I remember when I was a kid watching the original “The Wonder Years.” It was a coming of age story of a boy who grew up around the same time my dad did. It gave me a lot of perspective on what things were like in the 60s and 70s. But my young self only got one part of the story, and I didn’t even know it. For me growing up as a white kid, I never realized how much media was aimed at me. So it makes me excited to see how a new “The Wonder Years” will play out for families that didn’t see history the same way. And I plan on watching it with that same excitement that I had with the original.
I’m excited to share this new version with my daughter as well. It is going to be a teaching show in our house, since the series will follow some of the major events of the late sixties and early seventies. It will also show our family a glimpse into what that era was for people of color growing up. While I’m sure that many of the things shown will be an idealized version, it will also touch upon the more difficult issues of the time.
Watching the new teaser for the show it seems to exude all of the things that got me interested in the original. A family drama that shows the highs and lows of growing up. The teaser starts off with the familiar tune of “With a Little Help From My Friends” by The Beatles and it sets the tone. The show will be set around Dean Williams looking back at his 12-year-old self, who is played by Elisha Williams. Dean Williams’ older self will be narrated by Don Cheadle. Dulé Hill plays Bill Williams. In this show the Williams family will be seen instead of the Arnolds which was a white family living the typical middle-class lifestyle in a suburban American home.
From Executive Producers Saladin Patterson, Fred Savage, and Lee Daniels comes the next great coming of age story.
“The Wonder Years” reboot is set to premiere sometime later this year on ABC.
