From the boardroom to the classroom, Otis Drexell was lucky enough to find a job as a school teacher since, frankly, no business wanted him.  After all, he’d just gotten busted for tax evasion, so in order to honor an agreement he made with the IRS, he took the job as a fifth-grade teacher at an understaffed elementary so that he could pay his back taxes. 

Though he was surrounded by the cutest of kids that loved him, tension mounted as Drexell battled with the principal, Francine Itkin, and his fellow teacher, Roscoe Davis, both of them giving it their all to rid themselves of Drexell.  Ultimately, Itkin failed, suffered a nervous breakdown (a.k.a. ‘left the show’) and was replaced by a new principal Marylin Ridge, who could continue Itkin’s work trying to remove Drexell from her school.  And really, they had their reasons to dislike him:  Drexell was far from the best teacher.  Misanthropic, acerbic and manipulative, he won the hearts of his students by teaching ‘outside of the box’ giving them lessons that couldn’t be taught in any book.

Debuting in the FOX fall schedule of 1991, Drexell’s Class was a showcase for funnyman Dabney Coleman, and an opportunity for the young TV station to get a solid sitcom into their lineup.  Though the show was the critics’ darling, it lasted a mere 18 episodes before getting cancelled.  It’s dark characters, witty sarcasm and willingness to push the boundaries of situation comedies has helped it remain one of the most memorable, even if short-lived, shows of the 1990s.