best friend was the overweight, wisecracking cynic Dennis Blunden (Dan Schneider), a computer whiz whose fields were chemistry and physics and who had a knack for getting the socially inept Arvid involved in various schemes. Both characters wanted to go to M.I.T. Alan Pinkard (Tony O'Dell) was an ultra-conservative preppy and egotist; his area of expertise was political science and he was a devout fan of Ronald Reagan. Alan competed for the highest grades in the class with Darlene Merriman (Robin Givens), a spoiled rich girl who was probably even more self-centered than Alan and whose specialties were speech and debate. Both Alan and Darlene held the ambition of being named class valedictorian. Sarah Nevins (Kimberly Russell) did not have any particular area of expertise; she was the most down-to-earth of the IHP class and was once cited as having the lowest G.P.A. Maria Borges (Leslie Bega) was the pretty girl, but intelligent, with some emotional and mental issues but was very passionate about getting A's (going as far as grounding herself in the pilot episode for getting a 'B'), and Jawaharlal Choudhury (Jory Husain aka Joher Coleman) was an exchange student from India whose expertise was natural science. Eleven-year-old Janice Lazarotto (Tannis Vallely), despite her young age, was in high school and the IHP class because of her advanced intellect. Arts student Simone Foster (Khrystyne Haje) was a quiet, sensitive redhead with a particular fondness for poetry. A notable development in the show was the relationship between Simone and Eric Mardian (Brian Robbins), an aspiring writer and, outwardly, the most unlikely member of the IHP. Eric wore black leather, drove a motorcycle, acted tough, and ostensibly disliked anything academic (to Dr. Samuels's delight, he was the only one in the class not on the academic team, although he would never leave the IHP). Eric constantly hit on Simone and the two eventually had an on-again-off-again romance.
There was some turnover in the cast in seasons four and five. Janice left for Harvard, Maria went to Performing Arts High School, and Jawaharlal moved to California with his family. New students included Aristotle McKenzie (De'voreaux White), described by Dennis as "this reject from Do the Right Thing " for his dreadlocks, Viki Amory (Lara Piper), a new-ager interested in quantum physics and skin-revealing clothing, and Alex Torres (Michael DeLorenzo), who had transferred from parochial school with a love for dance and an eye for the ladies (in particular,Simone and Viki). T.J. Jones (Rain Pryor), who had first appeared as a potential IHP member in season three, was eventually added to the program and the cast. Jasper Kwong (Ke Huy Quan) was introduced as a new transfer student late in season four.
Appearing as regulars throughout all five seasons were school administrators Dr. Harold Samuels (William G. Schilling) the principal of Fillmore High and Bernadette Meara (Jeannetta Arnette). Dr. Samuels was portrayed as the blustery, overweight principal of the school. He was ambivalent toward the IHP students. Dr. Samuels distrusted the kids (and had a particularly antagonistic relationship with Dennis, and tried to avoid Eric), but at the same time he was proud of their achievements and valued the prestige they brought to the school. He also distrusted the teaching methods of the class's teacher, Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman), concerned that Charlie's methods – which often involved helping the IHP students branch out of their comfort zones and help them deal with the typical problems of kids their age, as well as using unorthodox methods of teaching the class subject at hand – might distract them too much from their studies. Ms. Meara was the level-headed assistant principal. There was some romantic tension between her and Charlie, although this ultimately came to nothing, and she later had a romantic friendship with Billy.
In season 5, Mr Moore got his big break in Broadway and decided to quit. Billy MacGregor, from Scotland, replaced Mr Moore. Unlike in the previous seasons, the students are allowed to call their new teacher Billy. The students get to prepare for senior year and the closing of Fillmore High School.
In the series, the students often faced off against the rival Bronx High School of Science. Also, in every season, the IHP students produced the school musical. Musicals staged by the students included Grease , Little Shop of Horrors , and Hair.
Most of the students' parents were seen during the series, but usually in one episode apiece. Parents who appeared more than once included:
Out-of-work actor Charlie Moore began the first season as a substitute teacher, but warmed to the IHP class immediately, making it his mission to get them to think rather than merely to know. Although they are gifted academically, the IHP students had plenty of problems in their personal lives, and Mr. Moore not only is there to listen, he shows an ability to get the students to solve their own problems while making it seem like they came up with the answers on their own. By Episode 6 ("Teacher's Teacher"), the class's original teacher Mr. Thomas (Roscoe Lee Browne) had returned to Fillmore High, seemingly ready to return to the IHP class once Mr. Moore's tenure ended. After observing Mr. Moore's unorthodox teaching methods for most of the episode (much to Charlie's chagrin, as it also made apparent how much he would miss the IHP students), Mr. Thomas ultimately reveals he had no intention to return but came to observe Mr. Moore after hearing concerns about him from Dr. Samuels. Seeing Mr. Moore in action, Mr. Thomas gives him his blessing, leaving Mr. Moore to become their full-time teacher, knowing the IHP will be in good hands. Throughout the first season, Mr. Moore attempted to get the class involved in more than just their studies, encouraging them to play volleyball and make a music video for the school's time capsule (this marks the first foray into the fondness of Head of the Class for musical production numbers). At the same time, the class brought Mr. Moore into the present, acclimating him to the importance of personal computers. Near the end of the season, the IHP faces their Russian counterparts in an academic tournament, foreshadowing their famous trip to Moscow in season three.
Season 2 began involving the IHP in the school as a whole, with Mr. Moore involving the class in the school literary journal and encouraging a lampoon of the school newspaper. Mr. Moore also decides to put on a school production of the musical Grease, and encourages the IHP (who are initially reluctant) to participate, alongside other Fillmore students.
While first season had some episodes that showed Charlie's personal life outside school, these become increasingly rare as the series continues. In season 2 (and thereafter), episodes consistently focus on the lives of the IHP students, with only a very few focusing specifically on Charlie; this is the last season in which we see Charlie's apartment.
In 1988, Head of the Class broke new ground as it became the first American sitcom to be filmed in the Soviet Union with an episode filmed entirely in Moscow. [2]
The IHP is invited to come to the country for a rematch of the academic meet that happened in season one, which ended in a tie. The class has a lot of experiences while in Moscow: Dennis and Arvid take an interest in two beautiful women, until they realise they might be KGB spies; Eric meets up with his relatives in what is a very positive experience for him; capitalist Alan has an argument with a die-hard socialist in a store (who is also on the opposing Russian academic team); Sarah and Darlene decide to record the sights and sounds of Moscow; Simone goes to put flowers on a poet's grave and meets up with a charming Russian musician; Dr. Samuels believes that his hotel room is bugged, but ends up making a fool of himself; and Charlie has a brief romance with a schoolteacher.
The IHP eventually wins the meet and the respect of the Russian team. The episode concludes with both teams attending a concert in Gorky Park swaying to the song "Far Away Lands" (written and performed by American David Pomeranz and Russian rock star Sasha Malinin).
The fourth season saw some significant changes to the cast of characters. Maria went to a performing arts school, Jawaharlal moved to California, and Janice went to Harvard as a sophomore. Several new characters took their place: Alex Torres (Michael DeLorenzo) was a Hispanic athletics student whose specialty was history, portrayed as having an eye for the ladies. Although Alex seemed attracted to Darlene particularly, both he and Eric competed for the affection of Simone and another new IHP student, the blonde hippie Viki Amory (Lara Piper). Another new character was aspiring filmmaker Aristotle McKenzie (De'voreaux White). T.J. Jones (Rain Pryor), a recurring character since the third season, joined the IHP in the fourth season (a remedial student with a streetwise attitude, T.J. was found to be smart enough to join the IHP). Also, the character of Jasper Kwong (Ke Huy Quan) was added to the IHP class late in the season. The season also showed them film a two-part episode at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The students' final year of high school was split over seasons four and five. Howard Hesseman left the show after the fourth season. As Hesseman noted in a 1989 interview, "We're not doing the show that I was led to believe I'd do, and it's difficult for me to get off that." [4]
In the first episode of season 5, Scottish teacher Billy MacGregor (Billy Connolly) arrived to replace the departed Charlie Moore (in the first episode of the season, it is explained to the dismayed IHP students that Mr. Moore's acting career finally took off). Despite initial uncertainty and some hostility from the students, Billy proved to be a successful replacement for Charlie. He usually comes into the class bringing his bike. He insisted that the students refer to him by his first name, and although he was more rousing and less laid-back than his predecessor, he proved to be just as wise and caring (Billy also had a habit of boisterously greeting his class every morning with the phrase, "good morning, geniuses", and facetiously barking to his students to, "get out of here", when the bell rang at the end of the class. He also taught his class in a manner more akin to a stand-up comedian than a teacher). Many episodes from this season focused on Billy having to adapt to living in America and his attempts to romance Ms. Meara. Other aspects of Billy were his dislike of an outdated French textbook, which actually prompted one student to take a spur-of-the-moment jaunt to Paris, and his encouragement to the male students that the best way to get girls was to be themselves. The season (and the program itself) concluded with the IHP students graduating from high school. Janice Lazarotto (from seasons one–three) returned for a guest appearance in the finale, in which T.J. is named class valedictorian and the school is closed down and demolished.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | Rank | Rating | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | |||||
1 | 22 | September 17, 1986 | May 6, 1987 | 30 | 16.4 | |
2 | 22 | September 23, 1987 | May 11, 1988 | 23 | 16.7 (Tied with The NBC Sunday Night Movie) | |
3 | 22 | October 19, 1988 | May 10, 1989 | 20 | 17.1 | |
4 | 26 | September 27, 1989 | May 2, 1990 | 26 | 14.8 | |
5 | 22 | September 11, 1990 | June 25, 1991 | 26 | 14.5 |
One major novelization was released, with the plot lines based on six episodes of the show.[ citation needed ] The book makes all the chapters flow together as one story, even though they didn't happen one right after the other on the show. It was written by Susan Beth Pfeffer and released in December 1989 by Bantam Books. The book is 120 pages long, with six chapters, each based on a different episode.[ citation needed ]
All copyrights belong to Warner Bros. The novelization erroneously credits "First Day" as having been made in 1988 rather than 1986.
A year after Head of the Class left the air, Billy Connolly reprised the role of Billy MacGregor for a short-lived spin-off series, Billy .
In May 2020, a revival of the series was ordered, co-produced by Bill Lawrence's Doozer and Warner Horizon Scripted Television. The order includes a pilot episode plus five additional scripts and will air on HBO Max. [5] In March 2021, it was announced that a 10-episode first season was officially greenlit. [6] In October 2021, a first look clip was released, with a November 4, 2021 series premiere date attached. [7] In December 2021, the series was canceled after one season. [8]
In November 2020, it was reported that Isabella Gomez was cast in the lead role as teacher Alicia Adams. Coincidentally, Gomez and Howard Hesseman (who played Charlie Moore in the original series' first four seasons), had both starred on the television series One Day at a Time, with Hesseman starring in the original series' final two seasons as Barbara Cooper's father-in-law Sam Royer, while Gomez starred in the 2017 reboot as Elena Alvarez. [9] It was also announced that Watchmen actress Jolie Hoang-Rappaport will join the cast as student Makayla Washington. [10] In December 2020, it was announced that Little Fires Everywhere actor Gavin Lewis will join the cast as student Luke Burrows. [11] In January 2021, Jorge Diaz, Dior Goodjohn, Brandon Severs, Adrian Matthew Escalona and Christa Miller joined the cast. [12] The October first look revealed that Givens would be reprising her role as Darlene from the original series. [13]
Head of the Class has appeared infrequently in syndicated reruns, airing on local stations and then briefly on TBS in September 1993 until November 1993 returning August 1996 until September 1996 weekday mornings, and on Nick at Nite in the early 2000s. Antenna TV began airing the series in January 2018. As of February 2020, the show was streaming on Roku Channel. The show is also streaming on HBO Max, and airs on the linear Rewind TV.
Beginning in 2023, the series began streaming on Warner Bros. Television All Together Now channel.
In 2020, it was announced that season 1 of Head of the Class would be released as a "manufacture on demand" (MOD) DVD by Warner Archive, starting on June 9, 2020. [14] The show had previously not seen any release on home media. [15] [16] The show had multiple musical episodes, thereby making music rights licensing difficult, a common problem when preparing series for home release. Another series, WKRP in Cincinnati (also starring Hesseman), encountered similar issues. [17] [18]
The Season 2 DVD set included season three episodes "Radio Activity" and "I Am the King," because they were originally made during the second season. The Season 3 DVD set not only have "Radio Activity" and "I Am the King" in their release order, it also included season four episodes "Reel Problems" and "Recruitment Day," which were originally made during the third season.
DVD Season | Ep # | Release date | |
---|---|---|---|
Season 1 | 22 | June 9, 2020 | |
Season 2 | 24 | October 27, 2020 | |
Season 3 | 24 | July 20, 2021 | |
Season 4 | 24 | March 15, 2022 | |
Season 5 | 22 | TBA |
Undressed is an American anthology series that aired on MTV from July 26, 1999, to September 5, 2002. The series was created and executive produced by British director Roland Joffé.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager born and raised in West Philadelphia who is sent to live with his wealthy uncle and aunt in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, where his lifestyle often clashes with that of his upper-class relatives.
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series created by William Gaines and Steven Dodd that ran for seven seasons on the premium cable channel HBO, from June 10, 1989, to July 19, 1996, with a total of 93 episodes. The show's title is based on the 1950s EC Comics series of the same name, published by William Gaines and edited by Al Feldstein. Most of the program's episodes are based on stories that originally appeared in that comic or other EC Comics of the time, The Haunt of Fear, The Vault of Horror, Crime SuspenStories, Shock SuspenStories, and Two-Fisted Tales.
Howard Hesseman was an American actor known for his television roles as burned-out disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati and the lead role of history teacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class. He appeared regularly on television and in film from the 1970s to 2010s, with his other noteworthy roles including Sam Royer in the last two seasons of One Day at a Time and a supporting role as Captain Pete Lassard in the film Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment.
The Boondocks is an American anime-influenced adult animated sitcom created by Aaron McGruder for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. It is based upon his manga-influenced comic strip of the same name. The series premiered on November 6, 2005. The show focuses on a Black American family, the Freemans, settling into the fictional, friendly and predominantly white suburb of Woodcrest. The perspective offered by this mixture of cultures, lifestyles, social classes, stereotypes, viewpoints and racialized identities provides for much of the series' satire, comedy, and conflict.
Flying Rhino Junior High is a fantasy animated television series produced by Neurones Animation, Nelvana Limited, and Scottish Television Enterprises. The show was originally aired from 3 October 1998 until 22 January 2000 on Teletoon in Canada. In the U.S., the show was aired on CBS. On 2 February 2000, the show was cancelled.
Heathers is an American black comedy television series, created by Jason Micallef, that premiered on October 25, 2018, on Paramount Network. Its first season, a modern-day reboot of the 1989 film of the same name written by Daniel Waters, stars Grace Victoria Cox, James Scully, Melanie Field, Brendan Scannell and Jasmine Mathews. The series follows high school student Veronica Sawyer and her conflicts with a self-titled clique consisting of three fellow students who share the name Heather. The series was intended to be an anthology, with each season taking place in an entirely different setting from the original film.
All American is an American sports drama television series, created by April Blair that premiered on The CW on October 10, 2018. The series follows a football player as he is recruited by a high school football coach to play in Beverly Hills, inspired by the life of professional American football player Spencer Paysinger. It features an ensemble cast led by Daniel Ezra, Bre-Z, Greta Onieogou, Samantha Logan, Michael Evans Behling, Cody Christian, Karimah Westbrook, Monét Mazur, Taye Diggs, Jalyn Hall, Chelsea Tavares, and Hunter Clowdus.
Michael Herman Elias is an American writer, film director and producer.
Close Enough is an American adult animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel. Originally intended to air on TBS in 2017, the project faced various delays and setbacks before eventually premiering on HBO Max on July 9, 2020. The series has received positive reviews, with critics comparing it favorably to Quintel's previous series, Regular Show, which aired on Cartoon Network from 2010 to 2017.
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series developed by Joshua Safran for HBO Max. Based on the original CW television series of the same name, itself based on the novel written by Cecily von Ziegesar, it serves as a standalone series in a shared universe. The series is executive produced by original series co-creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, along with Safran, who was an executive producer on the first series and who also serves as showrunner. The series is narrated by Kristen Bell, who reprised her role as the voice of Gossip Girl, an anonymous and omniscient blogger. It features an ensemble cast led by Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Eli Brown, Thomas Doherty, Emily Alyn Lind, Evan Mock, Zión Moreno, Savannah Lee Smith, and Grace Duah.
Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is an American musical romantic comedy-drama television series that was created by Annabel Oakes for Paramount+. The series is a prequel to the film Grease (1978), based on the stage musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. It aired from April 6, 2023 to June 1, 2023 on Paramount+. The series was canceled later that month and removed from Paramount+.
Julia is an American comedy drama television series created by Daniel Goldfarb that premiered on HBO Max on March 31, 2022. It is based on the life of Julia Child in 1960s Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the production of her television cooking show The French Chef. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on November 16, 2023. In January 2024, the series was canceled after two seasons.
The Sex Lives of College Girls is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble that premiered on HBO Max on November 18, 2021. In December 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on November 17, 2022. In December 2022, the series was renewed for a third season.
Pretty Little Liars is an American slasher teen drama mystery television series created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring for Max. It is the fourth television series in the Pretty Little Liars franchise, which is based on the novel series written by Sara Shepard, and set within the same continuity as the previous series. The series features an ensemble cast, headed by Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Zaria, Malia Pyles, and Maia Reficco.
And Just Like That... is an American comedy drama television series developed by Michael Patrick King for Max. It is a revival and a sequel of the HBO television series Sex and the City created by Darren Star, which is based on Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name.
Head of the Class is an American sitcom developed by Amy Pocha and Seth Cohen that was released on the streaming service HBO Max on November 4, 2021. It is based on Rich Eustis and Michael Elias' series of the same name that ran from 1986 to 1991. In December 2021, the series was canceled after one season.
Smiling Friends is an Australian-American adult animated television series created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block, which revolves around the surreal misadventures of a small charity and its four employees dedicated to spreading happiness. The show utilizes a wide variety of different art styles and animation techniques. This includes but is not limited to stylized traditional animation, CGI, rotoscoping, stop motion, and live-action.
Bel-Air is an American drama television series developed by Morgan Cooper, Malcolm Spellman, TJ Brady, and Rasheed Newson. It is a reimagined version of the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and is based on Cooper's short fan film of the same name. It stars Jabari Banks, Adrian Holmes, Cassandra Freeman, Olly Sholotan, Coco Jones, Akira Akbar, Jimmy Akingbola, Jordan L. Jones, and Simone Joy Jones. The series premiered on Peacock on February 13, 2022. The second season was released on February 23, 2023. In March 2023, the series was renewed for a third season which is set to premiere on August 15, 2024.