I have seen 4 episodes now with getting Antenna TV back last week. The 3 with him have all been good, but the Billy Connelly episode from Saturday was not on the same level. He was a poor replacement for Howard, and I also couldn't stand the other teacher who was fawning over Billy's character.

It was never the same without Hesseman. I lost interest when the other guy took over. Don't know why Hesseman left.

In this 1989 article he puts it down

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-08-16/features/8901050097_1_hesseman-fresh-approach-math-or-science

In this 1989 article he puts it down

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-08-16/features/8901050097_1_hesseman-fresh-approach-math-or-scienceThat's too bad. Head of the Class is no WKRP but it was still an excellent show with him. But he doesn't even seem to like any TV much. :shocked

Yea I seem to remember he didn't care for the show. He was great in it though. The show JTS after he left.

Yea I seem to remember he didn't care for the show. He was great in it though. The show JTS after he left.

I lost interest in it after he left.

Some further insight into Hessman's exit, from Brian Robbins (Eric) and Dan Schneider (Dennis):

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/428485/ALL-THAT-ASPIRES-TO-BE-ALL-THAT-HEAD-WASNT.html

The best were the first three seasons; season 4 was still OK, as Charlie was still there, but the new students (maybe bar T.J.) didn't click with me.

Interesting article. I have wondered why we had never seen any opinions from the cast on why Hesseman left HOTC. As great as Howard Hesseman was, HOTC wouldn't have been as good if it was more about Charlie Moore. I've never known anyone who thought the episodes about Mr. Moore were the best ones. Many of them are good, but the best ones were always about the students.

Also, I'm glad that the producers ran things the way they did, because, in my opinion, HOTC could not have been improved. Schneider and Robbins state that "All That" would be more about what the kids like, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted HOTC to be anything like "All That", which was a show for small children, not adults and teenagers.

HOTC is my favorite sitcom, and I'm glad the producers resisted the attempts to change it from the actors. I love all the actors on the show, but I'm glad HOTC was exactly the way it was.

Some further insight into Hessman's exit, from Brian Robbins (Eric) and Dan Schneider (Dennis):

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/428485/ALL-THAT-ASPIRES-TO-BE-ALL-THAT-HEAD-WASNT.html

The best were the first three seasons; season 4 was still OK, as Charlie was still there, but the new students (maybe bar T.J.) didn't click with me.

That's how I feel with Gimme a Break!...Seasons 1-2 were good, Season 3 when Joey and Addie were added brought some interest in the show. But when Season 4 came...it wasn't as good since Dolph Sweet wasn't around because he was going through cancer treatments. Season 5 is unwatchable because Sweet died.

Now back on topic...has there ever been a Head of the Class reunion? Would Hessman be part of it if there was another reunion?

I'm a fan of Billy Connelly, but not on Head Of The Class, Howard Hesseman was the reason I watched Head Of The Class during its original run.

That's how I feel with Gimme a Break!...Seasons 1-2 were good, Season 3 when Joey and Addie were added brought some interest in the show. But when Season 4 came...it wasn't as good since Dolph Sweet wasn't around because he was going through cancer treatments. Season 5 is unwatchable because Sweet died.

Now back on topic...has there ever been a Head of the Class reunion? Would Hessman be part of it if there was another reunion?

I feel like Gimme a Break went downhill after it started...too much drama and not enough comedy. But I feel the same way about Soap. Seasons 1 & 2 were classic, but by Season 3 it started slipping but still had its moments, same really with the last season, but less.

A Head of the Class reunion would be good. If Shout Factory or Time Life ever acquired the license to Head of the Class, I"m sure there'd be a reunion.

It was a great show and Hessman made it great.

A Head of the Class reunion would be good. If Shout Factory or Time Life ever acquired the license to Head of the Class, I"m sure there'd be a reunion.

But would Shout Factory or Time-Life really want Hesseman there, shouting, "Don't buy the DVDs! This show sucks!" ?

But would Shout Factory or Time-Life really want Hesseman there, shouting, "Don't buy the DVDs! This show sucks!" ?

I suppose a selling point wouldn't be "negative commentaries by star Howard Hesseman."

I suppose a selling point wouldn't be "negative commentaries by star Howard Hesseman."

:lol: No. No it would not!

Yea I seem to remember he didn't care for the show. He was great in it though. The show JTS after he left.

Perhaps Howard Hessman thought the show would be more evenly focused between his character's personal life and the classroom, but the kids wound up being the primary focus. So in that regard, it's completely understandable why he left, especially after being so successful after WKRP.

It's very interesting to hear in Hesseman's words why he left.

Interestingly, I thought there was always one reason that made sense to leave: The show had already run for 4 years, and it was time for the high-schoolers to graduate. In fact, being geniuses, they could have graduated early, and instead the show came back for a fifth year! That didn't make sense. (Keep in mind, this is still one of my favorite shows.)

If the show gradually replaced all of its cast with newcomers (which they sort of did, but they needed to have an influx of freshmen every year), then maybe it could have continued a bit longer. As it was, I originally read somewhere (probably in TV Guide) that the final season was intended to air in January as a mid-season replacement, which fit the conceit that Billy just came in to finish out the semester.

Ironically, the show premiered in September anyway. (Apparently, ABC had some last-minute shuffling of the schedule.) And then there was an episode with a Halloween party, which means that Billy had to come in very early in the year!

Anyway, I'm rambling at this point. I guess that had nothing to do with why Hesseman left. But I always thought the fifth season was kind of a weird idea. :D

if anyone was going to leave the show it should have been that dumb ass principal

Season 5 was originally supposed to be mid-season only, but it was because of the problems that Baby Talk (remember that sitcom?) had that delayed its premiere to early 1991 that HOTC had to be rushed into production quicker than anticipated for the fall 1990 start.

Season 5 was originally supposed to be mid-season only, but it was because of the problems that Baby Talk (remember that sitcom?) had that delayed its premiere to early 1991 that HOTC had to be rushed into production quicker than anticipated for the fall 1990 start.

what did baby talk have to do with head of the class

^The ABC network just had to pick one show to fill the void caused by the delays that Baby Talk had, and they chose to do Season 5 of Head of the Class at the last minute.

It’s interesting that Robbins and Schneider talk about Hesseman leaving and say that he was “replaced” as opposed to him quitting. When you read Hesseman’s critical comments about the show from 1989 (while he was still on it!), you just know that he wasn’t exactly a peach on the set. He essentially was criticizing his colleagues’ work publicly. Some other things in those two stories lead me to believe that he’s not the most pleasant person.

That said, I do agree that the show was better with him.

It’s interesting that Robbins and Schneider talk about Hesseman leaving and say that he was “replaced” as opposed to him quitting. When you read Hesseman’s critical comments about the show from 1989 (while he was still on it!), you just know that he wasn’t exactly a peach on the set. He essentially was criticizing his colleagues’ work publicly. Some other things in those two stories lead me to believe that he’s not the most pleasant person.

That said, I do agree that the show was better with him.



that billy was a complete weirdo

Just watched the first season on Roku. I have not seen an episode in a very long. But I remember every episode. I was young when it was on, I was born in 1978. Which gives you a sense of my age when it first aired. Do not remember if I watched it from beginning but did watch the later seasons new and the reruns on local tv over and over again.

Being so long I forgot how much I loved this show. Mr Moore was a huge part of that. It’s unfortunate to read how unhappy Howard Hesseman was. I vague memories of hearing that over the years.

I liked Billy at the time, though the show felt so different. Be awhile to I get to that last season.

There seems to be inconsistencies in all the reports of Howard leaving and Billy taking over.

Hesseman was unhappy about the show focusing on the kids more than the teacher. Which from his perspective is understandable. Though to a young viewer the kids is what keep me interested as long as I was.

Yet in the final season Billy got more focus as teacher away from the kids?? Which seems to be what Howard Hesseman always wanted. Was there a plan to continue the show with new students in a 6th season? It’s a popular joke that the smart kids took 5 years to graduate. But clearly the show never could have lasted too much longer and held any credibility.

At that point it was way too late to have a fully rotating classes of new students. If that ever was to work it would have needed to happen in the first or second season before audiences got attached to the kids. I do not think that ever would have worked.

I am a comic book fan. So the idea of characters not aging in real time is easy to except. Maybe two seasons was a full school year. Nothing compared to MASH about the Korean War which lasted much longer than the actual war!

Anyways, if they had an end goal for number of seasons? Leading to graduation? Was the show popular enough that they did not care? It’s a strange move to introduce a new teacher in the last season.

Clearly ABC liked Billy Connolly a lot. To let him take over the show. Give a spin off. It’s strange that they had the school demolished in last episode. They could have had him be teacher of another subject in the same school.... that just occurred to me...

Even as a kid it was interesting that we rarely saw the IHP in other classes with other teachers. Maybe it would have been better received if Billy taught another subject in same school. Mr Moore is still,there but we never see him any more. Now it’s another part of their day.

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On Wednesday nights back in the mid-80s, one of the shows I watched on a regular basis was "Head Of The Class" (https://web.archive.org/web/20061031125301/http://www.jumptheshark.com/h/headoftheclass.htm) starring Howard Hesseman (https://web.archive.org/web/20180824052013/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-08-16/features/8901050097_1_hesseman-fresh-approach-math-or-science). It was part of a Wednesday night lineup that included "Perfect Strangers", and at one point "Growing Pains". In this video, I discuss Howard Hesseman's career and his decision to walk away from the show that was still getting good ratings. #HeadoftheClass #HowardHesseman #80sTVshows