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.

severe_td "Head of the Class" is very dated to the late 1980s. From the big hair to the clunky IBM terminals in the classroom, there's no doubt you're watching a show produced nearly 20 years ago. However, that actually adds to the program's charm -- especially for those of us who were in high school ourselves during that time period.For 3 seasons, Head of the Class had a lot going for it. While lighthearted and often requiring a suspension of disbelief, the show was funny, entertaining, and charming. There was an excellent chemistry among cast members, and Howard Hesseman was perfect for the part of wise teacher Charlie Moore. Even the New York setting of the sitcom was well done, from the fascinating city imagery in the opening song to many different exterior shots shown between scenes. I saw the show at a taping in Burbank, California in 1986. Despite having actually been on the California set, I had to constantly remind myself that it wasn't actually shot in New York. That's unusual for a sitcom.Unfortunately, things started to unravel in season 4. Too many of the original student cast members were lost, and the new ones replacing them were uninteresting and flat. How much do you really remember about Viki, Aristotle, Alex, T.J., and Jasper? You probably remember their faces, but they were simply cardboard replacements for the vibrant and quirky Janice, Jawaharalal, and Maria. This was already a sign that the show was slipping.In Hesseman's final year, there were also a surprising number of "musicals" performed on the show. The first one was an interesting change, but this repeated theme made it clear that the writers were running of out ideas.Finally, Hesseman left (probably sensing the end being near), and Billy Connolly replaced him. That was the truly the beginning of the end. Like the replacement students of the previous year, Connolly's character lacked the substance and depth that made Hesseman's so great. Between the boring new teacher and the tired-looking, modified class of students, this show ceased to hold many people's interest. It was mercifully put down at the end of the '90-91 season.I would like to see Head of the Class back somewhere on television. Nick at Nite ran it for awhile in a horrible time slot (something like 4:30am), but eventually it vanished. It can't be found anywhere, which I think is a shame. This fun show deserves better than to rot in some syndication company's archive room.

ericbilli head of the class was one of the better teen shows around at the time i forget the name of the school in the show but in the opening credits when Howard hessman runs into the school that school is actually Washington Irving high school in NYC address is 40 Irving place it was my school at the time and the only reason why i started watching the show is because my cousin mentioned it to me and i didn't believe him until i saw for myself and it turned out to be a good show also but did you know the guy that played Eric is like the producer of kids shows like Keenan and kel, all that, the Amanda show, and i think he directed the perfect score

ToshNMac My problem with this show was that some of the students, save Arvid, were too good looking to be consider "nerds". So they didn't "look" like social outcasts, but as those IHP students will tell you, Appearances are deceiving.When it first aired, my interest in the show was Dr. Johnny Fever aka Howard Hesseman. Johnny Fever teaching kids brighter than himself, now that's hilarious. But it worked, not as Dr. Johnny Fever of course. Hesseman portrayed sub then permanent teacher Charlie Moore and gives the students lessons you can't learn from textbooks. And those are often, the most difficult ones to learn. For me, one of the best sitcoms of the 1980's.