Billy (1992 TV series)
A Scottish teacher's green-card marriage sitcom.
Billy is an American sitcom that spun off from *Head of the Class*, airing on ABC from January 31 to May 30, 1992. It starred Billy Connolly as Billy MacGregor, a Scottish teacher who moves to the United States to start over. After Filmore High School closes, Billy relocates to Berkeley, California, and marries Mary Springer (Marie Marshall), a single mother, to obtain a green card and avoid deportation. He becomes her boarder, living in her basement under strict rules: no drinking, smoking, pets, or sex. The show follows Billy’s attempts to adjust to California life while evading immigration officials who suspect the marriage is fake. His relationships with Mary’s children—14-year-old David (Johnny Galecki), 10-year-old Laura (Natanya Ross), and 5-year-old Annie (Clara Bryant)—grow parental, and he and Mary grow closer, though the series ended before that storyline could develop. The cast also included Marie Marshall. *Billy* premiered on ABC’s TGIF lineup at 9:30/8:30c on Fridays. After two months, it moved to Saturday nights at 8:30/7:30c, following the end of the *I Love Saturday Night* block, and shifted time slots several times more. None of these moves improved ratings, and the show was canceled after one season.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Creator
- Michael Elias / Rich Eustis
- Starring
- Billy Connolly / Marie Marshall / Johnny Galecki / Natanya Ross / Clara Bryant
- Composer
- Ed Alton
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 13
- Executive Producer
- Michael Elias / Rich Eustis / Billy Connolly
- Producer
- Ray Jessel / Frank Pace / Rebecca Parr / Ehrich Von Lowe
- Editor
- Jimmy B. Frazier
- Camera
- Multi-camera
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
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.
Reader's Guide
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. 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.
Did You Know?
- Billy is a spin-off of Head of the Class.
- The series aired for only half a season, from January 31 to May 30, 1992.
- Billy MacGregor marries Mary Springer to avoid deportation back to the U.K.
- The show was cancelled before the planned romantic subplot between Billy and Mary could be carried out.
More in American television spinoffs 1-24
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