Billy (1992 TV series)

For the 1979 series of the same name, see Billy (1979 TV series).

Billy is an American sitcom and a spin-off of Head of the Class that aired on ABC for half a season from January 31 to May 30, 1992. The series starred Billy Connolly as Billy MacGregor, a Scottish teacher who moves to America in order to build a new life for himself.

Billy
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Michael Elias Rich Eustis
Starring	Billy Connolly Marie Marshall Johnny Galecki Natanya Ross Clara Bryant
Composer	Ed Alton
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producers	Michael Elias Rich Eustis
Producers	Ray Jessel Frank Pace Rebecca Parr Ehrich Von Lowe
Editor	Jimmy B. Frazier
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Eustis/Elias Productions Warner Bros. Television
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	January 31 (1992-01-31) – May 30, 1992 (1992-05-30)

Synopsis

Following the end of Head of the Class, Billy moves to Berkeley, California, 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. The marriage is arranged in order to prevent Billy from being deported back to the U.K.  Billy becomes Mary's boarder, living in her basement apartment 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, Natanya Ross, and Clara Bryant) 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

• Billy Connolly as Billy MacGregor
• Marie Marshall as Mary Springer MacGregor
• Johnny Galecki as David MacGregor
• Natanya Ross as Laura MacGregor
• Clara Bryant 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

No.	Title [1]	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	US viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	Sam Weisman	Michael Elias & Rich Eustis	January 31, 1992 (1992-01-31)	18.0[2]
2	"Hot Stuff"	Howard Storm	Rebecca Parr & David Hurwitz & Erich Von Lowe	February 7, 1992 (1992-02-07)	15.7[3]
3	"Parenting 101"	Robert Berlinger	Story by : George Tricker Teleplay by : Diane Wilk & Joyce Costanza & Larry Moskowitz	February 14, 1992 (1992-02-14)	13.7[4]
4	"Poker Face"	Peter Baldwin	Rich Eustis & Michael Elias & Ray Jessel	February 21, 1992 (1992-02-21)	13.8[5]
5	"Billy Gets the Bird"	John Bowab	Erich Von Lowe	February 28, 1992 (1992-02-28)	16.0[6]
6	"Gimme Some Credit"	Robert Berlinger	Story by : Ehrich Von Lowe Teleplay by : Bill Lawrence & Ray Jessel	March 6, 1992 (1992-03-06)	18.2[7]
7	"Futile Attraction"	John Bowab	Diane Wilk	March 13, 1992 (1992-03-13)	16.1[8]
8	"Billy Flunks Mary"	Howard Storm	David Hurwitz	March 21, 1992 (1992-03-21)	11.8[9]
9	"Out All Night"	Richard Kline	John Boni	March 28, 1992 (1992-03-28)	11.7[10]
10	"Home Alone, Almost"	Howard Storm	David Hurwitz	April 4, 1992 (1992-04-04)	11.6[11]
11	"Love Me or Leave Me: Part 1"	John Bowab	April Kelly	April 11, 1992 (1992-04-11)	10.2[12]
12	"Love Me or Leave Me: Part 2"	John Bowab	Rebecca Parr	April 18, 1992 (1992-04-18)	9.2[13]
13	"Thunder from Down Under"	Howard Storm	Geoff Gilbert & Gregg Sherman	May 30, 1992 (1992-05-30)	8.8[14]

References

1. From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Billy : episode"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
2. Donlon, Brian (February 5, 1992). "A show of CBS strength". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
3. Donlon, Brian (February 12, 1992). "CBS mines Olympic gold". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
4. Donlon, Brian (February 19, 1992). "CBS wins, but ABC gets silver". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
5. Donlon, Brian (February 26, 1992). "CBS' all-around Olympic win". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
6. Donlon, Brian (March 4, 1992). "Last-place Fox is rising fast". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
7. Donlon, Brian (March 11, 1992). "'Indy' boosts ABC". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
8. "Hit comedies lift ABC". Life. USA Today. March 18, 1992. p. 3D.
9. "CBS ticks off another win". Life. USA Today. March 25, 1992. p. 3D.
10. Donlon, Brian (April 1, 1992). "'Room' in the top 10 for ABC". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
11. Gable, Donna (April 8, 1992). "Oscar sweep extends to ABC". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
12. Gable, Donna (April 15, 1992). "CBS' historic jump". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
13. Gable, Donna (April 22, 1992). "'Roseanne' leads ABC's way". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.
14. Gable, Donna (June 3, 1992). "ABC wins with 'Jack's Place'". Life. USA Today. p. 3D.

• Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, (2007) The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present Ballantine Books ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4, p. 147
• TV Guide Guide to TV (2006) ISBN 0-7607-7572-9

External links

• Billy at IMDb