Thursday, April 7, 2022

F: Ferris Bueller

 

#AtoZChallenge 2022 Blogging from A to Z Challenge letter



Yes, a TV adaptation of the hit movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, one of several movie-to-TV adaptations during the 1990-91 TV season. This was on NBC Mondays. It premiered in late August 1990, ahead of most of the other new shows, and was cancelled in mid-December, with one leftover episode airing in August of 1991. The series was set in Santa Monica, California, even though the film had taken place in Chicago.

Charlie Schlatter stepped into the title role, with Richard Riehle as his nemesis, Principal Ed Rooney. Brandon Douglas was Ferris's friend Cameron Frye and Ami Dolenz (daughter of Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees) played Sloan Peterson, Ferris's love interest. Sam Freed and Cristine Rose were Ferris's parents and Judith Kahan was Rooney's secretary Grace. The most famous cast member, however, is Jennifer Aniston, who played Ferris's older sister, Jeannie. This was later the basis of an inside joke on a Friends episode. Jennifer Grey, who played Jeannie in the movie, appeared on Friends as Rachel's friend Mindy who becomes engages to Rachel's former fiancé, and asks Rachel to be maid-of-honor. (In a later episode focused on the said wedding, however, another actress played Mindy). 

I did watch this show, but I must admit I have never seen the movie in full. While in college I caught a piece of it on cable, but did not have the energy (and probably not the time) to sit through it all. The series ratings quickly declined, and the series suffered comparisons to the film as well as to another new series, the more successful Parker Lewis Can't Lose, on Fox. 

Below is the series intro and a clip on Aniston in the pilot episode (More from the show can be seen here):


8 comments:

Narayana Rao K.V.S.S. said...

Interesting. Movies to TV shows. A to Z challenge makes you write. Write and interact with a big blogger community.
Effectiveness, Efficiency and Excellence - Engineering Supervision

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Hmmmmmmm.... nah... this one wouldn't grab me. I have seen the original Film - once. Forgettable Feature... YAM xx
F=Frilly

Elephant's Child said...

Blessed blogger refused to allow me to comment yesterday. I hope it has relented.
Two shows I haven't seen.

Sandra Cox said...

I didn't realize this had been made into a series.

Namratha said...

Never heard of it. Interesting.

Visiting from Atoz: http://namysaysso.com/blog/earworm-short-poems/

Tasha Duncan-Drake said...

I love the movie, but had no idea they made a TV show of it! I'm not sure how that would work - I can only imagine that Ferris might get a bit annoying after a while.
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings: YouTube - What They Don't Tell You (and free fiction)

ghostmmnc said...

I don't think I ever watched the TV show of this. One of our favorite movies is Ferris Beuler, though. :)

Dyanne @ I Want Backsies said...

Funny clip of Jennifer Aniston! I didn't know they made a tv show from the movie and, therefore, obviously didn't watch it, but I love, love, LOVED the movie! Watch it any chance I get!