Head Of The Class - What We Know So Far
In its second year as a streaming service, HBO Max is seeking to fill its metaphorical shelves with plenty of original content to entice viewers to subscribe. One of the upcoming series is "Head of the Class," a reboot of the 1980s ABC sitcom of the same name.
This updated version will be a high school series in a similar vein to the original, with the gung-ho teacher Alicia Adams (Isabella Gomez) starring as a new mentor to a class of honors students. She will be trying to figure out her own life while encouraging her students to gain more non-academic experiences for themselves. Fans of the medical sitcom "Scrubs" and the sports-themed "Ted Lasso" will be excited to hear that this new series is being produced by Bill Lawrence, making it a promising entry to the HBO Max roster.
"Head of the Class" will join HBO's other recent reboots, such as "Perry Mason" and "Gossip Girl." Here's everything we know about the upcoming series.
When is the release date for Head of the Class?
The reboot of "Head of the Class" does not yet have a release date, but Deadline reported that production was scheduled to start in Los Angeles during summer of 2021. Based on that information, it seems unlikely that "Head of the Class" will debut on HBO Max before the end of the year, but will probably become available in early 2022. The first season will have 10 half-hour long episodes. In the meantime, all five seasons of the original sitcom are available for streaming on HBO Max.
Executive producer Bill Lawrence, who's known for creating "Scrubs," is also currently working on the popular sitcom "Ted Lasso" on Apple TV+. According to Deadline, his production company Doozer is producing "Head of the Class" along with Warner Brothers TV. Executive producing alongside him are the writers who penned the pilot, Amy Pocha and Seth Cohen, known for "American Vandal," "Undateable," and — in the opposite vein of this new series — "Bad Teacher."
Who is in the cast of Head of the Class?
Most of what we do know about the new "Head of the Class," at this point in time, is the long cast list. While the original featured Howard Hesseman as the class' history teacher, Charlie Moore, the reboot's central teacher will be Alicia Adams, played by Isabella Gomez. She's best known for her role as Elena on the sitcom "One Day at a Time," which was a reboot of the seventies version.
Others working at the school will be the very genuine English teacher Elliot Olsen, and Principal Maris. Olsen will be played by Jorge Diaz, who's known for his voice acting, a guest role on "Jane the Virgin," and a starring role in "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones." In the part of the principal is Christa Miller, who's best known as Jordan on "Scrubs" and Ellie on "Cougar Town."
Crucial to the series, of course, are the students. Among the overachievers are: Gavin Lewis as aspiring senator Luke, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Instagram-sharp Makayla, Dior Goodjohn as Twitch streamer Robyn, Brandon Severs as the extremely positive athlete Terrell, Katie Beth Hall as type-A student Sarah, and Adrian Matthew Escalona as the introverted programmer Miles (via Deadline).
What is the plot of Head of the Class?
"Head of the Class" originally centered on a class of honors students in a New York City high school and their new substitute history teacher, Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman), who is intent on getting them to find a little more balance in their academics-driven lives. It ran for five seasons, but its last year was ruined by a cast change: As soon as Hesserman left the series after Season 4, the show lost its magic.
In the reboot, new teacher Alicia Adams has experience as a grades-obsessed student, but now she's hoping to teach her highly achieving high school students to find more in life than simply academics. As a modern version of the show, the new "Head of the Class" will have all the bells and whistles of the 21st century, including, but not limited to, the internet and cell phones. Episodes will likely delve into the different students and their problems and aspirations.