Room 222 was an ABC situation comedy/drama TV series that aired from September 17, 1969 to January 11, 1974. It was centered around an American History class at Walt Whitman High School in Los Angeles, though it also covered other events at the school. The class was taught by Pete Dixon (Lloyd Haynes), an African-American instructor. Other characters featured in the show were Liz McIntyre (Denise Nicholas) as Pete's girlfriend, the principal, Seymour Kaufman (Michael Constantine), and Alice Johnson (Karen Valentine) as a student teacher. In addition, many recurring students were featured from episode to episode.

Pete Dixon was portrayed as an idealist and delivered gentle lessons to his students in tolerance and understanding. Students admired his wisdom, insight and easygoing manner. The themes of the episodes were sometimes topical, reflecting the current political climate. However, most plots were timeless and featured themes common to teenagers of any era.

The show is notable for featuring many actors who went on to become major stars, such as Bruno Kirby, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, Jamie Farr, Rob Reiner, Anthony Geary, Richard Dreyfuss, Chuck Norris, Kurt Russell, and Mark Hamill. However the show's biggest breakout personality—Karen Valentine—never became a major star.

Room 222's initial season garnered weak ratings, and ABC announced was poised to cancel after one season. But then the show earned several nominations at the 1970 Emmys, and ABC relented. After the series ended, the show entered syndication and was rerun on several stations throughout the United States.

The fictional Walt Whitman High School is in real life John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, which is located less than a mile from the ABC Television Center. The school was attended by many future stars, news and sports figures, including Julie Newmar, Andy Reid, Heidi Fleiss, Anne-Marie Johnson, Peter Arbogast, Bob Arbogast, Lance Ito and Michelle Phillips.

See also

• Love, American Style

External links

• Room 222 overview from KFCPlainfield
• The Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Karen Valentine & Room 222 from Roy Hooper
• Room 222 from TV.com

1960s TV shows in the United States | 1970s TV shows in the United States | ABC network shows | Comedy-drama television series | Fox Television Studios shows | Fictional rooms