Head of the Class

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Head of the Class

The original cast circa 1986
Format Sitcom
Created by Rich Eustis
Michael Elias
Starring (See entire cast list below)
Country of origin USA
No. of seasons 5
No. of episodes 114
Production
Running time 22 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run September 17, 1986 – June 25, 1991

Head of the Class is an American sitcom that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. It followed a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at the fictional Monroe High School (later Millard Fillmore High School) in Manhattan, and their history teacher Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman). Hesseman left the series in 1990 and was replaced by Billy Connolly (in his first major American production) as teacher Billy MacGregor for the final season.

The original ten students in the IHP were Maria, Arvid, Darlene, Simone, Jawaharlal, Alan, Eric, Sarah, Dennis, and Janice. There was some turnover in the cast in the later years of the series.

In the series, the students often faced off against a rival school named "Bronx Science", widely believed to be a reference to the real magnet school Bronx High School of Science located in the Bronx.

After the series ended, Connolly appeared in a short-lived spinoff entitled Billy.

Contents

[edit] Characters

[edit] Season synopses

[edit] Season 1 (1986–1987)

Mr. Moore begins the first season as a substitute teacher, but warms to the IHP class immediately, making it his mission to get them to think rather than merely to know. By Episode Six, the class's original teacher (Roscoe Lee Browne) decides to quit, making Mr. Moore their full-time teacher. Throughout the first season, Mr. Moore attempts 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 Head of the Class's fondness for musical production numbers.) At the same time, the class brings 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 3.

[edit] Season 2 (1987–1988)

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.

[edit] Season 3 (1988–1989)

[edit] "Mission to Moscow"

In 1988, Head of the Class broke new ground as it became the first American sitcom to be filmed in the Soviet Union. The episode was entirely filmed in Moscow. Although it originally aired without a laugh track, one was added for the syndicated version.

The IHP is invited to come to the country for a rematch of the academic meet that happened in Season 1, which ended in a tie. The class has a lot of experiences while in Moscow: Dennis and Arvid take interest in two beautiful women, until they realize 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 believe that his hotel room is bugged, but he just 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 "Faraway Lands" (written and performed by American David Pomeranz and Russian rock star Alexander Manilin).

[edit] Season 4 (1989-1990)

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] Season 5 (1990-1991)

Scottish teacher Billy MacGregor arrives to replace the departed Charlie Moore.

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] Nielsen Ratings

  • 1986-1987 Season: #30
  • 1987-1988 Season: #23
  • 1988-1989 Season: #20
  • 1989-1990 Season: #26
  • 1990-1991 Season: #26

[edit] In2TV

In March 2006, AOL Television began releasing free streaming video content of old television shows via its new site In2TV, including Head of the Class. A number of episodes from various seasons are available each month for users to watch.

[edit] Novel Tie-In

One major novelization was released, with the plotlines based on 6 episodes of the show. 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 and each chapter is based on an episode.

  • Chapter 1 - "First Day", based on the 1986 episode "First Day", written by Lisa Rosenthal (otherwise known as the pilot)
  • Chapter 2- "A Problem Like Maria" is based on the 1986 episode "A Problem Like Maria" written by Cynthia Thompson
  • Chapter 3- "Crimes of the Heart" is based on the 1987 episode "Crimes of the Heart" written by Valri Bromfield
  • Chapter 4- "Cello Fever" is based on the 1987 episode "Cello Fever" written by show creators Rich Eustis and Michael Elias
  • Chapter 5- "Trouble in Perfectville" is based on the 1987 episode "Trouble in Perfectville" written by George Beckerman
  • Chapter 6- "Parents Day" is based on the 1987 episode "Parents Day" written by Ellis Bufton and Scott Glaze

All copyrights belong to Warner Bros., the novelization erroneously credits "First Day" as having been made in 1988 rather than 1986.

[edit] External links