''Billy'' is an American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

and a spin-off of ''

Head of the Class ''Head of the Class'' is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network. The series follows a group of gifted students in the Individualized Honors Program (IHP) at the fictional Millard Fillmor ...

'' that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

for half a season from January 31 to May 30, 1992. The series starred

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his ...

as Billy MacGregor, a Scottish teacher who moves to America in order to build a new life for himself.

Synopsis

Following the end of ''Head of the Class'', Billy moves to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

after Filmore High School was closed down, where he marries Mary Springer (played by Marie Marshall), a single mom with several children, so he could get his

green card A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...

. The marriage is arranged in order to prevent Billy from being deported back to the UK. Billy becomes Mary's

boarder A boarder may be a person who: *snowboards *skateboards *bodyboards * surfs *stays at a boarding house *attends a boarding school *takes part in a boarding attack The Boarder may also refer to: * ''The Boarder'' (1953 film), a 1953 Soviet drama ...

, living in her

basement apartment A basement apartment is an apartment located below street level, underneath another structure—usually an apartment building, but possibly a house or a business. Cities in North America are beginning to recognize these units as a vital source of ...

with the strictest of rules: no drinking, no smoking, no pets, and no sex. The series follows Billy's misadventures as he adjusts to life in California while staying one step ahead of immigration officials seeking to prove his marriage is a sham. Meanwhile, his relationship with Mary's children, 14-year-old David, 10-year-old Laura and 5-year-old Annie, (played by

Johnny Galecki John Mark Galecki (born April 30, 1975) is an American actor. He played Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and David Healy in the ABC sitcoms '' Ro ...

Natanya Ross Natanya Beth Ross (born October 4, 1981, in Asbury Park, New Jersey) is an American actress who is most famous for playing Robyn Russo, a regular character in ''The Secret World of Alex Mack''. Ross first got her start in TV by doing a commercial ...

, and

Clara Bryant Clara Elise Bryant (born February 7, 1985, in Glendale, California) is an American actress and lawyer. She is best known for her roles as Amy in ''Under Wraps'' and Tru Walker in ''Tru Confessions''. She is an alumna of University of Georgia Sch ...

) deepens to a parental level, and Billy and Mary likewise find themselves drawing closer together, although the series was cancelled before this subplot could be carried out.

Cast

as Billy MacGregor *Marie Marshall as Mary Springer MacGregor *

as David MacGregor *

as Laura MacGregor *

as Annie MacGregor

Scheduling and cancellation

''Billy'' premiered as part of ABC's ''TGIF'' lineup, Fridays at 9:30/8:30c. After two months in this time period, the show moved to Saturday night (just one week after ABC abruptly ended the failed ''TGIF'' sister lineup, ''I Love Saturday Night''), at 8:30/7:30c. While on Saturdays, the program would switch time slots a few more times, but none of the moves produced better ratings; ''Billy'' folded after one season.

Episodes

References

* Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present'' *''TV Guide Guide to TV (2006)''

External links

* {{TGIF (ABC) 1992 American television series debuts 1992 American television series endings 1990s American sitcoms American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in Berkeley, California American television spin-offs TGIF (TV programming block)