Original title
Head of the Class
Released
9/17/1986
Origin country
US
Genre
Comedy, Family
Production companies
Warner Bros. Television, Eustis Elias Productions
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
5
Number of episodes
114
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.
A high school substitute teacher takes over a class of geniuses.
The class imagines life 20 years in the future
Dennis misquotes Mr. Moore for the school newspaper
Charlie receives a love note from a secret admirer he suspects is in the IHP.
Janice feels left out in class and decides to throw a party to make friends. Charlie dates a model.
Charlie is upset when the IHP's regular teacher announces his return from sick leave.
Arvid tries to impress a girl by challenging the school basketball players to a volleyball match against the IHP class.
Charlie tries his hand at ""Hamlet""
Mr. Moore spends Thanksgiving with Dr. Samuels
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.
Charlie's ex-flame evaluates the class
When doing reports on their ancestry, both Alan and Darlene find things out that they don't want to.
Eric makes trouble for another teacher
Simone receives a discouraging letter from her favorite poet....after his death. Dennis tries to give up sarcasm and pranks.
Charlie must pass a test in Macro Economics in order to keep his teaching license. The IHP attempt to help him.
Maria dates the captain of the opposing team
The IHP faces their Russian counterparts in an academic tournament. Eric must join the team to replace an ailing Jawaharal.
The class has problems on Valentine's day.
The class makes a music video for a time capsule
Charlie sets Arvid up with a job at a hot nightclub, which causes Arvid to develop a cocky, image-conscious attitude.
Arvid starts to daydream about Lori and it affects his schoolwork
Sarah, Arvid, and Dennis compete and deceive to win the science fair.
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 from Simone.
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.
Dennis holds a sit-in for better cafeteria food after Charlie teaches a lesson on the rebelliousness of the '60s.
The class puts out a lampoon issuse of the school newspaper
When Dr. Samuels is ejected from the meets, he gets Mr. Moore to take his place as coach.
The class puts on Grease
Janice says there is a poltergeist following her and soon the class begins to believe her.
The class takes a standardized personality test and then worry about the results.
Charlie and Arvid reflect on their love woes at a Woody Allen marathon going on at a movie theater.
Arvid sends his penpal Eric's picture
Darlene and Sarah buy a car; problems with Mrs. Samuels has Dr. Samuels rooming with Charlie.
Janice tries to get first chair in the school orchestra
The IHP's parent's come to see how the class is taught
Darlene pretends to like Alan to win debates
Ms. Meara teaches a class on marriage
A popular teacher has Alzheimer's
The class gets matched up with computer dates
Dennis sees a bleak future
Charlie thinks he sees his dead uncle
Dennis gets to play on the football team.
In Moscow, Dr. Samuels insists on study for an academic meet, while Charlie lobbies for more personal cultural experiences. (Part 1 of 2)
The team begins the competition without Eric, Arvid or Dennis.
The class become Peer Counselors
Arvid's Dad teaches the honor's math class.
Dennis gets a job as a waiter to help pay off debts.
Alan and Sarah both want to be class president
Eric and Simone go on their first date.
Maria hides her intelligence from a hunk she is dating
Arvid goes out with an easy girl
An accomplished journalist alumnus visits.
The final days before opening night are fraught with chaos: no Ronette, Mr. Mushnik MIA, one lead with laryngitis and another ready to walk just before curtain time.
The girls don't like their gym teacher, but she likes Charlie
Charlie's efforts to broaden the audience and membership of the school's radio club tune out the original fans - and its only member.
Janice takes Dennis to small claims court for a ruined blouse; Charlie falls for Dr. Samuels sister.
Charlie moonlights as a character in late night commercials for an appliance store.
Fed up with Dennis' constant gags, Charlie shows him the door - to a remedial-history class, where Denn becomes the inspirational leader for an acade meet the IHP kids.
The staff, including Charlie, go on strike
Hall monitor Arvid has daytime nightmares of a personal high noon after a bully he cited for loitering demands a showdown - at high noon.
It's the first day back at school and there are some new additions to Mr. Moore's class.
Simone and Eric have eyes for others, but neither agrees with friends that honesty is the best policy.
Certain members of the class suspect Alex of stealing Darlene's antique ring.
Viki tells Charlie she's got a crush on him, but Alan gets the impression that he's the one she wants to squeeze.
Dennis becomes smitten with a quick-witted student who reprimands him for not cleaning his science-lab work area.
Arvid and Dennis meet Buzz Aldrin while at the Johnson Space Center presenting their experiment, which may be included in a shuttle mission.
Arvid decides to return to Houston, where Dennis once again steps into the spotlight that should be on Arvid.
T.J. and Alex look like a shoo-in to win the all-city dance contest, until Alex takes a fall--academically.
Charlie teaches the class about grief.
After hearing too many comments about his snoring, Arvid considers getting a complete nose job.
With just one history paper keeping her from joining the honors program, T.J. makes a pact with the Devil, who delivers the paper and more--until pay-back time.
The IHP students help the school's star athlete prepare for his college entrance exams.
T.J.'s first assignment as the newest member of IHP is ridiculed by Dennis.
Viki gets much-needed help on a home-ec project from Eric, who prefers to hide his talents for fashion design and construction.
Arvid goes a bit too far in trying to impress a film buff by guaranteeing he'll get a print of a rare 1950s Polish film.
A condescending Alan burns some bridges with his classmates after being recommended for early admission to Harvard by a recruiter.
The head of the English department takes some not-so-subtle action against Charlie's choice of "Hair" as the semester production.
The spirit of "Hair" leads the cast to go on with the show in defiance of Mrs. Hartman, who explains her objection to Charlie.
In a flashback to college-recruitment day, Arvid turns into jelly, Dennis turns into Alan and Simone turns on Eric when he hesitates to join her at Sarah Lawrence.
The IHP welcomes a brilliant new student--until he voices his opinion about the Academic Olympic team.
After his sea rescue of Simone, modesty becomes Dennis, until he tastes the attention of the press--and Simone, who will do "anything" to repay him.
After promising his vote to three women, Arvid thinks he's off the hook when the dance-queen contest is cancelled.
Infatuated with a model, Alan determines to meet her, but the result is not a model relationship.
The class sends Charlie's demo videotape to Woody Allen to get him an audition for a new film.
Aristotle's work videotaping a wedding garners him interest from an agent--of the FBI, who wants a copy.
Night-class students Charlie and Eric each think they are the apple of the teacher's eye when she joins them for after-class coffee.
Charlie doesn't return for the new school year and the Kids are wondering where's Charlie? Charlie found an acting gig and left and now the students have a new teacher, Billy MacGregor.
When Alan is caught cheating, Billy has the class act as a jury to decide his punishment.
Arvid goes out with gorgeous Viki.
Arvid's infectious flu may keep the class from performing in a Shakespeare competition.
Billy tries the personals ads.
Inspired by his French class, Eric goes to ""find himself"" in Paris.
Billy fakes a heart attack to circumvent a health-insurance bureaucrasy; the IHP girls try writing a romance novel.
After Billy is robbe, he has the class write papers on gun control, leading Arvid to a harrowing experience when he buys a gun for the assignment. (Part 1 of 2)
Bully Zach may have Arvid's missing gun. (Part 2 of 2)
The IHP class behaves obnoxiously when their bus breaks down at a rural truck stop.
Jasper's overprotective parents hire a babysitter for him -- and to his mortification, it turns out to be Sarah.
Billy and Bernadette take dance lessons at the studio where Alex teaches, and where he's pursued by a woman.
Arvid trains a chimp at his part-time pet store job and, rather than let it be sold, hides it in the classroom.
Simone's reputation suffers when Alex lies to his friends about a romance with her.
At Christmas, Billy helps Viki find her birth mother, but the woman doesn't want to see her.
T.J. turns down Aristotle's invitation to the senior prom.
The kids work on their yearbook, with Eric beginning to regret not having participated more extracurricularly.
To save Dennis after a prank, Billy creates a fictional student -- who apparently gets the MIT scholarship Dennis wanted.
Darlene promises to treat the class to an elaborate farewell dinner, but then finds her credit card revoked.
The class learns T.J. is more than just a contemporary-style musician when Billy discovers her operatic talent.
With a wrecking ball ready to demolish the school, the IHP class waits to fund out who's to be valedictorian. (Part 1 of 2)
The IHP class graduates, with T.J. as valedictorian. (Part 2 of 2, and series finale)
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