Parker Lewis Can't Lose: The Complete First Season

With the aid of her black-clad henchman, er, special obedience helper Frank Lemmer (Taj Johnson), Parker's pranks rarely go undetected, but due to his ingenuity and friendship with six-foot-seven-inch football player Larry Kubiac (ER's Abraham Benrubi), Lewis rarely does more than detention (and as for that ever-present camcorder: his parents run a video store). During the first season, Parker and buds battle a slick rival, a Heathers-like girl gang, and devious substitute principal-turned-teacher Dr. Norman Pankow (Gerrit Graham). Cartoon sound effects, extreme close-ups, fast-cutting, and film parodies, from Casablanca to The Karate Kid, add considerable zap and pow to their Santo Domingo High misadventures.

Some of the guests to contribute to the first year include Milla Jovovich, Josh Lucas, and Ziggy Marley. Cast, crew, and creators Lon Diamond and Dexter?s Clyde Phillips comment on seven episodes. The other extra, "The History of Coolness," features interviews with most of the main players, including X-Files director Rob Bowman. Though Diamond and Phillips acknowledge the influence of ?80s icon John Hughes and though Parker debuted the same year as his Ferris Bueller spin-off, the duo beat the odds when their competitor quickly bit the dust, while their show ran for two more seasons. --Kathleen C. Fennessy