Ferris Bueller (TV series)

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Ferris Bueller
Ferris Bueller Titlescreen.png
Opening title sequence
Genre Sitcom
Created by John Masius
Written by Mary Conley
Michael J. Digaetano
Lawrence Gay
John Masius
Steve Pepoon
Paul B. Price
Evan Smith
Andy Tennant
Rob Ulin
Directed by Bill Bixby
Steve Dubin
Beth Rooney Hillshafer
Jonathan Lynn
Victor Lobl
Arlene Sanford
Andy Tennant
Christopher T. Welch
James Whitmore, Jr.
Starring Charlie Schlatter
Brandon Douglas
Ami Dolenz
Jennifer Aniston
Richard Riehle
Cristine Rose
Sam Freed
Composer(s) Glenn A. Jordan
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 13
Production
Executive producer(s) John Masius
Producer(s) Michael J. Di Gaetano
Lawrence Gay
Pamela Grant
Frank Pace
Editor(s) Darryl Bates
Robert Bramwell
Cinematography Stephen C. Confer
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 22–24 minutes
Production company(s) Paramount Television
Distributor CBS Television Distribution
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Audio format Stereo
Original run August 23, 1990 (1990-08-23) – August 11, 1991 (1991-08-11)
Chronology
Preceded by Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller is an American sitcom based on the 1986 John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The show stars Charlie Schlatter in the title role. The series debuted on August 23, 1990, on NBC and was cancelled within its first season, a few months after its debut. The show was produced by Maysh Ltd Productions in association with Paramount Television.

Hughes was not involved in the show's production, and asked that his name not be used by Paramount Television to promote it.

Contents

Synopsis [edit]

Though based on the film, the series was not a continuation of the film, rather, the series was set up to portray itself as being the "real life" situations upon which the film was based. In the pilot episode, Ferris (Schlatter) refers to the film and expresses his displeasure at Matthew Broderick portraying him, even going as far as destroying a life-size cardboard cutout of Broderick with a chainsaw.[1][2] As in the film, the series focused on Ferris Bueller and his high school experiences at Ocean Park High, including dealing with his best friend Cameron (Brandon Douglas), love interest Sloan (Ami Dolenz), and sister Jeannie (Jennifer Aniston).

Unlike the film, which was set in Chicago, the series was set in Los Angeles. In the film, Ferris is shown as intelligent and extremely popular, in the show he is portrayed as obnoxious and is constantly referred to by his classmates as "nerd." In the film, Ferris' and Jeannie's parents names are Katie and Tom but in the TV series, they were changed to Barbara and Bob. Also in the film, Ferris was a senior and Jeannie was a junior, but in the TV series, Ferris was a junior and Jeannie was a senior.

Cast [edit]

The main cast

Episodes [edit]

Ep # Title Airdate
1 Pilot August 23, 1990
2 "Behind Every Dirtbag" September 17, 1990
3 "Custodian Of the People" September 24, 1990
4 "Without You I'm Nothing" October 1, 1990
5 "Between a Rock and Rooney's Place" October 8, 1990
6 "A Dog and His Boy" October 15, 1990
7 "Ferris Bueller Can't Win" October 22, 1990
8 "Sloan Again, Naturally" November 5, 1990
9 "Scenes From a Grandma" November 12, 1990
10 "Stand-In Deliver" November 26, 1990
11 "Baby You Can't Drive My Car" December 2, 1990
12 "Grace Under Pressure" December 16, 1990
13 "A Night In the Life" August 11, 1991

Reception and cancellation [edit]

The show received mostly negative reviews from critics.[1][2][3][4] John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote that the version of Bueller portrayed by the "smirking" Schlatter "is likely to leave most viewers reaching instinctively for their wallets."[3] Some critics considered Ferris Bueller one of the worst shows of the year.[5][6][7]

The show also suffered from comparison to a show with a similar concept that debuted on Fox the same month, Parker Lewis Can't Lose.[3][4][8] Parker Lewis proved to be more successful, lasting three seasons.

Ferris Bueller was broadcast on Monday nights with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, also in its first season, as a lead in. Ratings were strong at first[9] but declined quickly in the following weeks.[10][11] However, the show rated highly among viewers aged 12 to 17.[12] The show was canceled in December 1990, having ranked 57th in the ratings, and was replaced midseason with Blossom, which lasted five seasons. A leftover episode aired in August 1991.

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Shales, Tom (1990-08-23). "'Ferris Bueller's' Off Day; On NBC, a Lame Take on a Movie". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-12-01. 
  2. ^ a b Storm, Jonathan (1990-08-23). "High School Comedy Strictly Sophomoric In The NBC Version, 'Ferris Bueller' Has An Off Day". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 
  3. ^ a b c O'Connor, John J. (1990-10-08). "When Boys Will, of Course, Be Boys". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-01. 
  4. ^ a b Roush, Matt (1990-08-23). "This 'Ferris' should be put in detention". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-12-01. 
  5. ^ O'Connor, John J. (1990-12-30). "TELEVISION 1990: Innovative Shows? It was Far From a Bountiful Season". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-01. 
  6. ^ Roush, Matt (1990-12-26). "BEST & WORST 1990: TV's HIGHS AND LOWS - Viewers had a taste for the peculiar". USA Today. 
  7. ^ Shales, Tom (1990-12-30). "TV 1990: The Year of Roseanne, Saddam, Bart and PBS's 'Civil War'". Washington Post. 
  8. ^ Roush, Matt (1990-08-31). "'Parker' is 'Ferris' with heart". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-12-01. 
  9. ^ Donlon, Brian (1990-09-19). "NBC wins yearly crown". USA Today. 
  10. ^ Donlon, Brian (1990-10-02). "'Ferris Bueller' might take permanent vacation". USA Today. 
  11. ^ Graham, Jefferson (1990-11-19). "A fresh 'Prince' challenger". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-12-01. 
  12. ^ Jubera, Drew (1991-08-09). "In Front of TV 12 Hours a Day". San Francisco Chronicle. 

External links [edit]

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