Parker Lewis Can't Lose

Last updated

Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Parkerlewis.jpg
Season 3 cast
Also known asParker Lewis
Genre Teen sitcom
Created by Clyde Phillips
Lon Diamond
Starring
Composer Dennis McCarthy
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes73 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerClyde Phillips
ProducersAlan Cross
Russell Marcus
Larry Phillips
Larry Shaw
Bryan Spicer
John Ziffren
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesClyde Phillips Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
Original release
Network Fox
ReleaseSeptember 2, 1990 (1990-09-02) 
June 13, 1993 (1993-06-13)

Parker Lewis Can't Lose (rebranded simply as Parker Lewis for the third and final season) is an American teen sitcom that originally aired on Fox from September 1990 to June 1993. It was produced by Clyde Phillips Productions, in association with Columbia Pictures Television. The series depicts the tribulations of the title character Parker Lewis (played by Corin Nemec), a Santo Domingo High School student, for whom nothing is impossible. It was strongly influenced by the feature film Ferris Bueller's Day Off .[ citation needed ]

Contents

Premise

Parker Lewis Can't Lose features the titular character as frequent narrator of episodes. Alongside Parker, Jerry Steiner and Mikey Randall are main characters whose primary focus through the show is fitting in. The show revolves around the experiences of these characters as they navigate the challenges of adolescence and strive for social acceptance within their high school. Their efforts are often thwarted by Parker's little sister, Shelly, and school principal Grace Musso.

The series focuses on the teenage lives of its characters and has a cartoon-like quality, [1] [2] [3] though it is live action. Many episodes contain references to pop culture, politics and celebrities. The surrealism was toned down in the series' final season, going as far as having Parker acknowledge this by breaking the fourth wall and 'canceling' one of the show's transitions.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 26September 2, 1990 (1990-09-02)May 19, 1991 (1991-05-19)
2 25August 11, 1991 (1991-08-11)May 17, 1992 (1992-05-17)
3 22July 16, 1992 (1992-07-16)June 13, 1993 (1993-06-13)

Characters

Main

Recurring

Production

When the show was originally developed, it was meant to be for CBS , but it was rejected, and sent in to the new Fox network. [4]

Broadcast and syndication

The show premiered in syndication on September 14, 1993, on the USA Network . [5] As of February 2009, minisodes are available on Crackle. In late 2015 the show is airing in syndication on the Family Network on Saturday mornings.

Home media

On June 30, 2009, Shout! Factory released the complete first season of Parker Lewis Can't Lose on DVD in Region 1. [6] The 4-DVD set includes special features including exclusive interviews with the cast, crew, and creators. Although the cast and crew discuss both Melanie Chartoff and her character, Grace Musso, Chartoff herself does not appear in any of the supplementary materials. Shout! Factory released Season 2 on January 26, 2010. [7] All 3 seasons have been released on SD Blu-Ray (in DVD quality) in Germany in 2015. [8]

DVD NameEp #Release Date
The Complete First Season26June 30, 2009
The Complete Second Season25January 26, 2010

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
1991 Young Artist Award Best New Family Television Comedy SeriesParker Lewis Can't LoseNominated
Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television SeriesMaia BrewtonNominated
Best Young Actor Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV SeriesTroy W. SlatenNominated
1992 Young Artist Award Best Young Actor Starring in a Television SeriesCorin NemecNominated
Best Young Actress Starring in a Television SeriesMaia BrewtonNominated
1993 Young Artist Award Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television SeriesCorin NemecNominated
Best Young Actress Co-starring in a Television SeriesMaia BrewtonNominated
Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television SeriesTroy W. SlatenNominated

Internet support

Parker Lewis was one of the first shows with fan support on the Internet. It was done through an email list called The Flamingo Digest. [9] Several people from the list were invited to the set. [10]

Legacy

Fall Out Boy released a song called "Parker Lewis Can't Lose (But I'm Going To Give It My Best Shot)" on their album Fall Out Boy's Evening Out with Your Girlfriend .

On SWV's 1992 debut album It's About Time, there is a song called "Blak Puddin'" which includes the line "Parker Lewis can't Lose in Santa Domingo."

Hip-hop group Naughty by Nature refers to the Parker Lewis character in their 1992 hit "Hip Hop Hooray".

Childish Gambino refers to the show on his well-known Poundcake Freestyle, performed in October 2013 on Sway in the Morning hosted by Sway Calloway in the Morning with the line "I'm makin moves, couldn't lose, doin Parker Lewis."

The 1992 House of Pain song, "Feel It" includes the line "I can't lose like Parker Lewis, I'm undefeated."

The Royce da 5'9 song "Caterpillar" contains the lyrics "I'm a product of Parker Lewis and Kubiac."

In the Family Guy episode "Family Goy", a cutaway has Peter going through a "Parker Lewis" phase, sporting Parker's haircut and shirt. At dinner time, Peter tells Lois that it reminds him of "the Parker Lewis episode where Parker Lewis eats dinner!", to which Lois tells Peter, "no one cares about your canceled show." Peter then rants to Chris about how Parker Lewis can't lose to Batman.

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References

  1. Voros, Drew (March 19, 1993). "Parker Lewis Parker's Got a Brand New Car". Variety.
  2. Boone, Brian (November 27, 2018). "Whatever happened to the cast of Parker Lewis Can't Lose?". Looper .
  3. "A chat with Corin Nemec, Corin Nemec interview, Parker Lewis Can't Lose". www.bullz-eye.com.
  4. "Ready for Prime Time Players, Part II" (PDF). Broadcasting . June 25, 1990. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  5. "USA buys 'Facts,' 'Parker,' films. (USA Network; Columbia Pictures Television's shows 'Facts of Life' and 'Parker Lewis')". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2009.
  6. Lambert, David (February 16, 2009). "Parker Lewis Can't Lose Release Date, etc". TVShowsOnDVD.com . Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  7. "Parker Lewis Can't Lose DVD news: Announcement for Parker Lewis Can't Lose - the Complete 2nd Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved October 8, 2009.
  8. ""Parker Lewis - Der Coole von der Schule" Release Information". Blu-ray.com.
  9. "Publicly Accessible Mailing Lists". California Senate. December 18, 1993. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
  10. Troy Slaten (actor), Timothy Stack (actor). Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Season 1, Disc 2, Deja Dudes (commentary track) (DVD). Shout! Factory. Event occurs at 7:10.