Watch the Ferris Bueller TV Show (If You Dare)

YouTube / Carl Winslow
YouTube / Carl Winslow | YouTube / Carl Winslow

Lots of good movies have been adapted into crummy TV shows. One of my white whales has been the Ferris Bueller TV show; it was one of those things I saw once on TV in 1990 and then never again (it was canceled 13 episodes in, and most people—myself included—preferred the similar-but-better Parker Lewis Can't Lose). Although John Hughes had nothing to do with the show, it did feature Jennifer Aniston as Jeannie, the excellent Richard Riehle as Principal Rooney, and Charlie Schlatter (who went on to do a ton of voiceover work) as Ferris.

If you have the fortitude to imagine a world in which the "real" Ferris Bueller is this guy, drop your Halloween costume and tune in.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Note: Starting at 15:30 during the party scene, that really is Tone Loc! At 17:45 he gets dialogue.

Episode 6

Episode 7

Starts with an (original) "Fault in our stars" reference. As all the best stories do.

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

The series ends with this oddly appropriate line: "Some lessons cost more than others, but those are the ones that usually turn out to be priceless. I'm Ferris Bueller, and I'm on the edge of a dream." The lesson, for most of us: Don't adapt a beloved movie into a TV show. It usually doesn't work out. Fargo is an extremely noteworthy exception.