Ferris Bueller (1990–1991) User Reviews (14)

Arthur Petrelli?

[Vashnyra · 5/10 · 26 November 2008]

Anyone else notice there's a character on this show named Arthur Petrelli? Don't you think it's more than a coincidence that Cristine Rose (who played Barbara Bueller) now plays a character on Heroes whose husband just so happens to be named... Arthur Petrelli?

Can't say I'm a fan of this TV adaptation of the awesome and culturally significant film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". This show just seemed too forced and awkward compared to the whip-smart dialog and perfect casting of the movie. The acting trio at the heart of the original film -- Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara and Alan Ruck -- are perfectly balanced and have great chemistry (like William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley were for the original Star Trek). The Ferris TV cast were sadly lacking in this regard.

Perhaps they would have "hit their stride" in a second or possibly third season, but we'll never know. At any rate, I prefer to remember Ferris Bueller as portrayed by the one and only Matthew Broderick. It would be a blast to see him reprise his role as an older (but not wiser) Ferris, married to Sloan with a few kids running around. But then again, maybe some things are better left alone.

Well...I liked it!

[preppy-3 · 26 November 2002]

OK--this was not up to the original movie (which was great)...but how could it be? For what it was (a TV series) it was pretty good. I thought Schlatter was dead on as Ferris--his talking to the audience was well-done and I laughed out loud when he took a chainsaw to a cardboard cutout of Matthew Broderick from the film. And I though Jennifer Aniston was perfect as his obnoxious sister. I seem to be alone in liking this, but I think people are comparing it way too much to the movie. There's no way any TV series could measure up to that. Taken on it own I thought it was a fun TV series.

Nice try. Bad show

[studioAT · 2/10 · 4 August 2017]

You can't blame them really. With 'Ferris Bueller' being such a hug film (which it still is to this day) you can't blame TV networks for wanting to exploit that in some way.

This TV series version of the film isn't bad, it just pales heavily in comparison, and everyone playing the main roles sadly isn't as good as their film counterparts.

It was a nice idea, it just didn't work.

Sad indeed

[benchseat · 1/10 · 24 August 2019]

I lasted 5 minutes. Don't bother with this pathetic attempt to capitalize on the film's success.

Blasphemy.

[zacpetch · 1/10 · 11 February 2015]

I've given this series 1/10 but I believe this to be too high. But IMDb only permits ratings of between 1 & 10 so I cannot give this the negative score that it so well deserves. If you liked the "classic-doesn't-come-close-to-describing-it" movie then you will hate this and find it as blasphemous as reading the Q'ran in church. It recasts the characters from the greatest movie ever made with lesser actors (not even Jennifer Anniston can save it) and begins with FakeFerris desecrating a promo for the movie in something of a meta-reference to what this TV series does, intentional or not. Only thirteen episodes were ever made and it was cancelled after only twelve had aired (with the thirteenth airing the next year) but they are all so terrible that I'd suggest even one is too many. Whoever was responsible for this should be hunted down and punished for their sins. This is a crime against humanity. AVOID!

Awful mock-up of a classic 80's teen movie

[BigWhiskers · 1/10 · 9 September 2012]

This is not even camp bad . This is just awful with the smart ass Schlatter playing the so called real Ferris Bueller even going so far as to mocking the movie by dissing Matthew Broderick and cutting off the head of a cardboard cutout of Broderick as Ferris Bueller. This tactless dull comedy totally insults the film and the smart alecky Schlatter who is supposedly the real Ferris comes across as an annoying little whiner who needs to have his butt kicked. A young Jennifer Aniston plays his sister Jeannie to the same effect. Why they even produced this show is beyond me ,the movie was terrific and this shames it. Total BOMB.

Don't bother to save this "Ferris"...

[Mister-6 · 9 February 2000]

The road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions.

And I'm sure there are a lot of producers, directors and so forth who are headed that way after seeing the prime-time terror they have wrought here.

"Ferris Bueller" is a TV version of the everyday high-school life of the lead character from John Hughes' brilliant movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". And while the basic idea is good, everything else is completely done wrong.

Schlatter is a lot of the problem. Though he looks appropriately young, he just seems too cocky, too arrogant and too smug as Ferris to appeal the same way as Matthew Broderick did. He manages to begin the ship sinking early.

Not much better are Aniston as his sister, Riehle as Ed Rooney and not even the actors that play his parents, girlfriend or best pal Cameron Frye make as much of an impression as their counterparts did on film.

And then there were the scripts; not half as inventive as the movie; not even cameos by whomever happened to be on the NBC studio back lot that day make much difference. No, even good direction (by Bixby, Lynn, etc) helps.

In the end, the "Ferris Bueller" series didn't even last 13 episodes. What do you know, looks like Ed Rooney got his revenge after all.

No stars. Hardly worth thinking about; unless you just want to get a headache.

I don't even Remember this show in 1990!!!

[Joel_S · 10 December 2016]

Hey I was a kid in 1990 and I don't ever remember this TV series. I remember watching Quantum Leap all the time, plus Home Improvement, Married With Children, and some 80s shows like Cheers and Cosby Show were still on.

My god this looks so cheesy and horrible, even for 1990, and I was a young teenager at the time!! From the clips I've seen, they missed the point of the movie, which was really Cameron's story and how Ferris was trying to help his friend Cameron out of his despair. This TV show seems to be all about a fake super cool kid who dresses like 1984 Miami Vice in 1990, so of course it was going to fail.

Now I do remember Parker Lewis Can't Lose, it was OK and not nearly as cheesy looking as this....still missed the point of the Ferris movie by John Hughes.

Sacrilege

[cameron8979 · 9 December 2001]

Ferris Bueller's Day Off was a modern classic. A clever, lovable film. This, on the other hand, just doesn't work. It isn't trying to insult the original, but it can't help it. Don't watch it, and don't worry about it. It was a bad idea which luckily wasn't on the tube very long.

It was pretty good, actually!

[saraseamount · 22 May 2018]

So when I first heard about it, I thought it was going to be bad because of the different casting, but I decided to give it a try (all 13 episodes were available on YouTube), and I actually enjoyed it! It may not go up to the level like the movie, but it was really great. I loved how it added more adventures to the FB universe and it kind of helped us discover more about what Ferris does on campus.

Some of the portrayals I didn't like. Schlatter's Ferris can be unsupportive and arrogant at times, but I liked the way he used flattery and sarcasm to joke around with others. I didn't like how Sloane was portrayed. In the show, she is too serious and worried about getting in trouble. She kinda is in the movie's restaurant scene, but not very often. I did like the way Cameron was portrayed. I, especially, LOVED the way Rooney and Jeanie were portrayed. Their actors nailed their role perfectly.

The episodes alone were pretty good, especially E2. I liked it's message about how the school system is too hard on the students and school quality is always poor, and sadly it's still like that today.

Overall, it was amazing. Not as gold as the film, but it was still entertaining.

hmm

[cameron8979 · 23 February 2002]

I had to add my two cents in here. I'm fairly sure that no one was expecting this show to live up to the movie. So don't be surprised if it just doesn't seem like Ferris Bueller. After all, Matthew Broderick is Ferris Bueller, in the same way that Stallone is Rocky, Pat Morita is Mr. Miyagi, and Jaleel White is Urkel. It just isn't Ferris without him and the supporting cast from the movie. While Ami Dolenz and Jennifer Aniston are good looking actresses, they aren't enough to keep my interest for more than one episode.

Why!

[rachelakamonkey · 10 April 2005]

Omg! I did not know they even tried to make a series out of the movie!! (which was amazing) If I ever saw this I'd scream in horror!!!! This is so dumb thank god I was born in '92 and not '90 because I would have been horrified! They should of made fun of this on "I love the '90's part Deaux" Whoever came up with the idea of making the series must of been seriously drunk! Matthew Broderrick must of thought this was the most dumbest idea in centuries! Cant believe this blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel bad for all those you had to see this series!! This is the nest worst thing right next to "My So Called Life" and "Freeks and Geeks"!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean for real we seriously need to think and we also need to stop making series out of every movie out there!! I mean come on what is next "Gigli: the series" We need to stop the madness!! Its driving all of us mad!

The Show

[brotherbilly · 26 February 2004]

I think the show was one of a kind that rarly comes around and I loved it I even have a few eps on tape that was when I first became fans of 3 stars of the show Brandon Douglas Jennifer Anniston and Charlie Schlatter throughout the web you can fan fan pages mailing lists and more from the school I have a role playing list It was an all star cast in my book great acting and of highschool settings one of the best I've ever seen you rarly get to that quality on tv anymore and some of the stars has even hit it bigger like Charlie Schlatter and Jennifer Anniston havent saw much of Brandon Douglas lately but would love to see him in something esle and also would love to see Charlie in another series