Actor Tony Danza is heading back to the classroom to front his own reality TV show about education.
The former Taxi star, 58, admits he is struggling to find work as an actor, so he has decided to spend a year teaching 10th grade English at a New York City school – and film it for an as-yet-untitled series.
And Danza, who earned a degree in history education from Iowa’s University of Dubuque before launching his acting career, insists the programme will carve out a new genre for reality TV.
He says, “I was talking about going back and answering the call to service and doing something different with my life. I’m going to teach 10th grade English and have some other duties, maybe a drama class, and all of the things that come with teaching, like cafeteria duty.
“I’m trying to do what I call ‘responsible reality’. I don’t want to do that other (reality) stuff and I don’t want to do a game show, and nobody’s knocking down my door for acting jobs.
“I’m hoping that I’m going to move into the community and try to change some lives. I can smell 60 now and I’ve got a little bit of wisdom.”
The name of the school where Danza will teach will remain under wraps for privacy reasons, reports the New York Post.
The series will air on America’s A&E network this autumn.