Parker Lewis Can't Lose

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.

back in the early nineties, me and my best buddies back then loved this show. parker, mikey and jerry where kinda role models to us.

the show's comic-like presentation is pretty cool, so are the gags. it has its own style. unique.

nowadays, im watching it again. its even better now, because i get more jokes than i did when i was 9 or 10. :) sadly, i have to admit that season 2 isnt at the level of season 1, and season 3 is almost a disaster. way too much love stories. in one episode parker says "i remember when this was my show", what made me think "yeah, me too"...

however, its a must-see. at least season 1 and 2 are. coolness.

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.

This show was clever and funny -- and so the network really didn't get it. Some of the satire of middle-class "morality," school bureaucracy, and human egotism was too sharp for the tastes of those folks who prefer every sitcom to be a carbon copy of every other sitcom, all of which are Punch & Judy shows.

Parker was a bright student with a couple of loyal buds who constantly fought their way out of the snares created by the unimaginative world around them. The show was creative, imaginative, funny, and touching. I'm glad to see that it has a new life on cable reruns.

Mental note: Watch the show!

Somebody happened to say "coolness" to me yesterday who was wearing this obnoxious shirt, and it made me instantly remember this show. I religiously watched this show in college. The first season is nothing short of pure genius. Absolutely helarious with irreverant characters, whacky plots, and some camera work that rivals the Cohen brothers in Raising Arizona.

Every now and then you can catch somebody on Ebay selling off the entire show on VHS. If you get a chance to see an episode, don't miss it. Its genuinely funny stuff.

However, beware the 3rd season. The show's popularity seemed to cause it troubles with the Studio Execs so they retooled the show in the 3rd season and killed off a lot of its charm. Most of the 3rd season episodes are booooooring standard sit-com fair.