For years after Ferris Bueller’s Day Off appeared in theaters, I remember quite a few people I knew itching for a sequel. We all wanted to see Ferris take the day — no, the week — off from his first job. Hell, it wasn’t just years we awaited some sort of sequel — it was decades. As time went on, though, and Matthew Broderick got older, the thought of him reprising the role of Ferris Bueller seemed preposterous. Also, the more we saw of crappy sequels to classic ’80s comedies, the more we realized nothing would hold a candle to the original.
Perhaps this issue with a sequel not holding up to the original is why the late John Hughes never produced one for Ferris Bueller. With the exception of a few movies like Vacation and Home Alone, Hughes hasn’t turned out sequels of most of his great ’80s classics. No Breakfast Club 2. No 17 Candles. No Still Pretty in Pink. I’m not at all saying these movies should have had sequels, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many fans who’d have loved to have seen one, for better or worse.
As for Ferris Bueller, the most we could ever hope for in the form of a sequel came with a very short-lived TV show from the early ’90s, simply title Ferris Bueller. The show lasted for only 13 episodes, and though it doesn’t appear possible to watch the series online anywhere — nor on DVD — the opening sequence of the pilot pretty much spells out why it failed:
Embarrassingly bad, isn’t it? John Hughes had no involvement with the series, though if anyone were to say he’d be rolling in his grave over anything (too soon?), it’d be that I brought this up again today, the day of celebration of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off‘s 25th anniversary.
What shocked me the most when watching that video was who was playing Ferris’s sister, Jeanie: Jennifer Aniston. That’s actually a pretty solid casting choice. As for Ferris Bueller himself, played here by Charlie Schlatter, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. I remember seeing him in the movie 18 Again! and I was annoyed with him then too; something about him rubbed be the wrong way. I guess it stands to reason why Ferris, in the TV series, was considered uncool, whereas movie Ferris was one hell of a hip cat. (Showing my age much?)
The most interesting thing I can say for the Ferris Bueller TV series is that the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off film was real, as was Matthew Broderick’s portrayal of the character. That also seems really odd, since you’d think Ferris would be seen as a hell of a lot cooler in the TV series if he had an extremely popular John Hughes movie made about him.
Some say Parker Lewis Can’t Lose was a better idea of what a Ferris Bueller TV series should have been. What do you think?
Clacked by Keith McDuffee 
on Jun 11, 2011 @ 13:30 EST5EDT
