Head of the Class

This article is about the sitcom. For the board game, see Go to the Head of the Class.

This article is about the original series. For the revival, see Head of the Class (2021 TV series).

Head of the Class
Title card
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Michael Elias Richard Eustis
Starring	Howard Hesseman Billy Connolly
Theme music composer	Ed Alton
Composer(s)	Ed Alton
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	5
No. of episodes	114 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Michael Elias Rich Eustis
Producer(s)	Alan Rosen Frank Pace Larry Spencer
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Eustis/Elias Productions Warner Bros. Television
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	September 17, 1986 (1986-09-17) – June 25, 1991 (1991-06-25)
Chronology
Related shows	Billy
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

Head of the Class is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network.

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 (in his first major American production) as teacher Billy MacGregor for the final season. After the series ended, Connolly appeared in a short-lived spin-off titled Billy.

The series was created and executive produced by Richard Eustis and Michael Elias. Elias had previously worked as a New York City substitute teacher while hoping to become an actor.

A revival of the series was ordered and was co-produced by Bill Lawrence's Doozer and Warner Horizon Scripted Television, and was released on HBO Max.

Synopsis

Head of the Class is mainly set in the classroom of academically gifted high school students, all in the Individualized Honors Program 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 of them 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 one 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 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 who is a greaser, 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 (on whom he had a crush) 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, Vicky 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. 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 (Jonathan Ke 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 Filmore High and Bernadette Meara (Jeannetta Arnette). Dr. Samuels was the blustery, overweight principal of the school. His attitude towards the IHP students was one of ambivalence: on the one hand, 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 Mcgregor, from Scotland, replaced Mr Moore. Unlike in the previous seasons, the students are allowed to call their new teacher Billy. Miss Meara has a crush on him in the final season. The students get to prepare for Senior Year and the closing of Filmore 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. A number of someday-famous actors made appearances on the show, including Brad Pitt.

Show open

The opening of the show features various New York landmarks as well as Charlie Moore's journey to work every day. Charlie lives in a building in Hell's Kitchen occupied by a plant distributor on the first floor, who gives him a ride to the subway at 50th Street on the back of the truck before he makes his first delivery of the day. After Charlie grabs a hot dog for breakfast, he begins running into trouble as the subway station is on fire and he cannot hail any taxis to take him to the school. Forced to walk out of frustration, Charlie arrives late to class to the chagrin of Dr. Samuels but once he enters the classroom, his expression immediately brightens as he sees the students. It wouldn't be until season two that the credits include adding the names of the characters portrayed by their respective actors/actresses. After three seasons with the same opening, it was changed to a group photo of the class for season four. After Hesseman left the show, it was changed to notebook graphics for its final season.

Characters

Main

• Charles P. "Charlie" Moore – Howard Hesseman (seasons 1–4): the history and social studies teacher who teaches the honors program to intellectual geniuses and helps them aim for their dreams.
• Harold Samuels – William G. Schilling: the high school principal who is like a pushy academic parent who wants his IHP students to win academic bowl. He is Mr. Moore's boss and friend.
• Bernadette Meara – Jeannetta Arnette: the vice principal or secretary of the school who is friends with Charlie Moore.
• Maria Borges – Leslie Bega (seasons 1–3)
• Arvid Engen – Dan Frischman
• Darlene Merriman – Robin Givens
• Simone Foster – Khrystyne Haje
• Jawaharlal Choudhury – Jory Husain (aka Joher Coleman) (seasons 1–3)
• Alan Pinkard – Tony O'Dell
• Eric Mardian – Brian Robbins
• Sarah Nevins – Kimberly Russell (not in the pilot)
• Dennis Blunden - Dan Schneider
• Janice Lazarotto – Tannis Vallely (seasons 1–3; guest, season 5)
• Theola June "T.J." Jones – Rain Pryor (seasons 3–5)
• Alex Torres – Michael DeLorenzo (seasons 4–5)
• Viki Amory – Lara Piper (seasons 4–5)
• Jasper Kwong – Jonathan Ke Quan (seasons 4–5)
• Aristotle McKenzie – De'voreaux White (seasons 4–5)
• Billy MacGregor – Billy Connolly (season 5): He takes over Mr. Moore's class in season 5. He is from Scotland, and, just like Mr. Moore, he helps them aim for their dreams.

Recurring

• Lori Applebaum – Marcia Christie; a pretty, bubbly student not in the IHP whom Arvid has a massive crush on ... and everyone, including Lori, knows it. Seen in seasons 1 and 2, then reappears in the finale.
• Mr. Dorfman - Peter Vogt; another Fillmore High teacher, who is somewhat self-centered and not especially respected. Seen occasionally in seasons 1-3, and reappears in the finale.

Most of the students' parents were seen over the course of the series, but usually in only one episode apiece. Parents who appeared more than once included:

• Maureen Foster (Simone's mother) - Enid Kent (three episodes)
• Mr. Foster (Simone's father) - J. Patrick McNamara (two episodes)
• Dr. Enric Engen (Arvid's father) – Bruce Gray (two episodes)

Season synopses

Season 1 (1986–1987)

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 unswerving 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 (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. 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.

Season 3 (1988–1989)

"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 with an episode filmed entirely in Moscow.

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 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 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).

Season 4 (1989–1990)

The fourth season saw some significant changes to the cast of characters – Maria, Jawaharlal and Janice left (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, somewhat stereotypically portrayed as having an eye for the ladies. Although Alex seemed attracted to Darlene particularly, both he and Eric competed for the affections of 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 (Jonathan Ke 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."

Season 5 (1990–1991)

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.

Episodes

Main article: List of Head of the Class episodes

The following is a list of episodes for the television sitcom, Head of the Class. The series premiered on September 17, 1986 on ABC, and ended on June 25, 1991. A total of 114 episodes were produced spanning five seasons.

Season 1 (1986/87)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"Pilot"	John Tracy	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias	September 17, 1986 (1986-09-17)
A high school substitute teacher takes over a class of geniuses.
2	2	"Back to the Future"	John Tracy	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias	September 24, 1986 (1986-09-24)
The class imagines life 20 years in the future.
3	3	"Charliegate"	Art Dielhenn	Alan Rosen	October 1, 1986 (1986-10-01)
Dennis misquotes Charlie in the school newspaper.
4	4	"Love at First Byte"	Frank Bonner	Howard Adler & Robert Griffard	October 22, 1986 (1986-10-22)
Charlie receives a love note from a secret admirer he suspects is in the IHP.
5	5	"The Outsider"	Kim Friedman	Valri Bromfield	October 29, 1986 (1986-10-29)
Janice feels left out in class and decides to throw a party to make friends. Charlie dates a model.
6	6	"Teacher's Teacher"	Lee Shallat	Susan Rogers & Jeffrey Hammond	November 5, 1986 (1986-11-05)
Charlie is upset when the IHP's regular teacher announces his return from sick leave.
7	7	"Volleyball Anyone?"	Peter Baldwin	Michael Reiss & Al Jean	November 12, 1986 (1986-11-12)
Arvid tries to impress a girl by challenging the school basketball players to a volleyball match against the IHP class.
8	8	"Critical Choices"	Lee Shallat	Gary Gilbert	November 19, 1986 (1986-11-19)
Charlie tries his hand at Hamlet.
9	9	"Cold Turkey"	Lee Shallat	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias	November 26, 1986 (1986-11-26)
Charlie spends Thanksgiving with Dr. Samuels.
10	10	"You've Got a Friend"	Art Dielhenn	Gary Gilbert	December 3, 1986 (1986-12-03)
After their team project wins them a trip to Washington, D.C., Sarah and Arvid develop slight feelings for each other. But things aren't necessarily a bed of roses between them.
11	11	"As Time Goes By"	Peter Baldwin	Gary Gilbert	December 10, 1986 (1986-12-10)
Charlie's ex-flame evaluates the class.
12	12	"The Way We Weren't"	Andrew D. Weyman	Murray Mednick	December 17, 1986 (1986-12-17)
When doing reports on their ancestry, both Alan and Darlene find things out that they don't want to.
13	13	"Rebel Without a Class"	Bill Davis	Alan Rosen	January 7, 1987 (1987-01-07)
Eric makes trouble for another teacher.
14	14	"Ode to Simone"	Art Dielhenn	Lee Grant	January 14, 1987 (1987-01-14)
Simone receives a discouraging letter from her favorite poet....after his death. Dennis tries to give up sarcasm and pranks.
15	15	"Past Imperfect"	Andrew D. Weyman	Jerry Rannow	January 21, 1987 (1987-01-21)
Charlie must pass a test in Macro Economics in order to keep his teaching license. The IHP attempt to help him.
16	16	"A Problem Like Maria"	Andrew D. Weyman	Cynthia Thompson	January 28, 1987 (1987-01-28)
Maria dates the captain of the opposing team.
17	17	"The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming!"	Art Dielhenn	George Beckerman	February 4, 1987 (1987-02-04)
The IHP faces their Russian counterparts in an academic tournament. Eric must join the team to replace an ailing Jawaharal.
18	18	"Valentine's Day"	Art Dielhenn	Gary Gilbert	February 11, 1987 (1987-02-11)
The class has problems on Valentine's Day.
19	19	"Video Activity"	Art Dielhenn	Larry Spencer	February 18, 1987 (1987-02-18)
The class makes a music video for a time capsule.
20	20	"Privilege"	Art Dielhenn	Janet Coleman & David Dozer	February 25, 1987 (1987-02-25)
Charlie sets Arvid up with a job at a hot nightclub, which causes Arvid to develop a cocky, image-conscious attitude.
21	21	"Crimes of the Heart"	Art Dielhenn	TBA	April 1, 1987 (1987-04-01)
The class is mystified when Sarah's grades tumble.
22	22	"The Secret Life of Arvid Engen"	Art Dielhenn	Ray Jessel & Cynthia Thompson	May 6, 1987 (1987-05-06)
Arvid starts to daydream about Lori, and it affects his schoolwork.

Season 2 (1987/88)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
23	1	"Science Fair-Weather Friends"	Art Dielhenn	Larry Spencer	September 23, 1987 (1987-09-23)
Sarah, Arvid, and Dennis compete and deceive to win the science fair.
24	2	"The Write Stuff"	Art Dielhenn	Lisa Rosenthal	September 30, 1987 (1987-09-30)
Charlie encourages the class to revitalize the school's literary journal, and the class votes Simone as editor-in-chief. Unfortunately, the power this position gives Simone slightly goes to her head. Meanwhile, Eric fabricates a memoir for the journal, which dishonestly wins him more attention than Simone.
25	3	"The Big Squeeze"	Art Dielhenn	Brad Isaacs	October 7, 1987 (1987-10-07)
The IHP are concerned when they learn a transfer student might join their class, making it necessary for one of them to leave. They fight over who it should be.
26	4	"Child of the 60's"	Art Dielhenn	George Beckerman	October 14, 1987 (1987-10-14)
Dennis holds a sit-in for better cafeteria food after Charlie teaches a lesson on the rebelliousness of the '60s.
27	5	"Trouble in Perfectville"	Art Dielhenn	George Beckerman	October 28, 1987 (1987-10-28)
The class puts out a lampoon issue of the school newspaper.
28	6	"Coach Charlie"	Art Dielhenn	Phil Hahn & Jack Wohl	November 4, 1987 (1987-11-04)
When Dr. Samuels is ejected from the meets, he gets Mr. Moore to take his place as coach.
29	7	"That'll Be the Day"	Art Dielhenn	Michael Elias & Rich Eustis	November 11, 1987 (1987-11-11)
The class puts on Grease, but Alan is reluctant to participate.
30	8	"Poltergeist III"	Art Dielhenn	Bob Rosenfarb	November 18, 1987 (1987-11-18)
Janice says there is a poltergeist following her and soon the class begins to believe her.
31	9	"Psyched Out at Fillmore"	Art Dielhenn	Mara Lideks	November 25, 1987 (1987-11-25)
The class takes a standardized personality test and then worry about the results.
32	10	"Revenge of the Liberal"	Tony Singletary	Lisa Rosenthal	December 2, 1987 (1987-12-02)
The rest of the IHP is worried when a talk show host invites the one of them they most fear being represented by.
33	11	"Play it Again, Woody"	Art Dielhenn	Cynthia Thompson & Ray Jessel	December 9, 1987 (1987-12-09)
Charlie and Arvid reflect on their love woes at a Woody Allen marathon going on at a movie theater.
34	12	"Will the Real Arvid Engen Please Stand Up?"	Art Dielhenn	Brian Robbins & Dan Schneider	January 6, 1988 (1988-01-06)
Arvid sends his penpal Eric's picture.
35	13	"On the Road Again"	Zane Busby	Mark Fink	January 13, 1988 (1988-01-13)
Darlene and Sarah buy a car; problems with Mrs. Samuels has Dr. Samuels rooming with Charlie.
36	14	"Fatal Distraction"	Art Dielhenn	George Beckerman & Larry Spencer	January 20, 1988 (1988-01-20)
When Maria kisses him and Simone asks him out on the same day, Eric's imagination conjures up a Fatal Attraction-style scenario.
37	15	"Cello Fever"	Art Dielhenn	Michael Elias & Rich Eustis	January 27, 1988 (1988-01-27)
Janice tries to get first chair in the school orchestra.
38	16	"Parent's Day"	Art Dielhenn	Teleplay: Ellis Bufton & Scott Glaze Story: Ramona Layman	February 3, 1988 (1988-02-03)
The IHP's parents come to see how the class is taught.
39	17	"Love is Debatable"	Frank Cavestani	Ray Jessel & Cynthia Thompson	February 10, 1988 (1988-02-10)
Darlene pretends to like Alan to win debates.
40	18	"For Better, For Worse"	Art Dielhenn	Lisa Rosenthal	March 2, 1988 (1988-03-02)
Ms. Meara teaches a class on marriage.
41	19	"We Love You, Mrs. Russell"	Art Dielhenn	Jerry Rannow	March 9, 1988 (1988-03-09)
A popular teacher (Mary Carver) has Alzheimer's disease.
42	20	"Don't Play With Matches"	Art Dielhenn	Jake Weinberger & Mike Weinberger	March 23, 1988 (1988-03-23)
The class gets matched up with computer dates.
43	21	"The 21st-Century News"	Art Dielhenn	John Vorhaus	May 4, 1988 (1988-05-04)
Dennis sees a bleak future.
44	22	"Moore Than You Know"	Alan Rosen	Alan Rosen	May 11, 1988 (1988-05-11)
Charlie thinks he sees his dead uncle (Kenneth Mars).

Season 3 (1988/89)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
45	1	"The Refrigerator of Fillmore High"	Lee Shallat	Teleplay: Ellis Bufton & Scott Glaze Story: Leslie Ferreira	October 19, 1988 (1988-10-19)
Dennis gets to play on the football team.
46	2	"Back in the U.S.S.R."	Art Dielhenn	Alan Rosen	October 26, 1988 (1988-10-26)
Dennis hopes to use the upcoming IHP trip to Russia to profit by selling coveted Western goods, while Eric pretends to have disdain for the whole affair.
47/48	3/4	"Mission to Moscow"	Eric Laneuville	Michael Elias & Rich Eustis	November 2, 1988 (1988-11-02)
Part 1: In Moscow, Dr. Samuels insists on study for an academic meet, while Charlie pushes to let the IHP get out and learn about Russian culture. Part 2: Simone has an encounter at the grave of Anton Chekhov; Eric visits relatives; Dennis and Arvid are held up before the academic meet.
49	5	"Let's Rap"	Art Dielhenn	Lisa Rosenthal	November 9, 1988 (1988-11-09)
The class becomes peer counselors.
50	6	"Engen and Son"	Art Dielhenn	David Hurwitz	November 30, 1988 (1988-11-30)
Arvid's father teaches the Honors' math class.
51	7	"Get a Job"	Alan Rosen	Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg	December 7, 1988 (1988-12-07)
Dennis gets a job as a waiter to help pay off debts.
52	8	"Born to Run"	Lee Shallat	Jerry Rannow	January 4, 1989 (1989-01-04)
Alan and Sarah both want to be class president.
53	9	"First Date"	Lee Shallat	Lisa Rosenthal	January 18, 1989 (1989-01-18)
Eric and Simone go on their first date.
54	10	"Partners"	Lee Shallat	Teleplay: Ellis Bufton & Scott Glaze Story: Lisa Rosenthal, Janet Coleman & David Dozer	January 25, 1989 (1989-01-25)
Maria hides her intelligence from a hunk (Brad Pitt) she is dating.
55	11	"Arvid's Sure Thing"	Alan Rosen	Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg	February 1, 1989 (1989-02-01)
Arvid goes out with an easy girl (Christine Elise).
56	12	"Scuttlebutt"	Lee Shallat	Ray Jessel & Cynthia Thompson	February 8, 1989 (1989-02-08)
An accomplished journalist alumnus visits.
57	13	"Little Shop 'Til You Drop (1)"	Art Dielhenn	Michael Elias & Rich Eustis	February 15, 1989 (1989-02-15)
Approached to direct the school musical, Charlie insists in Little Shop of Horrors.
58	14	"Little Shop 'Til You Drop (2)"	Art Dielhenn	Michael Elias & Rich Eustis	February 22, 1989 (1989-02-22)
As opening night approaches, a sick lead, a frustrated actor, and an uncast major part put the production in jeopardy.
59	15	"The Hot Seat"	Alan Rosen	Valri Bromfield	March 1, 1989 (1989-03-01)
The girls don't like their gym teacher (Valri Bromfield), but she likes Charlie.
60	16	"Radio Activity"	Art Dielhenn	Teleplay: Larry Spencer Story: Jay Wolf	March 8, 1989 (1989-03-08)
Charlie's efforts to broaden the audience and membership of the school's radio club tune out the original fans - and it's only member.
61	17	"The Little Sister"	Art Dielhenn	Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg	March 15, 1989 (1989-03-15)
Janice takes Dennis to small claims court for a ruined blouse; Charlie falls for Dr. Samuels' sister (Adrienne Barbeau).
62	18	"Killer Coach"	Tony Singletary	David Hurwitz	March 22, 1989 (1989-03-22)
When Charlie badly beats Arvid in chess, he's set up in a match against the team's military-minded coach (Ray Buktenica) who has a long-standing grudge against him.
63	19	"I Am the King"	Art Dielhenn	Jerry Rannow	April 5, 1989 (1989-04-05)
Charlie moonlights as a character in late night commercials for an appliance store.
64	20	"King of Remedial"	Art Dielhenn	Ray Jessel & Cynthia Thompson	April 26, 1989 (1989-04-26)
Fed up with Dennis' constant gags, Charlie shows him the door - to a remedial history class, where Dennis becomes the inspirational leader for an academic meet against the IHP kids.
65	21	"Labor Daze"	Art Dielhenn	Jerry Rannow	May 3, 1989 (1989-05-03)
A strike ironically leaves the IHP unprepared for a test on union history.
66	22	"Exactly Twelve O'Clock"	Alan Rosen	Alan Rosen	May 10, 1989 (1989-05-10)
Arvid has visions of a High Noon scenario when challenged by a bully he wrote up for loitering.

Season 4 (1989/90)

No. in series	No. in season	Episode title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
67	1	"Back to School"	Lee Shallat	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias	September 27, 1989 (1989-09-27)
It's the first day back, and there are some new additions to Charlie's class. Maria transferred to the High School of Performing Arts, Jawarlahal's family moved to California, and Janice went to Harvard. The new kids are Alex Torres, Aristotle McKenzie, and Viki Amory (who has crushes on her teachers).
68	2	"Viki & Eric & Simone & Alex"	Howard Storm	Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg	October 4, 1989 (1989-10-04)
Eric goes out with Viki, Simone goes out with Alex, and they all end up at the art museum.
69	3	"The Ring of Darlene M."	Lee Shallat	Jeffrey Duteil, Jim Rogers & Ken Steele	October 11, 1989 (1989-10-11)
Certain members of the class suspect Alex of stealing Darlene's antique ring.
70	4	"Viki in Love"	Lee Shallat	Ray Jessel & Cynthia Thompson	October 18, 1989 (1989-10-18)
Viki believes she is in love with Charlie, but Alan believes she loves him.
71	5	"Blunden in Love"	Howard Storm	Sy Dukane & Denise Moss	October 25, 1989 (1989-10-25)
Dennis falls for a girl, then later finds out that she is homeless.
72	6	"The Bright Stuff (1)"	Alan Rosen	David Hurwitz	November 1, 1989 (1989-11-01)
Arvid and Dennis' science project makes it into the NASA finals in Houston.
73	7	"The Bright Stuff (2)"	Alan Rosen	David Hurwitz	November 8, 1989 (1989-11-08)
Arvid goes back to Houston, but Dennis continues hogging the spotlight.
74	8	"Gotta Dance"	Lee Shallat	TBA	November 15, 1989 (1989-11-15)
Arvid replaces T.J. as Alex's dance partner.
75	9	"Good Mourning"	Lee Shallat	Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft	November 22, 1989 (1989-11-22)
Charlie teaches the class about grief; T.J. tries to get Aristotle's attention.
76	10	"Arvid Nose Best"	Alan Rosen	TBA	November 29, 1989 (1989-11-29)
Arvid considers having his nose surgically repaired to stop his snoring and to look better.
77	11	"The Devil and Miss T.J."	Lee Shallat	Lesa Kite & Cindy Begel	December 6, 1989 (1989-12-06)
T.J. makes a deal with the devil to get accepted into the IHP class.
78	12	"Why Ronnie Can't Read"	Alan Rosen	David Hurwitz & Jeffrey Duteil	December 13, 1989 (1989-12-13)
The IHP students help the school's star athlete prepare for his college entrance exams.
79	13	"The Joker Is Wild"	Buzz Sapien	Teleplay: Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft Story: Debbie Pearl & Cassandra Clark	January 3, 1990 (1990-01-03)
T.J.'s first assignment as the newest member of IHP is ridiculed by Dennis, so she challenges him to a fight.
80	14	"Tough Guys Don't Sew"	Howard Storm	Ursula Ziegler & Steven Sullivan	January 10, 1990 (1990-01-10)
Viki gets Eric to design and sew clothes for her home economics project.
81	15	"Reel Problems"	Art Dielhenn	TBA	January 17, 1990 (1990-01-17)
Arvid tries to impress a fellow film buff by assuring him he can acquire a rare 1950s film from Poland - a promise he's not sure he can deliver on. (This episode was originally produced during season 3, but it was re-edited to be a flashback episode to include the newer characters.)
82	16	"Alan Goes Crimson"	Howard Storm	Cindy Begel & Lesa Kite	January 24, 1990 (1990-01-24)
Alan thinks he is getting early admission to Harvard, but when he doesn't receive it he's forced to eat the boastful words he dished out to his IHP classmates.
83	17	"From Hair to Eternity (1)"	Art Dielhenn	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias	February 7, 1990 (1990-02-07)
The prudish head of the school's English department (Elaine Stritch) seems determined to ruin Charlie's class production of Hair.
84	18	"From Hair to Eternity (2)"	Art Dielhenn	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias	February 14, 1990 (1990-02-14)
The theme of Hair gives the IHP the confidence to proceed with the production in spite of Mrs. Hartman's protestations.
85	19	"Recruitment Day"	Tony Singletary	Lisa Rosenthal	February 21, 1990 (1990-02-21)
The class worries about college recruiters. (This episode was originally produced during season 3.)
86	20	"The Quiet Kid"	Lee Shallat	Ray Jessel & Cynthia Thompson	February 28, 1990 (1990-02-28)
A new student rejects the Academic Olympics.
87	21	"Simone Goes Overboard"	Frank Cavestani	Steve Kreinberg & Andy Guerdat	March 14, 1990 (1990-03-14)
Simone agrees to date Dennis after he saves her from drowning.
88	22	"Queen, Queen, Queen for a Day"	Bill Davis	Teleplay: Lesa Kite & Cindy Begel Story: Steven Dorfman	March 21, 1990 (1990-03-21)
Arvid soon regrets promising three beautiful girls his vote as queen at an upcoming dance.
89	23	"Politics of Love"	Art Dielhenn	Jerry Davis & David Boito	April 4, 1990 (1990-04-04)
Alan dates a rich fashion model.
90	24	"The Reel Charlie Moore"	Lee Shallat	Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft	April 11, 1990 (1990-04-11)
Aristotle tries to help Charlie's acting career.
91	25	"Cement Hi-Tops"	Buzz Sapien	Tom Chapman & Jonathan Torp	April 25, 1990 (1990-04-25)
Aristotle videotapes a mob family wedding.
92	26	"Teacher's Pet"	Alan Rosen	Jeffrey Duteil	May 2, 1990 (1990-05-02)
Charlie and Eric vie for a night-school teacher.

Season 5 (1990/91)

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
93	1	"Where's Charlie?"	Howard Storm	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias	September 11, 1990 (1990-09-11)
Charlie found an acting gig and doesn't return for the new school year. The IHP program gets a new teacher, Billy MacGregor.
94	2	"Twelve Angry Nerds"	Alan Rosen	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias	September 18, 1990 (1990-09-18)
When Alan is caught cheating, Billy has the class act as a jury to decide his punishment.
95	3	"The Heartbreak Nerd"	Lee Shallat	Ursula Ziegler & Steven Sullivan	September 25, 1990 (1990-09-25)
Arvid goes out with gorgeous Viki.
96	4	"And Then There Were None"	Frank Bonner	Michael Elias & Rich Eustis	October 2, 1990 (1990-10-02)
Arvid's infectious flu may keep the class from performing in a Shakespeare competition.
97	5	"Getting Personal"	Alan Rosen	Danny Smith	October 9, 1990 (1990-10-09)
Billy tries the personal ads.
98	6	"Napoleon Blown Apart"	Alan Rosen	Carol Corwen	October 16, 1990 (1990-10-16)
Inspired by his French class, Eric goes to "find himself" in Paris.
99	7	"Billy's Big One"	Lee Shallat	Ursula Ziegler & Steven Sullivan	October 23, 1990 (1990-10-23)
Billy fakes a heart attack to circumvent the health insurance bureaucracy; the IHP girls try writing a romance novel.
100	8	"Dead Men Don't Wear Pocket Protectors (1)"	Lee Shallat	Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg	October 30, 1990 (1990-10-30)
After Billy is robbed, he has the class write papers on gun control, leading Arvid to a harrowing experience when he buys a gun for the assignment.
101	9	"Dead Men Don't Wear Pocket Protectors (2)"	Lee Shallat	Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg	November 6, 1990 (1990-11-06)
Bully Zach may have Arvid's missing gun.
102	10	"Fillmore vs. Billy Jean's"	Art Dielhenn	Jeffrey Duteil	November 13, 1990 (1990-11-13)
The IHP class behaves obnoxiously when their bus breaks down at a rural truck stop.
103	11	"Be My Baby ... Sitter"	Art Dielhenn	Tom Chapman & Jonathan Torp	November 20, 1990 (1990-11-20)
Jasper's overprotective parents hire a babysitter for him - and to his mortification, it turns out to be Sarah.
104	12	"Dancing Fools"	Art Dielhenn	Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg	November 27, 1990 (1990-11-27)
Billy and Bernadette take dance lessons at the studio where Alex teaches, and where he's pursued by a woman.
105	13	"My Son the Primate"	Howard Storm	David Hurwitz	December 4, 1990 (1990-12-04)
Arvid trains a chimp at his part-time pet store job and rather than let it be sold, he hides it in the classroom.
106	14	"The Importance of Being Alex"	Howard Storm	Carol Corwen	December 11, 1990 (1990-12-11)
Simone's reputation suffers when Alex lies to his friends about a romance with her.
107	15	"Viki's Torn Genes"	Buzz Sapien	Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft	December 18, 1990 (1990-12-18)
At Christmas, Billy helps Viki find her birth mother, but the woman doesn't want to see her.
108	16	"The Last Waltz"	Bill Davis	Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft	January 8, 1991 (1991-01-08)
T.J. turns down Aristotle's invitation to the senior prom.
109	17	"Most Likely to Be Forgotten"	Howard Storm	David Hurwitz, Ursula Ziegler & Steven Sullivan	January 15, 1991 (1991-01-15)
The kids work on their yearbook, with Eric beginning to regret not having participated more extracurricularly.
110	18	"The Strange Case of Randy McNally"	Dwayne Hickman	Teleplay: Jeffrey Duteil Story: Tom Chapman & Jonathan Torp	May 28, 1991 (1991-05-28)
To save Dennis after a prank, Billy creates a fictional student - who apparently gets the MIT scholarship Dennis wanted.
111	19	"My Dinner With Darlene"	Renny Temple	Danny Smith	June 4, 1991 (1991-06-04)
Darlene promises to treat the class to an elaborate farewell dinner, but then finds her credit card revoked.
112	20	"The Phantom of the Glee Club"	Robin Sack	David Hurwitz	June 11, 1991 (1991-06-11)
The class learns T.J. is more than just a contemporary-style musician when Billy discovers her operatic talent.
113	21	"It Couldn't Last Forever (1)"	Howard Storm	Ray Jessel & Jeffrey Duteil	June 18, 1991 (1991-06-18)
With a wrecking ball ready to demolish the school, the IHP class waits to find out who's to be valedictorian.
114	22	"It Couldn't Last Forever (2)"	Howard Storm	Ray Jessel, Jeffrey Duteil, Andy Guerdat & Steve Kreinberg	June 25, 1991 (1991-06-25)
The IHP class graduates as one of its own is named valedictorian.

External links

• Tv.com

Novel tie-in

One major novelization was released, with the plotlines based on six 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, each based on a different 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.

Spin-off

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.

Revival

Main article: Head of the Class (2021 TV series)

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. In March 2021, it was announced that a 10-episode first season was officially greenlit. In October 2021, a first look clip was released, with a November 4, 2021 series premiere date attached.

Casting

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. It was also announced that Watchmen actress Jolie Hoang-Rappaport will join the cast as student Makayla Washington. In December 2020, it was announced that Little Fires Everywhere actor Gavin Lewis will join the cast as student Luke Burrows. In January 2021, Jorge Diaz, Dior Goodjohn, Brandon Severs, Adrian Matthew Escalona and Christa Miller joined the cast. The October first look revealed that Givens would be reprising her role as Darlene from the original series.

Home media and syndication

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 Rewind TV.

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. The show had previously not seen any release on home media. 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.

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. The upcoming Season 4 DVD set will include "Reel Problems" and "Recruitment Day" in their release order.

	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

International broadcasts

• In Canada, the series was simulcast on the Global Television Network throughout its original run. In Atlantic Canada, the series aired on ATV and ASN as there was no Global station in Atlantic Canada at that time.
• In Australia, the series aired on the Nine Network.
• In the UK the show aired on BBC One
• In Ireland the series aired on RTÉ One.
• In Indonesia, it was aired by RCTI.
• In Italy, the series arrived in 1989 and first season was aired by Telemontecarlo. Then it was aired by Italia 1, from 1992 to 1993.
• In Mexico, the series aired on Televisa between 1994 and 1996, under the name Mi Profesor Favorito.
• In Latin America, the series aired on Warner Channel during mid-late 1990s.
• In Chile, the series aired on TVN.
• In New Zealand, the series aired on TVNZ 1.

External links

• Head of the Class at IMDb