Shark Bytes

Any show with Tim Stack immediately gets the "never jumped" vote from me !

I just finished watching the second season, and for certain that's when the show started taking a serious nosedive. The first season was gold, the first half of the second season was ok, the second half of the second season was blah, and the third season was piled high and steaming. I've thrown out my season 3 DVD set.

This could have been one of the all time greats without season 3. Even though season 2 went downhill halfway, Sales of a DVD for season one and two would rock.

I loved PLCL. It WAS one of the funniest shows in the history of TV. PLCL insisted 'You must have confidence.' That was my favorite episode.

I don't remember any of the specific plots or anything,but I do remember it being a pretty funny Ferris Bueller's Day Off copy-cat and I still say "coolness" to this day!

Never jumped.

I never watched this show, though I knew of it. Innocently watching Stargate, Corin Nemec joins the cast for a season. I was quite surprised to learn he was the star of this show.

Short sighted people...
PLCL was an awesome show, but was low in the ratings. By ratings standards, it should have been cancelled after season 1. But Fox stood by it, and after season 2's ratings didn't improve they changed it in an attempt to improve ratings to save it. It killed the fan base it did have and was the last straw. Don't blame the show, blame the clueless masses that didn't watch the greatest show ever or the suits at Fox. The jump was forced by the above mentioned, not the talent or the writers, so I don't count it as an actual jump, because it lasted longer than it should have and declined in an attempt to save it.

Season three was perhaps the worst season three of any tv program ever. I don't even know where to start...the crummy girlfriend, the toned down clothes, the Atlas diner, a meeker Musso, the bully Brad Penny (yawn), no Lemmer, the worthless fatass Hank, the absence of "Can't Lose" in the title...This show lost its nutsack in the third season. In fact, impotent is a perfect way to describe its fall from grace. how can a show that started out to funny, so different, so...risky...become so safe and sappy? The show resembled Saved by the Bell and Leave it to Beaver more than Parker Lewis Can't Lose. What happened to the funny schemes, the debauchery, the synchronized swatches? The less said about Season 3, the better.

It was different, surreal, and creative. Until the third season. The title was shortened to just "Parker Lewis," and all the eccentric things that made it good were toned down or outright removed. One of many great shows ruined by the Fox Network.

Once again, season 3. I went with New Kid b/c wasn't that about the time Annie showed up? Cute enough girl, but her character softened Parker like so much kryptonite. I remember her stinking up another show I used to like, she might be the female Ted McGinley. Up until the end of that summer season, that show ruled all. Like a couple other posters, I wanted to BE Parker! I must have been in 9th or 10th grade when this was on. The whoosh-bang sound effects, the zany camera angles, too-close close-ups when two people were talking (usually involving Musso.) I liked how the main characters wore the same outfits every day and nobody noticed. I started buying shirts like Parker's and still wear them into my 30's. I don't care what that big guy appears on, he will always be Kubiak to me. I kept waiting on ER for Clooney to feed him a minnow...eat now? Once they needed a favor and fed him a full 12-inch trout--Ha! "We've achieved coolness." "Not a problem." Shelly gets a crush on Mikey and becomes "Breathless." Then Jerry gets a crush on Shelly. Musso's window shattering a different way each time--once the DOOR shattered and the window just hung there! It suffered after Lemmer left. One episode took place entirely at the mall and Shelly was out to prove Lemmer was a vampire. I remember she looked down on him from the escalator and he bared fangs back at her--then she looked in a mirror and he had no reflection--or am I thinking of the episode of Buffy with the Gorch Brothers? One time Jerry had to sell his jacket and we got to see the schematics and instructions for it. One time we saw Parker's shadow and it was clearly Gumby. Oh well, I could go on. I did take away one of my most profound life lessons from this show. Parker had the worst day of his life, nothing worked and he was indeed 'losing'. He finally went up to the roof to hide, and ran into the janitor who told him "Sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down. But you're never either one for very long." I still think of that when I feel down. (Didn't Mr. T do that in Not Another Teen Movie?) Mr. Lewis? Mr. Randall? Mr. Philips? HELLO?!

When Jerry's obsessive handheld videogame fetish needs to be squelched, Parker steamrolls his games. Way too serious and thought-provoking.

Never did. The fact that it was a slightly more out there take on Ferris Bueller notwithstanding it had a certain subversive charm. It worked because it was so much better than the attempt to turn Ferris Bueller into a sit-com. Most movies are best left to their one day (or week or whatever) in the otherwise ordinary lives of the characters format. Parker Lewis worked on many strengths. The actors, the writing, and the characters were all first rate, and so much better than 90210 and it's type.

I agree, it was when they added the Atlas Diner in season 2. Yes the show was still pretty good most of the time through season 2, but that is what started the decline. They even rewrote the backing story. One show I remember Parker narrating "Ah the Atlas Diner, the center of all things in Santo Domingo for generations". I mean really, why didn't they just spin off a new series called Atlas Diner and leave PLCL alone! The other thing I noticed was that the Primary story of each episode became dull, preachy and boring, while the secondary story was the only thing good left that was good. Case in point; The episode "Love Handles" in season 2 had a primary story about Parker learning that Fat people are OK, and not to judge them -Not very interesting at all. However, the secondary story about Jerry tutoring Musso was CLASSIC -tons of camera tricks, black and white film noir effects, and the best, the school hallway turns into a train station complete with a steam train taking off and them all dressing in Casablanca outfits. Just amazing!

Somewhere in the middle of season 2. Most specifically when they brought in the Atlas Diner. That signaled the end because the writers now had one set they could easily write standard stories to. It became the main location for the show pushing Santo Domingo High out of use. The school was what made the show work; the locker gags, secret hideouts, Musso's breaking window, Bathroom 12, rooftop hangout, etc. The other things that screwed the show was Annie -She made Parker into a blubbering idiot, I still cringe every time I hear him say "Annie". Too many "Mikey has issues" shows. And of course the main reason the show jumped; the creators of the show intentionally threw away EVERYTHING that made the show work and retooled it. Why? What were they thinking? Lets look at the list of the best things on the show: Jerry's Jacket -Gone Parker in control and running things -Gone, loser Musso as the best nemesis on TV -Gone, softened Lemmer! -Gone Kubiak larger than life -retooled to a normal guy War between Parker and Shelly -Gone SD High -Gone What do you have left. Utter crap. I recently found my old tapes and watched them. The first season and a few parts of the second season were just amazing. But the Annie crap, and the horrible Diner 75 season finale completely turned me off.

When they realized they had a hit they decided to do as all successful sitcoms do, get serious and preach a message; MASH did it, Night Court did it. For some reason TV producers seem to love to Make Hay when they have a winner. Kind of the same thing as Rock stars using their fame to push their beliefs. Yuck.