Calling all fans of The Wonder Years! 28 years after the original show wrapped, fans will get to enjoy their favorite show all over again in Lee Daniels’ reboot.
From who will be starring in the show to the newly released trailer, read on to learn everything you need to know about the revival!
It’ll Be The Same, But Different
Set in the same time frame as the original show, this version of The Wonder Years will focus on the Williams family and specifically on 12-year-old Dean.
As to be expected with a show about a Black family living in Alabama in the ‘60s, the series will tackle segregation and racism, as well as family dynamics and relationships.
Who’s Starring?
Elisha “EJ” Williams is playing the central character of Dean, which is essentially Fred Savage’s role as Kevin Arnold in the original show.
Dulé Hil and Saycon Sengbloh are playing Dean’s parents, while Lauren Kariuki is playing Dean’s sister.
Don Cheadle will be narrating the show as the adult version of Dean. Though none of the original Wonder Years cast will be starring in the show, Savage is an executive producer and will be directing episodes.
Check Out the Trailer
The preview trailer begins with a scene of Dean on the school bus. He is noticeably infatuated with a girl on the bus who just so happens to be putting another student in a headlock.
“It’s weird to grow up in a time when your mom and dad have to give you the police talk, or when a presidential election creates a racial divide,” Cheadle says in the voice-over as Dean rides a bike through his neighborhood.
“But it was 1968, the year I turned 12. The age of locker rooms, bullies … and girls. Twelve was the age I was gonna figure out what my bag was. I’d never be as popular as my sister, as smart as my mom, or as bad as my dad.”
Cheadle continues, “Some people didn’t feel like we needed to mix Black people with white people — I didn’t understand all that. But I decided what my bag would be: the great uniter.”
While the preview shows Dean as a normal pre-teen who is obsessed with girls and just trying to make friends, it also shows him trying to tackle larger issues such as desegregating the baseball team.
And, though the reboot doesn’t have any of the same characters as the original show, it noticeably includes The Wonder Years’ iconic theme song, Joe Crocker’s “With a Little Help From My Friends.”
Twitter Fan Reactions
The trailer got fans very excited for the reboot, which is set to premiere on Wednesday, September 22, on ABC.
“I hope it’s as good as [the] original. The Wonder Years shaped my life. Every night it was on me and my sister made sure we were home to watch. Alot [sic] of that show matched my personal life experiences,” one person shared on Twitter.
Another wrote, “Loved the original series and I cannot wait to see THIS. Super excited!”
Will you be watching the reboot when it premieres next week?
