Drexell's Class
Encyclopedia
Drexell's Class is an American sitcom
aired by Fox
as part of its 1991-92 lineup
. The show was created by Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers
.
in the role of Otis Drexell, a fifth-grade teacher at fictional Grantwood Elementary School in Cedar Bluffs, Iowa. In the backstory, it was revealed Drexell was a famous corporate raider who lost a large amount of money on a failed venture, to which he dodged his taxes and was subsequently arrested. At his court case, he was told that he would get a suspended sentence
on the basis he work as a teacher in the undermanned school until he pays his back taxes. Drexell is also a divorced man whose two daughters live with him. Besides the bevy of cute kids, the cast also included two antagonists, rival teacher Roscoe Davis (Dakin Matthews) and Principal Francine Itkin (Randy Graff), who was later succeeded by Principal Marylin Ridge (Edie McClurg
).
One of Drexell's few friends at the school was school janitor George (Cleavant Derricks), who shared Drexell's love of sports and beer
. Most shows revolved around Drexell's unwillingness to teach children lessons by the book or him trying to be a good father to his daughters. Occasionally, a subplot happened where Drexell's ex-wife appeared, in which Otis was hoping she would remarry so he can stop paying alimony
.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
aired by Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
as part of its 1991-92 lineup
1991-92 United States network television schedule
This was the television schedule on all four United States commercial broadcast television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1991. All times are Eastern and Pacific, with certain exceptions, such as Monday Night Football....
. The show was created by Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers
Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers
Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers are a prolific Hollywood writing team. Though both their families moved independently from England to the same town in Canada, Nicholls and Vickers didn't meet until junior high in 1969, where they began collaborating almost immediately...
.
Synopsis
Drexell's Class (two working titles of the show were "Oh No, Not Drexell, and "Shut Up, Kids!") starred Dabney ColemanDabney Coleman
Dabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...
in the role of Otis Drexell, a fifth-grade teacher at fictional Grantwood Elementary School in Cedar Bluffs, Iowa. In the backstory, it was revealed Drexell was a famous corporate raider who lost a large amount of money on a failed venture, to which he dodged his taxes and was subsequently arrested. At his court case, he was told that he would get a suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
on the basis he work as a teacher in the undermanned school until he pays his back taxes. Drexell is also a divorced man whose two daughters live with him. Besides the bevy of cute kids, the cast also included two antagonists, rival teacher Roscoe Davis (Dakin Matthews) and Principal Francine Itkin (Randy Graff), who was later succeeded by Principal Marylin Ridge (Edie McClurg
Edie McClurg
Edie McClurg is an American character actress. She is known for her perky North Central dialect , common to persons from Middle America.-Career:...
).
One of Drexell's few friends at the school was school janitor George (Cleavant Derricks), who shared Drexell's love of sports and beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. Most shows revolved around Drexell's unwillingness to teach children lessons by the book or him trying to be a good father to his daughters. Occasionally, a subplot happened where Drexell's ex-wife appeared, in which Otis was hoping she would remarry so he can stop paying alimony
Alimony
Alimony is a U.S. term denoting a legal obligation to provide financial support to one's spouse from the other spouse after marital separation or from the ex-spouse upon divorce...
.
Cast
- Dabney ColemanDabney ColemanDabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...
... Otis Drexell - Randy GraffRandy GraffRandy Graff is an American actress. Graff has been in feature films such as Keys to Tulsa and Rent as well as being in television shows such as NBC's Law & Order a number of times. In addition to film and television, Graff has been in several Broadway shows...
... Principal Francine E. Itkin - Dakin MatthewsDakin MatthewsDakin Matthews is an American actor with a long history of work in film, television and theater. He is also a playwright, director, and theatrical scholar.-Life and career:...
... Roscoe Davis - Jason BiggsJason BiggsJason Matthew Biggs is an American actor who is best known for his role as Jim Levenstein in the American Pie series of teen comedy films.-Personal life:...
... Willie Trancas - Heidi ZeiglerHeidi ZeiglerHeidi Zeigler is a former child actress from the United States. Zeigler's most notable roles were in the television series Rags to Riches and Just the Ten of Us...
... Nicole Finnigan - Damian Cagnolatti ... Kenny Sanders
- Matthew LawrenceMatthew LawrenceMatthew William Lawrence is an American actor known for his leading role in the movie Cheats with Trevor Fehrman and his role of Jack Hunter on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World from 1997 to 2000, and his roles in movies such as The Hot Chick, The Comebacks, and Mrs...
... Walker - A.J. Langer ... Melissa Drexell
- Brittany MurphyBrittany MurphyBrittany Anne Murphy-Monjack , known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys...
... Brenda Drexell - Edie McClurgEdie McClurgEdie McClurg is an American character actress. She is known for her perky North Central dialect , common to persons from Middle America.-Career:...
... Principal Marilyn Ridge - Cleavant DerricksCleavant DerricksCleavant Derricks may refer to:* Cleavant Derricks , prolific songwriter known for many gospel music standards* Cleavant Derricks , stage and screen actor and musician, in Sliders and Dreamgirls, son of the above...
... George Foster - Phil BuckmanPhil BuckmanPhil Buckman is a musician, voiceover artist and actor. He is currently the bassist for the rock band Filter.-Early life:Originally from Queens, New York, Phil Buckman arrived in Los Angeles after living in Baltimore, Boston and San Diego.-Music career:...
... Slash - Jacqueline Donnelly ... Bernadette
- Matthew Slowik ... Lionel
Episode list
| Episode # | Production Code | Episode Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8G03 | "Otis' Last Day" | September 19, 1991 |
| 2 | 8G02 | "Air Drexell" | September 26, 1991 |
| 3 | 8G04 | "Misery Loves Drexell" | October 3, 1991 |
| 4 | 8G05 | "Love Walked Right In and Swept Mr. Drexell Away" | October 10, 1991 |
| 5 | 8G01 | "Convictions" | October 17, 1991 |
| 6 | 8G07 | "Viva Lost Wages" | October 24, 1991 |
| 7 | 8G06 | "Best Halloween Ever" | October 31, 1991 |
| 8 | 8G08 | "Driving Drexell Crazy" | November 7, 1991 |
| 9 | 8G10 | "Down and Out at the Out 'n In" | November 14, 1991 |
| 10 | 8G09 | "The Best Thanksgiving Ever" | November 21, 1991 |
| 11 | 8G11 | "Bully for Otis" | December 5, 1991 |
| 12 | 8G12 | "Silent Night, Holy Smokes" | December 21, 1991 |
| 13 | 8G13 | "My Own Private Iowa" | January 16, 1992 |
| 14 | 8G14 | "Beauty and the Beast" | January 23, 1992 |
| 15 | 8G17 | "Ashes to Ashes" | February 6, 1992 |
| 16 | 8G15 | "Till Death Do You Part" | February 13, 1992 |
| 17 | 8G18 | "Cruisin'" | February 20, 1992 |
| 18 | 8G16 | "The Resentments" | March 5, 1992 |
Award nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Television Series | |
| Best Young Actor Guest Starring or Recurring Role in a TV Series | Michael Oliver Michael Oliver (actor) Michael Oliver is a former American child actor of the 1990s. Oliver is best known for his role as "Junior" in two Problem Child movies.-Early life and career:... |
|||
| Best Young Actor Guest Starring or Recurring Role in a TV Series | Brandon Quintin Adams |
In popular culture
- The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
made light of the show's cancellation in their 1992 "Treehouse of Horror IIITreehouse of Horror III"Treehouse of Horror III" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 29, 1992. In the third annual Treehouse of Horror episode, Homer buys Bart an evil talking Krusty doll, King Homer is captured by Mr. Burns, and Bart...
" episode with a "graveyard of cancelled shows". A tombstone of Drexell's Class is featured alongside tombstones of Fish PoliceFish Police (1992 TV series)Fish Police is an animated television series from Hanna-Barbera based on the comic book series that first aired on CBS in 1992, lasting only six episodes over one season. In February of that year, three episodes of the series aired, but the show was promptly axed after failing in the television...
, Capitol CrittersCapitol CrittersCapitol Critters is an animated television series about the lives of mice, rats, and roaches who reside in the basement and walls of the White House in Washington, D.C...
, and Family Dog.