From pharmacist to stand-up comedian to major television star, Mark Curry took the fast track to celebrity status when he landed the starring role of the successful 90s ABC sitcom Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper.

When former pro basketball player Mark Cooper returned years later to his old high school, he assumed he would be coaching the sport he knew well – but the school had other plans. They felt that his former years as troublemaker and class clown made him uniquely qualified to handle similar students and he was placed in the classroom. He immediately realized that his work was cut out for him. He had to contend with students such as the razor-tongued Earvin Rodman and colleagues such as P.J., the school principal (played by former Gimme A Break star, Nell Carter.)

Life at home had its own challenges as Mark shared his home with two female tenants, music teacher Robin and her attractive friend Vanessa, who he would eventually wed later in the show. When actress Dawnn Lewis (who played Robin) left the series, Mark would receive two new female roommates – Mark’s boisterous cousin Geneva and her daughter Nicole. Mark’s parenting talents were continuously put to the test by the precocious and witty tyke.

Really what Mark wanted was to find some balance between his home life and his teaching responsibilities, a task that was easier said than done. His ill-planned schemes rarely worked out and, more often than not, led to plenty of humorous conflict between him and those in his family. For example when he was caught trying to get out of taking Nicole to the circus, the women of the house responded by grounding him. The series also occasionally tackled more serious subject matter, such as when Earvin’s friend is killed as a result of her brother’s gang activity.

With an emphasis on presenting education in a positive light and the comedic talents of the show’s star, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper quickly endeared itself to a legion of fans and managed to stay on the air for a respectable five seasons. The show remains popular in syndication to this day.