Welcome Freshmen

Welcome Freshmen is an American comedy series that ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1994 with reruns until 1996. The show took place at Hawthorne High School with a group of high school students and a bumbling vice principal. Game shows like Get the Picture and Nick Arcade had celebrity episodes starring some of the cast of Welcome Freshmen and Clarissa Explains It All.

Welcome Freshmen
Also known asSchool Students
GenreComedy
Created byRobert Mittenthal
Starring
  • Jocelyn Steiner
  • Rick Galloway
  • Mike Speller
  • Jill Setter (1991-1992)
Theme music composerPeter Lauer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes49
Production
Running time30 minutes
Release
Original networkNickelodeon
Original releaseFebruary 16, 1991 (1991-02-16) 
1994 (1994)

Welcome Freshmen was filmed at Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Seasons 1 and 2

The earlier episodes of the series consisted of comedy sketches that loosely followed a theme. Some of the comedy routines involved a tortoise named Mortise teaching children about safety, a documentarian named Mr. History who talks about past generations of freshmen, the bumbling, freshmen-hating, vice principal Mr. Lippman imagining himself as a stand-up comedian telling really bad jokes that insult freshmen, and a student named Billy Cushman who, though his appearance was occasional, provided not only a good example of how not to behave, but also a good example of flatulence.

Each episode had two or three short skits about the gang's misadventures in high school.

Recurring skits

  • Home-Room Announcements-Mr. Lippman, the vice principal, doing the morning announcements (at the same time, imagining how he'd really like to say them as a stand-up format).
  • The Merv-U-Mentary-Merv's amateurish attempt at uncovering news and scandals at the high school.
  • Mr. History-featuring the gang as high school students of a past time period.
  • Mike Who-featuring close-ups of a sidelined high school basketball player driving the crowd wild with a single wave. Eventually cut after vice Principal Lippman said it was too distracting, resulting in a tense showdown between Lippman and Who.
  • Mortise the Safety Tortoise

Season 3

In the later episodes, the sketch comedy format was abandoned and Welcome Freshmen became a standard sitcom.

In the third season, the gang became sophomores, except Walter who flunked and was held behind. Merv and Tara left, with Merv skipping the rest of High School and going straight to College, and Tara and her family moving to a Biosphere. New characters came in: Manny and Erin (incoming freshmen) and Grant, a junior who was Erin's brother and soon became Alex's boyfriend. Eventually Walter moves up to sophomore as the teachers all threatened to quit if they had him another year.

Cast

  • Jocelyn Steiner as Alex Moore
  • Rick Galloway (actor) as Walter Patterson
  • Chris Lobban as Kevin St. James
  • Veronica Alicino as Miss Topaz
  • Arian Waring Ash as Erin Kelly (1993–1994)
  • Janis Benson as Miss Petruka
  • Brock Bradley as Grant Kelly (1993–1994)
  • Nicholas Caruso as Manny Barrington (1993–1994)
  • David Rhoden as Merv (1991–1992)
  • Jill Setter-Rusk as Tara (1991–1992)
  • Mike Speller as Mr. Elliott Lippman
  • Nick Barnes as Billy Cushman
  • Phil Card as Mr. History
  • Tracy Frenkel as Coach Roach and Coach Rochelle
  • Jay Martel as Mr. Royd
  • Al Arasim as Al Patterson
  • John Parker Searles as Mr. Macbroom
  • Mark Sarto as Mortise, the Safety Tortoise

Characters

Main Characters

  • Walter Patterson: the dim-witted, good-natured, optimistic and laid-back surfer of the group. His stupidity and clumsiness are often the butt of jokes.
  • Kevin St. James: the cynical, selfish and egotistical one of the group. He is a smooth talker, a ladies' man and often makes fun of his friends especially Merv, Manny and Walter.
  • Alex Moore: a beautiful, popular and fashion-obsessed girly girl. Often vain and materialistic, she is obsessed with her status and has no issues manipulating others for personal gain.
  • Tara: the eco-conscious feminist activist of the group. Besides Walter, she is among the nicest of the group though she joins in making fun of others at times.
  • Merv: the confident, outgoing and arrogant nerd of the group. Merv is a con artist who uses his smarts to rip off people. He is often seen as an insufferable know-it-all and the butt of his friends' jokes.
  • Mr. Elliot Lippman: the tyrannical and incompetent principal of Hawthorne High. He often serves as an antagonist to the main character's schemes though they do not take him seriously.

Additional Main Characters

  • Manny Barrington: introduced in the final season, a naive and short-statured nerdy freshman. He befriends the main group who are a grade above him despite them treating him poorly and laughing at his expense.
  • Grant Kelly: Erin's brother, a junior who becomes Alex's boyfriend. Introduced in the final season.
  • Erin Kelly: a musically talented freshman who often dresses in a grunge fashion. Introduced in the final season.

Episodes

Season 1 (1991)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
11"How We Look"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillFebruary 16, 1991 (1991-02-16)
22"Extra-Curricular Activities"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillFebruary 23, 1991 (1991-02-23)
33"Mind Games"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillMarch 2, 1991 (1991-03-02)
44"Knowledge is Power"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillMarch 9, 1991 (1991-03-09)
55"Growing Up"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillMarch 16, 1991 (1991-03-16)
66"Technology"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillMarch 23, 1991 (1991-03-23)
77"Money"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillMarch 30, 1991 (1991-03-30)
88"Authority"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillApril 6, 1991 (1991-04-06)
99"Express Yourself"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillApril 13, 1991 (1991-04-13)
1010"Careers in the Making"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillApril 20, 1991 (1991-04-20)
1111"Language"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillApril 27, 1991 (1991-04-27)
1212"What We Eat"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillMay 4, 1991 (1991-05-04)
1313"Getting Even"Scott FishmanRobert Mittenthal & Tim HillMay 11, 1991 (1991-05-11)

Season 2 (1992)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
141"Friends"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
152"Conformity"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
163"Choices"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
174"Bullies"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
185"The Grass is Always Greener"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
196"Holidays"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
207"Dating"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
218"Health"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
229"Ecology"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
2310"Communication"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
2411"Success"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
2512"Competition"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)
2613"Secrets"Tim HillRobert Mittenthal & Tim Hill1992 (1992)

Season 3 (1993-94)

No.
overall
No. in
season
Title Directed by Written by Original air date
271"Things Change"Michael BerryTim HillJanuary 2, 1993 (1993-01-02)
Kevin and Alex are sophomores; new freshmen Manny and Erin; Walter is held back.
282"The Harvest Ball"Michael BerryGena Van WinkleJanuary 9, 1993 (1993-01-09)
All look forward to the Harvest Ball.
293"To Walter's Dad with Love"Michael BerryMichael RubinerJanuary 16, 1993 (1993-01-16)
Walter's dad is his teacher.
304"The People vs. Walter"Ron SmithRob DinsmoorJanuary 23, 1993 (1993-01-23)
Lippman's portrait is vandalized, and Walter is blamed.
315"Othello the (Sopho)moor"Ron SmithAnne BernsteinJanuary 30, 1993 (1993-01-30)
Lippman is Iago in the school's "Othello."
326"Shiny Top"Bob LampelDavid PotortiFebruary 6, 1993 (1993-02-06)
Lippmann is taken for archcriminal Shiny Top.
337"I'm Dead"Ron SmithClifford FaginFebruary 13, 1993 (1993-02-13)
A senior wants to beat up Walter.
348"Manny in Love"Bob LampelVeronica AlicinoFebruary 20, 1993 (1993-02-20)
Manny has a crush on his baby sitter.
359"Requiem for a Lightweight"Bob LampelAlan LevyFebruary 27, 1993 (1993-02-27)
Erin wants to wrestle; Lippman breaks a chain letter.
3610"The Lippdromeda Strain"Adam WeissmanHoward Nemetz, Simon Rakoff, Tim Hill, & Michael RubinerJuly 3, 1993 (1993-07-03)
The kids are quarantined at school.
3711"Erin for Office"Adam WeissmanGena Van WinkleJuly 17, 1993 (1993-07-17)
Erin runs for student-body president
3812"Getting What You Want"Adam WeissmanTim HillJuly 24, 1993 (1993-07-24)
3913"What Rhymes with Liar"Helen SmithRobert LeightonJuly 31, 1993 (1993-07-31)
Kevin says he knows a star (Shanice Wilson).
4014"Year's End"Adam WeissmanTim HillDecember 26, 1993 (1993-12-26)
The gang makes summer plans
4115"Drawn and Quoted"Tim HillStory by: Robert Leighton
Teleplay by: Rob Dinsmoor
January 15, 1994 (1994-01-15)
Walter is a cartoonist for the school paper
4216"Math, Lies & Videotape"Tim HillMichael RubinerJanuary 16, 1994 (1994-01-16)
Erin helps Walter study; Kevin tries to cheat.
4317"The Genius"Tim HillStory by: Robert Leighton
Teleplay by: Anne Bernstein
January 22, 1994 (1994-01-22)
A child prodigy may attend Hawthorne
4418"The Stuff"Adam WeissmanRobert LeightonJanuary 29, 1994 (1994-01-29)
A science-class mishap results in a revolutionary glue.
4519"Marathon Woman"Adam WeissmanStory by: Michael Rubiner & Jed Spingarn
Teleplay by: Jed Spingarn
February 5, 1994 (1994-02-05)
Kevin coaxes Samantha to be his dance-marathon partner
4620"Reachin' for the Stars"Adam WeissmanStory by: Veronica Alicino & Michael Rubiner
Teleplay by: Veronica Alicino
February 12, 1994 (1994-02-12)
Talent scouts come to Hawthorne High.
4721"The Courtship of Walter's Father"Adam WeissmanJay MartelFebruary 19, 1994 (1994-02-19)
His father falls for Walter's least-favorite teacher.
4822"Safety Last"Adam WeissmanTom WargoFebruary 16, 1994 (1994-02-16)
Hawthorne must pass a safety inspection or close.
4923"Hawthorne Confidential"Adam WeissmanRob Dinsmoor1994 (1994)
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