'The Wonder Years' Reboot First Look Takes A Trip To '60s Alabama
Did you know that if a contemporary The Wonder Years was set at the same chronological remove from the time of the show's making as the original was, it would be set in the year 2001? Which the new The Wonder Years reboot obviously is not — instead returning to the '60s setting in which the original 1988 comedy-drama took place. But this time, The Wonder Years follows a Black family in Alabama, and a young 12-year-old boy with a great imagination. Watch The Wonder Years reboot first look below.
The Wonder Years Reboot First Look
The Wonder Years is "a coming of age story set in the late 1960s that takes a nostalgic look at a black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama through the point-of-view of imaginative 12 year-old Dean. With the wisdom of his adult years, Dean's hopeful and humorous recollections show how his family found their wonder years' in a turbulent time."
Narrated by Don Cheadle as Adult Dean Williams (taking over the role that Home Alone co-star Daniel Stern did in the original version of The Wonder Years), The Wonder Years looks to be a fresh new take on the beloved '80s staple.
The original series ran from 1988 through 1993, and earned critical acclaim (and several Emmys and Golden Globes) for its tackling of young love and family drama, as well as the historical milestones of the 1960s including the Civil Rights movement, and the Vietnam War. But whereas the first series approached things from the perspective of a middle class white family, the reboot will tackle this same era through eyes of a Black family living in the South during the 1960s, which makes the series ripe for new stories.
The Wonder Years reboot also stars Dulé Hill (Psych), Laura Kariuki (Black Lightning), Saycon Sengbloh (In the Dark), and Elisha "EJ" Williams (Henry Danger) in the role of Dean Williams, who takes the place of Fred Savage's character Kevin Arnold.Fred Savage, who starred in the original The Wonder Years, is executive producing the series reboot along with Lee Daniels. Savage has become an accomplished TV director in his adult life, helming episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Modern Family, Party Down, The Goldbergs, and more, though this will be his first major stint with drama instead of comedy. But considering his familiarity with the source material, he should be fine.The Wonder Years reboot is expected to debut in the 2021-2022 television season on ABC.