Back in the eighties, when Charlie Sheen was just embarking on a lucrative adult career, he took a role in a little movie called Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Spoiler alert: he was awesome in it. Now, we’ve learned that the actor will be reprising his bad boy role in a network sitcom. It’s probably not the comedy you might be thinking of. It’s ABC’s The Goldbergs, an eighties-set show that is the perfect fit for this sort of cameo appearance.
It gets better. The whole Goldbergs episode will follow the teenaged Barry as he fakes sick in order to take a whole day off of school and other responsibilities. Yes, this means that The Goldbergs will mirror the plot of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, with a few changes. In this version, Pops and Barry’s brother, Adam, will attempt to make the day go great for the teen, but things will just seem to go from bad to worse. At some point, Barry will end up at the police station, leading to a scene where his sister, Erica, will meet a much-aged Charlie Sheen while sitting on a blue couch.
Here’s the original scene from the 1986 movie, with Sheen and actress Jennifer Grey.
It’s hard to believe that it has been 28 years since the Mathew Broderick-starrer first hit theaters, but this sort of cameo should be a perfect fit. The Goldbergs isn’t beholden to any one specific year in the 80s, and there are few things more ambiguously 80s than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Besides, Charlie Sheen might not be the first person everyone remembers from that movie, but regardless of what you might think of the man, you have to admit he destroyed as the outrageous boy at the police station who spoke philosophically to Ferris’ sister. No one else in the movie has more great moments per minute on screen. Needless to say, it should be a huge treat for fans.
The whole thing reminds me of a recent episode of Two and a Half Men, where Sheen’s former co-star Jon Cryer dressed up as his Pretty in Pink character, Duckie, for Halloween. Of course, The Goldbergs nod to the eighties should be a lot more intensive, and the eighties setting should make Sheen’s Boy At The Police Station role and getup that much more exciting.
The Goldbergs is already on winter hiatus, so it’s to be expected that the episode won’t air until midseason 2015. People doesn’t give us an exact premiere date for the episode, but the outlet does note the fun take on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off will air toward the beginning of the year, instead of later on during Season 2. In the meantime, you can watch another TV nod to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, here.
