Robin Givens reprising her Head of the Class character on HBO Max's reboot

Entertainment Weekly

Givens played Darlene Merriman, a member of the original Individualized Honors Program (IHP) on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class from 1986 to 1991. On the HBO Max reboot, premiering Nov. 4, she'll play one of the parents to one of the overachieving high school students. In the reboot, Alicia Gomez takes on the Howard Hesseman role as the teacher who wants the kids to focus less on grades and more on experiencing life. "It's really cool," Givens tells EW of playing Darlene again. "It's so funny because you think reboots, and you immediately think, 'Oh no!' with certain things. 'Just leave it!' And then there was something about this when I was asked to do it, it just warmed my heart. It made me so happy. I thought it was so sweet." Givens adds that Darlene is now known as Darlene Hayward, an ambitious lawyer with a degree from Stanford. "She's become a lawyer, she's a single mom and very close to her son and very much a mama bear. She's Darlene Merriman, all grown up," says Givens. "She's a perfectionist and sticking to her son like glue and trying to be the best mom she could possibly be but doesn't understand she probably should get out of the way a little bit to let him do some growing up...She wants what is best for her son and is hyper-focused on setting him up for success. Darlene might need a reminder of the positive impact an out-of-the-box teacher can have, but she's fighting for the good of all students at Meadows Creek High as co-head of the Parents' Association." Watch the first footage of Givens on HBO Max's Head of the Class reboot.