History Series / HermansHead

* AmbiguouslyBi: Both Louise and Heddy seem intrigued by Herman's lesbian ex, Rebecca.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: The Insiders watch a flashback of when he had sex with Heddy, but the tape breaks. Angel accuses the others of constantly replaying this moment, and demands to know what they've been up to while she's been asleep. Cue guilty look from the three men.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' would later achieve great success with the same premise.

* BrickJoke: OncePerEpisode.

* CasanovaWannabe:
** Jay
** Also Animal's general purpose. One episode features Herman staying awake for so long that all the other three aspects pass out... leaving Animal in sole control. HilarityEnsues.

* {{Christmas Episode}}; "A Charlie Brown Fitzer".

* {{Completely Missing the Point}} : Herman's boss is a ''very'' serious man who tries to have fun but has no idea how. In one episode, he gets a ventriloquist's dummy and puts together a very convincing show... except that instead of telling jokes, he and the dummy exchange dry historical facts. He is shocked when he is told that's ''not'' how a ventriloquism act is supposed to go.
* ConsolationWorldRecord: In one episode.

* CovertPervert: Louise.

* EvilTwin: Genius' last attempt at a lie in episode 2.

* FemmeFatale: Heddy.

Originally broadcast on Fox (1991-1994), this half-hour SitCom would have been just an ordinary [[WorkCom office-based comedy]] - except for its use of one of the most imaginative devices ever tried on broadcast television: the viewers were allowed to see the inner workings of the title character's mind. The inside of Herman Brooks' head was presented as an attic in which dwelt the Insiders: four characters representing the conflicting forces which drove Herman's personality: Angel (Herman's sense of selflessness, charity, and justice), Animal (Herman's desire for sensate pleasures, such as food, sleep, and sex), Genius (Herman's storehouse of knowledge and wisdom), and Wimp (Herman's sense of fear and apprehension).

-->'''Genius:''' Boss gives him a stern, but fair lecture.
-->'''Wimp:''' Boss holding Wimp in a headlock, and then popping his head clean off.
-->'''Angel:''' Boss thanking her for Herman's honesty and integrity.
-->'''Animal:''' Has Wimp in the same headlock as above, trying to duplicate the head popping.
* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Animal and Angel recall an incident when Herman was a kid when he had to make a speech, causing him to stutter, wet himself, and throw up. Wimp had only managed to forget the pants-wetting.

-->"You'll still go to Hell."
-->"You mean, we will be so eaten up with remorse that we'll FEEL like hell."
-->"No, I mean Hell, eternal damnation."
-->"You mean, it will last so long that it will FEEL like an eternity."
-->"No, I mean eternity, forever and ever."

* ShoutOut: Many for ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. A RunningGag involved [[ActorAllusion Louise being mistaken for Lisa Simpson]] every time she talked to someone on the phone.

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hh_9.png]]

Sadly, Fox canceled this show after its third season; it had the potential to be a classic, but is today mostly forgotten.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hermanshead.jpg]]

* IdiotBall: TropeNamer -- Creator/HankAzaria coined it when he asked the writers, "Hey, who's got the Idiot Ball this time?" - referring to which character was going to act dumb in order to get the plot going.

Originally broadcast on Fox (1991-1994), this half-hour SitCom would have been just an ordinary [[WorkCom office-based comedy]] except for its use of one of the most imaginative devices ever tried on broadcast television: the viewers were allowed to see the inner workings of the title character's mind. The inside of Herman Brooks' head was presented as an attic in which dwelt four characters who represented the conflicting forces which drove his personality and his life: Angel (his Sensitivity), Animal (his Lust), Wimp (his Anxiety) and Genius (his Intellect).

Outside of the "attic", Herman is a young writer working as a fact-checker for a Manhattan magazine, with a typical assortment of supporting characters: His boss Mr. Bracken, a walking encyclopedia; Louise, a meek-but-sweet plain-jane (played by Creator/YeardleySmith, best known as the voice of [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Lisa Simpson]]); and Heddy, a man-hungry social-climbing beauty for whom Herman intermittently longs. Playing counterpoint to the office crew is his best friend Jay (Creator/HankAzaria, also better known for his many roles on ''The Simpsons''), a part-time Lothario whose success at writing drives Herman to match him.

Each episode mated a typical sitcom situation with the unique perspective on Herman's choices and motivations afforded by the "inside" scenes. The conflicts, alliances and negotiations between the four "insiders" made for just as much comedy as the events in the "outside" world -- and sometimes more, as in the episode where the constantly-warring Angel and Animal discovered a woman they ''both'' agreed on.

* TheArtifact / DemotedToExtra: Towards the end of the show's run, the "head" characters featured less and less prominently as the show focused more on Herman and his real environment.

* CantHoldHisLiquor: Herman. The people in his psyche are even worse.

* TheConscience: Angel, literally.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Herman's insiders watch a flashback of when he had sex with Heddy, but the tape breaks. Angel accuses the others of constantly replaying this moment, and demands to know what they've been up to while she's been asleep. Cue guilty look from the three men.

* GoodAngelBadAngel

* IdiotBall: TropeNamer -- Creator/HankAzaria coined it when referring to writing the episodes.

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Episode 3 has Animal and Angel recall an incident when Herman was a kid when he had to make a speech, causing him to stutter, wet himself, and throw up. Wimp had only managed to forget the pants-wetting.

* LiteralMetaphor: When God (manifesting in the guise of Leslie Nielsen) shoots down Genius' half-baked modernism:

* ProfessionalsDoItOnDesks: Herman and Heddy have sex on Mr Bracken's desk. A few episodes later, high-powered editor Victoria Stark has sex with Herman on ''her'' desk.

* ShoutOut: Many for ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. A RunningGag involved Louise being mistaken for Lisa Simpson every time she talked to someone on the phone.

* UnusualEuphemism: Many are used by the insiders in episode 2.

* ActorAllusion: Louise (Yeardley Smith's character) tells off an old friend ([[Series/TheBradyBunch Maureen McCormick]]) of the boss without realizing who it is. When the boss confronts the staff about it, not knowing who spoke to Maureen but knowing that she sounded "[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons like a cartoon character]]", Louise gets an OhCrap moment -- only for the boss to turn and start yelling at another woman, who protests in a WesternAnimation/BettyBoop voice.

* EarWorm: In-universe; the ''Series/GilligansIsland'' theme song becomes this for Animal in episode 3. When Herman gets drunk, all the insiders start singing it.

* CasanovaWannabe: Jay

* {{A Date with Rosie Palms}}: Herman's insiders watch a flashback of when he had sex with Heddy, but the tape breaks. Angel accuses the others of constantly replaying this moment, and demands to know what they've been up to while she's been asleep. Cue guilty look from the three men.

* ShoutOut: Many for ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''
** A RunningGag involved Louise being mistaken for Lisa Simpson every time she talked to someone on the phone.
** Eventually it got shouted out on ''The Simpsons'', as well, with Lisa covering up a sinister laugh by saying she was "thinking of something funny I saw on ''Herman's Head''."
* SlapSlapKiss - Herman and Heddy, starting in the first-season "9 1/2 Hours."
* TheSmartGuy: Genius, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously.]]

* FriendOrIdolDecision: In the first episode, the insiders must choose between having sex with Jay's ex-girlfriend, or telling her Jay wants her back. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Animal has to be tied down so they can choose the latter.]]

-->''[==]'''Genius:''' I'm Herman's intellect. Without me he couldn't hold his job, pay his rent or tie his shoe laces.\\

Outside of the "attic", Herman is a young writer working as a fact-checker for a Manhattan magazine, with a typical assortment of supporting characters: His boss Mr. Bracken, a walking encyclopedia; Louise, a meek-but-sweet plain-jane (played by Yeardley Smith, best known as the voice of [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Lisa Simpson]]); and Heddy, a man-hungry social-climbing beauty for whom Herman intermittently longs. Playing counterpoint to the office crew is his best friend Jay (Creator/HankAzaria, also better known for his many roles on ''The Simpsons''), a part-time Lothario whose success at writing drives Herman to match him.

-->'''Angel:''' Boss thanking her for Herman's honesty and integrety.

* AFormYouAreComfortableWith: God takes the form of Leslie Nielson.

* WhatMightHaveBeen: According to a writer on the show, had it not been canceled at the end of the third season, a second set of Insiders -- for ''Heddy'' -- would have been introduced in the fourth season.

** When Angel suggests using one on [[ItMakesSenseInContext a guy attacking Herman,]] [[HypocriticalHumor the others are appalled.]]

* CelebrityParadox See HeyItsThatVoice below.