The Fever’s Back : Howard Hesseman spins some more out of his deejay on the new ‘WKRP’

A familiar face has popped up on the popular syndicated comedy series, “The New WKRP in Cincinnati.”

Howard Hesseman, who played the irrepressible, too-hip disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on the original 1978-82 CBS series, occasionally drops in as Fever.

His appearances, which began last year, include a two-part episode that concludes this week. Hesseman also is scheduled to appear in two more episodes beginning in late January and he will be directing four shows.

The opportunity of working behind the camera was one reason Hesseman resurrected Fever. Directing, he said, is something that has interested him for a long time. “So here is the opportunity to find out just how really interested I am, how adept or inept I am pursuing my interests,” Hesseman, 51, said.

But basically he agreed to do the show because he likes playing Johnny Fever and working with regulars Frank Bonner, Richard Sanders and Gordon Jump, who all appeared on the original “WKRP.”

“It is such a delight to encounter them again,” Hesseman said. “I think we all feel comfortable doing these characters.”

And just what is Fever up to after all these years?

“It is always hard to say,” Hesseman said, laughing. “Not much. He has come to town to pay respects to the all-night man who has passed away. They ask him to temporarily fill in on the midnight-to-dawn shift until they can find somebody and he agrees. ... He will make sporadic appearances.”

Hesseman has been busy since he left the now-defunct ABC sitcom “Head of the Class” two years ago. “I have been very fortunate and I am ambitious in sort of a mid-life form level,” he said. “I really like to work and I get antsy after a few months. I know people who get antsy and stay that way for months and months on end. Given the economic conditions, it is not an easy thing to do to hang on when you are not working.”

“The New WKRP in Cincinnati” airs Sundays at 5 p.m. on KADY and 6:30 p.m. on KNSD , and Saturdays at 7 p.m. on KNBC and 11 p.m. on KMIR . “Head of the Class” airs weekdays at 1:30 p.m. on KUSI.