CBS Tried To Turn A '70s Comedy Movie Franchise Into A Sitcom With Corey Feldman
Not even Corey Feldman could turn this TV remake of a classic '70s movie into a long-running series. Then again, he was only seven at the time.
In 1979, CBS attempted to extend the life of The Bad News Bears, a sports comedy film that had already produced two sequels. The TV adaptation starred Corey Feldman in one of his earliest significant roles, but the series failed after two seasons. The 1976 film, starring Walter Matthau, depicted a former minor league pitcher turned cranky coach for a youth baseball team.
The show's initial premise mirrored the movie's plot, with Oscar-nominated Jack Warden playing Morris Buttermaker, a man assigned to coach the worst Little League team to prevent legal issues. Feldman, known for his role in the 70s series Eight Is Enough and Alice, portrayed one of the team's players. Feldman later revealed in Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984 that he was affectionately known as Regi Tower on the team and was frequently hit by balls during the game.
Despite this, he considered The Bad News Bears a great experience, describing it as one of the few children's prime-time shows with charm, life lessons, and moral values. CBS moved the show's time slot multiple times, causing confusion among viewers and contributing to its downfall. The decision to cancel The Bad News Bears after just two seasons came as audiences struggled to find a consistent airtime.
The show's unintentional finale, "Double Play," aired on July 16, 1980, leaving the possibility of a best sports TV show unfulfilled. The franchise later resurfaced with a 2005 movie remake starring Billy Bob Thornton, followed by a 2022 CBS announcement of a female-led reboot of The Bad News Bears.
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