The Wonder Years (2021 TV series)

Main

• Elisha "EJ" Williams as Dean Williams
  • Don Cheadle narrates as an older Dean
• Dulé Hill as Bill Williams, Dean's father
• Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams, Dean's mother
• Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Dean's sister
• Amari O'Neil as Cory Long, Dean's friend
• Julian Lerner as Brad Hitman, Dean's friend
• Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons, Dean's friend on whom he has a secret crush

Recurring

• Caleb Black as Norman
• Allen Maldonado as Coach Long, Dean's baseball coach and Lillian's co-worker
• Charity Jordan as Vivian Long, Coach Long's wife
• Milan Marsh as Charlene
• Andrew Tull as Hampton
• Sami Bray as Future Karen
• Spence Moore II as Bruce Williams, Dean's older brother

Guest

• Richard Gant as Grandaddy Clisby
• Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Melvin Williams, Dean's uncle
• Patti LaBelle as Shirley Williams, Dean's grandmother
• Josh Rhett Noble as Jim Fleming
• Gregory Zarian as Herb Hitman

Season 1 (2021–22)

Season 2 (2023)

Firing of Savage

In May 2022, Savage was fired from his roles as executive producer and director after allegations of inappropriate conduct, including "verbal outbursts and inappropriate behavior".^[49] Seven days later, ABC renewed the series for a second season,^[50] which premiered on June 14, 2023.^[51] On September 15, 2023, ABC cancelled the series after two seasons.^[3]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Sweetly nostalgic without sacrificing substance, The Wonder Years captures the magic of the original while adding necessary nuance and context to its tale of Black life in America."^[59] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 75 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[60]

The pilot episode was given to critics to review the series ahead of its premiere. In a review for Variety, Daniel D'Addario said that while parts of the 22-minute pilot felt "rushed", its focus on the time period made "its characters' relationships feel vivid and real against the backdrop of changing times." In his final points, D'Addario gave positive feedback to the cast and said "the pilot's final insight is nicely communicated."^[61] The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han had similar comments, writing, "the series manages to invoke nostalgia for bygone days while also remaining relatively clear-eyed about the challenges of that period ... and it accomplishes this while delivering the cozy appeal of the best family sitcoms."^[62] Jen Chaney of Vulture stated The Wonder Years succeeds both at honoring its source material and providing something on its own, stating the series is one of the few reboots that is handled with "care, intelligence, and clear intention," writing, "This is what a smart reboot does: It builds upon what came before and honors the legacy of the original while doing something new and different. It seeks to illuminate and not just re-create. It proves that sometimes something worthwhile can be shaped out of the familiar, as long as the process is in the right hands. And The Wonder Years is certainly in some good ones."^[63]

Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian gave the series a grade of 4 out of 5 stars and found it to be a charming and funny reboot, praising the humor and the characters, writing, "Happily, The Wonder Years has been done with care and innovation, and taps into the nostalgic appeal of the original late 80s/early 90s sitcom, while carving out a new path."^[64] Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5, praised the depiction of positive messages and role models, citing integrity and dignity, and applauded the diverse representations across the characters.^[65] Dave Nemetz of TVLine gave the pilot episode a "B," praising The Wonder Years for its vintage soundtrack, comedic tone, and focus on minorities for a story set in the 1960s. Nemetz summarized the series as "a decent enough remake, but one that lacks the groundbreaking verve of the original and pulls its punches a bit."^[66]

Ratings

Accolades