Parker Lewis - Der Coole von der Schule

I love it. I do. This, IMHO, is what a teenage/youth comedy should be. A perfect example of how a series can be intriguing, funny and yet explore the very real situations high school students come face to face with every day. And it does this without being crude, without offensive language etc. Having seen the series, some of the other similar series like Sweet valley high, Saved by the bell and, yes, Ferris Bueller (TV series) look like pale imitations and wannabes. Granted, Parker isn't for everyone. The surreal situations may alienate or simply bother some viewers. But it depends on the person.

Give it a try.

"Parker Lewis" was a very unusual show, and that's probably also the reason why it only lasted 3 seasons. The show revolves around the life of the main character Parker (the trendy guy), and his pals, Mikey (the cool guy), Jerry (the nerdy guy) and later on also Kubiac (the bully guy, who turned out to be all right).

It's all about being a teenager, and all what comes with it, love, trouble with the parents, making choices etc. What makes the show unique is the stories, and more importantly how they are told. It's hard to explain really, but it's something out of the ordinary, and it definately worth checking out.

Even though the show didn't last very long, it did help make the way for other brilliant children/young adult shows such as "Eerie Indiana" and "The Adventures of Pete and Pete".

Although "Parker Lewis" was not a very long-running series, it shortly became very popular in my home country Hungary when it was bought by channel TV2. It took stock characters and stereotypes to the very limit of reality, while the creators successfully avoided clichés and kept focusing on the consistent high quality of the jokes, whether textual or visual. After multiple reruns, this show still leaves a nostalgic feeling in just about everyone who had spent their tens and twenties in the time the show was aired around Europe. The unique style and exceptionally good sitcom humour of Parker Lewis makes it one of the most outstanding comic series of the nineties. You can still hear people quoting the series and synchronizing their watches every now and then. Should it be released on DVD (as it is rumoured by an online petition), the producing Columbia Tri-Star can make sure that there will be many orders from Hungary and from Europe as a whole. Hope we get a release soon.

Me and my sister used to watch this damn show all the time back in the day. We LOVED it. And we wept when it was cancelled. We WEPT. Most GroundBreaking shows do end up getting cancelled though. But like my old man said, "Crying won't do anything. You have to take action!" So me and my sister started a letter writing campaign to get this show brought back. Of course, we started said campaign last week, but you never know! you never, NEVER know!!!

This show illustrated early 1990s teen life with a new at the time method of cramming humor on many levels into a short thirty minute timeslot. Parker became an icon for the changing sense of cool in the early 90s and saw the nation through a time of transition from 80s materialism and glam-rockers into grunge and "alternative"ism. A rare ratings bringer for the at the time newly formed Fox Network, viewers welcomed change from the mentally devoid traditional family night viewing of the era. This show held its own and managed to build up a decent if not cult following for the wisecracking characters and sight gags/slapstick. The first season was a comic success followed by 2 more seasons of half-hearted "doogie howser" type plotlines, however there were "funny" and "cheezy" shows in all three.