Room 222 (TV)
"Room 222" is an American television series that aired on the ABC network from September 17, 1969, to January 11, 1974, featuring a total of 112 half-hour episodes. Set in Walt Whitman High School, the show explored a mix of comedic and dramatic themes, addressing timeless emotional and ethical issues alongside contemporary social challenges, including gender stereotypes, drug use, and the Vietnam War. The series is notable for its diverse cast, including African American history teacher Pete Dixon and guidance counselor Liz McIntyre, helping to portray non-stereotypical representations of race and gender in education.
The show is often recognized as a precursor to the "dramedy" genre, blending humor with serious storytelling, and is credited with influencing subsequent television programs like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "M*A*S*H." While "Room 222" never achieved high ratings, it garnered critical acclaim and recognition from educators and civil rights organizations for its progressive themes. Additionally, its episodes serve as a cultural snapshot of the era, reflecting the fashions, ideas, and controversies of the time, while also addressing issues of race in a forward-looking manner.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Room 222 (TV)
Identification Television comedy-drama
Date Aired from 1969 to 1974
Room 222 pioneered the combination of television comedy with drama and realistically addressed social concerns within entertainment television.
Though not as well known as All in the Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Room 222 was not only their peer but also their predecessor. The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) network aired 112 half-hour episodes beginning September 17, 1969, and ending on January 11, 1974. A final episode was written but not aired. Though never a ratings success, the show received awards and nominations within the entertainment industry and recognition from educators and civil rights groups.
In the series, the teachers, principal, and students of Walt Whitman High School confronted timeless issues of emotions and ethics as well as contemporary issues, including gender stereotypes, drug use, the Vietnam War, and sexually transmitted disease. The protagonist, African American history teacher Pete Dixon (played by Lloyd Haynes), shared the show’s focus with a strong ensemble cast, which included strong nonwhite characters, such as the black guidance counselor, Liz McIntyre (Denise Nicholas), who became Pete’s love interest. Students included a young militant African American man named Jason (Heshimu) who wore an Afro (referred to as “a natural”). Other main characters were teacher Alice Johnson (Karen Valentine) and the sarcastic but caring principal, Seymour Kaufman (Michael Constantine).
Most important, none of the characters became racial stereotypes. The teachers were caring and effective but showed human frailties and gave realistic responses to their students. Good acting and scripting, as well as the show’s mixture of comedy and drama, helped create the show’s realism. Moreover, Room 222 was primarily filmed in Los Angeles High School, which added to its realistic approach.
Humor punctuates each episode, yet it was widely recognized as a drama. Its first season featured a laugh track, but later seasons did not. Thus, Room 222 may be the first example of a “dramedy” although this terms was not coined for several more years. In fact, the creators behind Room 222 later helped established the dramedy genre, taking key roles in producing two notable programs in the genre, The Mary Tyler Moore Show (first aired in 1970) and the television show M*A*S*H (first aired in 1972).
Various influences on Room 222 included Mr. Novak, a short-lived series about a caring English teacher that aired from 1963 to 1965, and The Mod Squad, with its biracial cast and interest in social justice, which aired from 1965 to 1973. Other important influences included several films, such as Up the Down Staircase (1967) and To Sir with Love (1967), which served as stories of teaching in difficult, underprivileged schools. To Sir with Love features a black protagonist, teacher Mark Thackeray, played by Sidney Poitier.
Impact
Episodes of Room 222 provide a time capsule of fashions, ideas, and controversies of the time and served as a forward-looking treatment of race. It also introduced the dramedy genre, which would be pervasive on television from the 1970’s onward.
Bibliography
MacDonald, J. Fred. Black and White TV: Afro Americans in Television Since 1948. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1992.
Newcomb, Horace, and Robert Alley, eds. The Producer’s Medium: Conversations with the Creators of American TV. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.