Homeroom (TV series)

Homeroom is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 16 to December 17, 1989. The series stars stand-up comedian Darryl Sivad as a fourth grade teacher at an inner-city school. ABC executives created the show as a vehicle for Sivad after seeing his routine on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Premise

The series follows Darryl Harper, a highly paid advertising copywriter who decides to quit his job to teach underprivileged kids at P.S. 391, an inner city school in New York City. Darryl's wife Virginia supports his choice but Virginia's father, Phil Drexler does not. Phil frequently voices his disapproval to Darryl that he feels is his right as Darryl and Virginia live rent-free in the brownstone Phil owns and also lives in.

Cast

Darryl Sivad as Darryl Harper
Penny Johnson as Virginia "Vicki" Harper
Bill Cobbs as Phil Drexler
Trent Cameron as Sam
Jahary Bennett as Devon
Billy Dee Willis as Donald

Reception and cancellation

Homeroom premiered on ABC on September 16, 1989, to mixed reviews. The series was scheduled on Sunday nights opposite CBS's hit series Murder, She Wrote and NBC's My Two Dads. As a result, Homeroom struggled in the ratings and faced cancellation. In an effort to save the series, the cast and producers asked viewers to start a letter writing campaign. Executive producer Topper Carew went on a cross-country promotional tour to schools where he showed the series to students and teachers and held a Q&A session afterwards. Carew also mailed letters and contacted African-American organizations and activists asking them to watch the show and to talk about it. Despite the cast and producers' efforts, ABC canceled the series in December 1989. Three of the thirteen episodes produced were never aired.