Parker Lewis Can't Lose
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.
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Parker Lewis
Clyde Phillips
Lon Diamond
United States
English
3
73 (list of episodes)
Clyde Phillips
Alan Cross
Russell Marcus
Larry Phillips
Larry Shaw
Bryan Spicer
John Ziffren
30 minutes
Clyde Phillips Productions
Columbia Pictures Television
September 2, 1990
June 13, 1993
Premise[edit]
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.
Broadcast and syndication[edit]
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.
Legacy[edit]
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.