Out of all the television shows on this list, Ferris Bueller is probably the one that had the greatest chance of success. Based on the classic 80s teen comedy, you could imagine seasons worth of Ferris running around Chicago having adventures and evading that nasty principal of his. Without a doubt, this could work as a television show. But there were warning signs that it wouldn't be all that we had hoped. Our first clue: John Hughes, the director of the original film, was going to have nothing to do with it. Then they weren't able to persuade Matthew Broderick to take up his iconic role again, and that was really the beginning of the end. Although they did attempt to get around this by making the show about a guy named Ferris Bueller, who had the Broderick film made about his life. Ferris Bueller was instead played by Charlie Schlatter, a perfectly good actor in his own right, but nothing that even came close to the charm of vintage 80s Broderick. Interestingly enough, Jennifer Aniston was cast as his sister Jeannie Bueller, played in the movie by Jennifer Grey, in one of her very first acting roles. Despite having Fresh Prince as a lead-in, the show did poorly and was cancelled after only 13 episodes.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
