Written by Paul Bernbaum
Directed by David Nutter
Airdate: June 7, 1987
Guest Stars: David Gregory (Hoagy Deleplant); Andy Romano (Tony Delaplant); Jason Lively (Davey Miller); Jane Windsor (Julie Bradley)
Hanson is assigned to a High School where a popular senior known as "Hoagie" is running a loan shark operation, the kid orders a beatdown on a teacher who owes him gambling debts. As it turns out, Hoagy's old man Tony is a respected business owner in the community, a regular Ward Clever states Hanson, but also runs rackets on the side. The son wants to be just like Dad.
Hanson goes full All-American in his assumed identity, earning a respected spot on the academic team and quickly finds a fanboy in Davey who nominates him for class president, which turns out to be another half-baked scheme. Things get complicated when the Academic Team is poised for a TV appearance, which would blow Hanson's cover.
Fuller decides to up the stakes by staging of scene at the school when Hanson's expensive car gets repossessed, impelling Hoagy to set up an illegal loan to buy back the car (Hanson donned makeup to make it look like he was roughed up). At the bust, Fuller takes on an Isaac Hayes persona in his undercover guise. Hoagy's father refuses to cut a deal for his son, hoping he will learn his lesson and not follow in his footsteps.
There's also a comedic subplot with Penhall babysitting his neighbor Julie's infant. Julie's an attractive flight attendant with a posh English accent. Recently separated, Penhall sees babysitting as a way to impress Julie, but alas her husband returns at the end.
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| Penhall is trapped in a sitcom. |
"Next Generation" is an amusing but uneven entry in the series. The High School plot is convoluted, from the ridiculous loan shark schemes to Hanson's meteoric rise to popularity as a "quiz kid," at one point he's told "you sure know a lot about the law."
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