Brandon Severs is a young Hollywood star in the rising, he is seen in the hit Disney+ series, “Diary of a Future President” and is taking on his next role in playing Terrell Hayward on HBO Max’s reboot of the 1980s sitcom, “Head of the Class.”
The series follows a group of overachieving high school students who are taking Miss Gomez’s debate class but meet their greatest challenge in having a teacher who wants them to focus less on grades and more on experiencing life. Severs’s character is all about team mentality in being the captain of the swim team and is optimistic in a class of stressed-out overachievers. For preparation for the role, Severs wanted Terrell to show growth in learning how to loosen up a bit as the show progressed.
“I feel like literally just relaxing the character a bit, even how he stood and the way he sat,” said Severs. “As the show goes on you will see him sit back in the chairs more. That was a bit intentional because I wanted him to seem more uptight and loosen up as the show went on.”
For the students attending Miss Gomez’s debate class that is being held at the library is a way to bring up current issues in a natural manner. In the first episode, the topic is canceled culture, the teacher tells Terrell to talk about how he feels about it instead of just talking points. This strategy is a way for students to open up in expressing their feelings towards one another during and after a discussion. Each topic is carried out of the classroom in helping each student to navigate through their personal issues as they try to survive high school.
“The show is much more diverse than the original show, it tackles more current issues as the original show did in tackling issues during its time,” said Severs. “The show does that with the issues of our time, we talk about things that are very current, we talk about cancel culture, and a lot of things going on in today’s society. It is honestly a really funny show, it has heart, and it is a really good family show.”
“Head of the Class” was shot out of order, first was the pilot, then the second and the fifth episode, which Severs felt shooting the fifth episode is where the cast found their groove in an understanding of their character and their relationship with each other. As season one is a wrap, Severs hopes for season two, he wants more character development for Terrell in diving into more storylines with his mother and classmate Sarah (who is a possible love interest). The one topic Severs hopes the show will shed some light on for a future debate is bringing up the importance of mental health.
“I would love to see more details about what is going on in Terrell and Sarah that would always be great,” said Severs. “I honestly want to see more scenes with Terrell and his mom, we saw a little bit of their relationship and I would love to get deeper into it. Also, I would love to see a debate on mental health and I feel like that is an important topic not a lot of people talk about because of how taboo it is in America. The taboo is starting to lift but I feel shedding some light on that would be a great idea.”
The series has some of the same aspects as the original but the reboot brings up current issues and a new narrative into it which is a refreshing change to viewers. Life lessons are being taught in the show but the comedy relief from Terrell and the rest of the cast is what will make the viewer click on the next episode. Head of the Class is hilarious and brilliant on how they balance this perfect medium throughout the episodes.
Catch Severs as Terrell in HBO’s Max “Head of the Class,” the series is now streaming with all 10 episodes.
“I am happy people have the chance to see the show and I really hope people enjoy it. I think ‘Head of the Class’ would be great and do really well. I really hope people love it as much as I do,” said Severs.
