Head of the Class

1986

Seasons & Episodes

  • 5
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1

EP3 The Heartbreak Nerd Sep 25, 1990

EP5 Getting Personal Oct 09, 1990

EP9 Dead Men Don't Wear Pocket Protectors (2) Nov 06, 1990

6.6| 0h30m| TV-G| en
Synopsis

Head of the Class is an American sitcom that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program at the fictional Monroe High School in Manhattan, and their history teacher Charlie Moore. The program was ostensibly a vehicle for Hesseman, best known for his role as radio DJ Dr. Johnny Fever in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. Hesseman left Head of the Class in 1990 and was replaced by Billy Connolly 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 Rich Eustis and Michael Elias. Rich Eustis had previously worked as a New York City substitute teacher while hoping to become an actor.

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring William G. Schilling

Reviews

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Parker Lewis I was captivated by Head of the Class and the cast chemistry was amazing, the nerd, the tough one, the insecure ones, etc.I think Howard Hesseman was the glue that kept the cast together, and he displayed a sense of maturity which was evident in the show. It was a shame though that he was unhappy with the direction of the series. In a 1989 interview with the Chigago Tribune he said:''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,'' he says.''I don't want to air dirty laundry in public, but I do feel that the educational arena is one that offers a variety of story ideas as a means of investigating our lives-what we mean to one another and what's important.''I guess Mr Hesseman had lofty ambitions for Head of the Class.Unfortunately, I never warmed to Mr Billy Connolly, who replaced Mr Hesseman as the teacher. Why? I felt the Connolly episodes were focused too much on him and his stand-up performances. He would launch into a comedy routine, and cut to the class laughing on cue. Maybe the show should have been retitled "Connolly's Head of the Class".
stevenackerman69 I was in high school when this show started. I didn't get into it right away, but caught on after a year or so. I was familiar with Howard Hesseman from WKRP in Cincinatti as Dr. Johnny Fever, the spaced out DJ. He was very different here. What I liked about the show was the fact that these kids were smart kids and the opposite of Welcome Back, Kotter, which had class clowns. These kids had brains, as I did, and like me, weren't very social. Mr. Moore tried to not only teach them history, but also tried to help them with their social skills and problems. He was like a dad to them and I think they learned a lot from him. And the show would revolve around the students. You'd have an episode about Arvid, like with his dad and the opportunity to lose his virginity, Maria dating someone she doesn't want to reveal her brain too, etc. This was a problem when Billy Connolly took over in season 5. He was more a stand-up comic, as noted in the first episode. Some of his stuff seems more like a stage performance. Maybe that was why the series only lasted one more year. Too bad when the kids graduated they couldn't have Hesseman come back for a cameo and have him say, "Well, I knew you were graduating this year and I didn't want to miss it." And I had no problem with the new students who took over. In a way, Viki was the beauty like Maria was. I wish they'd air this show again. I have a few episodes on tape but I would love to see more of them.
Chris Foster In my opinion "Head of the Class" was one of the more overlooked and underrated primetime sitcoms of the mid to late 80's. The reason why I say this is, of course in the same era as "The Cosby Show", most shows like these get overlooked. Some of the cast members went on to act in motion pictures and other TV shows after the series ended in 1991. I guess the initial draw to the show was Howard Hesseman because like mamy of you, I remember his days on "WKRP in Cincinnati" as the popular "Johnny Fever". I wish it could come on syndication because they made the required 100 episodes for it to go in that format. They made history by being the first U.S. sitcom to film episodes in the Soviet Union. I would love to see a reunion show in the near future, but still, for this show to stay on network TV for five seasons with a relatively unknown cast of characters, even with the standards that "The Cosby Show" had set, that is saying something. To sum it all up "Head of the Class" was one of those overlooked shows that have become Cult Classics.
Jasoco This show is very funny. Another show from 1986. I never saw it when it was actually on TV. Most of the 80's was spent watching The Cosby Show for me. I was a child. So I have to watch all the best shows of my time on Nick at Nite and TV Land 20+ years later.Now that I'm watching it, I know what I've been missing.Most shows today don't even begin to meet the standards shows like this have set.