Debuting on ABC in 1986, Head of the Class revolved around a group of exceptionally gifted students enrolled in the Honors program at the fictional Monroe High School in Manhattan, led by struggling actor and substitute history teacher, Charlie Moore. And perhaps not surprisingly, one of the co-creators of the series, Rich Eustis, had a bit of life experience to inject into the premise, for he had also once been a struggling actor who substituted as a teacher early in his career.

The exceptional students at Monroe High School were under constant pressure to excel in various academic contests and the result was that they were a little lacking in the social development department. Luckily, they were under the watchful eye of their teacher, who tried to not only teach, but also act as a counselor and confidante when the need arose. And, in turn, he was under the watchful eye of school principal Dr. Harold Samuels and assistant principal Bernadette Meara.

His class initially consisted of ten gifted students, who not only didn’t get along with the other students of Monroe High, but often didn’t exactly get along with their classmates either. Eric was the tough genius who had his sites set on the snooty and preppy Darlene. Alan was the resident male snob. Maria was the classic over achiever whose grade-obsession would eventually lead her to transfer to the less pressure-filled performing arts school. Arvid was the class nerd among nerds and Dennis was his best buddy, the resident science whiz. Then there was the artistically inclined Sarah, and her friend, the introverted Simone. And for the first three years of the series, the remaining two classmates were child prodigy Janice and Indian student, Jawarhalal. The last two would eventually lead for the more challenging Harvard University. Later in the series, Alex, Aristotle, Vicky, Jasper, DeVoreaux and T.J. would also pull up a chair in Mr. Moore’s class.

For all their academic strengths, it didn’t mean there weren’t plenty of lessons yet to learn. Throughout the course of the series, topics such as academic integrity, tolerance, and the ability to get along with each other amidst a diverse collection of students were all tackled at one time or another.

Charlie Moore was skillfully portrayed by Howard Hesseman, who many will remember as the drug-addled disc jockey on the popular sitcom, WKRP in Cincinnati. Four years into the series, however, a real acting job finally came along for Mr. Moore and, as a result, he turned in his pocket protector to pursue his dream. Replacing him was Billy McGregor (played by Scottish comedian, Billy Connolly.) The following year, the series would be cancelled, but Connolly would have an opportunity to reprise his role on his own sitcom, Billy, which debuted in 1992 and unfortunately only lasted for half a season.

Head of the Class was memorable for an ethnically diverse cast - and the third season in particular, when it became the first American television sitcom to ever be filmed in the Soviet Union. Matching wits with their Russian counterparts, the contest between the two adversaries was determined a draw. And while neither side may have won the battle of wits, both sides did manage to win the respect of each other while forging friendships with their nerdy international counterparts.

And along the way, perhaps we all managed to learn a lesson or two from Head of the Class.