NFT: The Wonder Years

So many classic episodes - the pilot, Harper's Woods, Winnie's car accident, Wayne flunking his Vietnam physical, Wart returning home with PTSD, Cara at the lake, Karen's wedding, the finale...I could go on and on.

I found all the characters to be annoying at times, which is true to life. Family and friends drive each other crazy.

was much more awkward than any real life interaction.

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In comment 14032174 madgiantscow009 said:

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was much more awkward than any real life interaction.

I thought he was strange to say the least. I guess that was just the times. The no-nonsense intimidating father and the scared mother as a housewife who stayed home, during the rise of 60's Feminism. I did like his apathetic sister (to what was going on in family member's the house) but had to be a protestor.

I thought Wayne's shining moment was when he took the blame for the party he didn't throw and just kept his mouth shut.

Winnie was way too perfect for Kevin. Paul is every guy in their 20s in 2018.

In comment 14032175 bceagle05 said:

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Hell yeah what an expensive budget too

me that Kevin Arnold was a Jets fan. We were watching reruns a few years back. It seemed to go down hill pretty quickly after the first few seasons when researching it. I remember the premier being on after the Superbowl. Usually ended with my Mom crying. A great episode which wasn't mentioned is where they are trying to find the bar the Rolling Stones are supposed to be playing at.

Kevin and Winnie Cooper- a teen soap opera. I thought the series was done very well. We have our kids watching it now.

For context an equally timed retrospective show now would follow an adolescent in 1998.

Wonder Years had a certain charm, but I thought Freeks & Geeks was so much better representation (IMO)of the "growing up" experience for this baby boomer! LOL.

Anyway, if you have Netflix or the DVD set like me, enjoy F & G, not only for the great stars that have come from it (James Franco, Seth Rogan, etc. etc.) but for a pretty true re-enactment of HS in the late 70's. Great show!

As for Wonder Years, watching it at the time, Winnie kept reminding me of the old "Davy & Goliath" series. She kind of had the same facial qualities as the Mom in that series. LOL

but Winnie Cooper and Becky Slater are real life sisters.

Must have made all that jealousy and vitriol Becky had that much easier.


Great link below on "the many loves of Kevin Arnold" with then and now pictures.

the best Fred Savage moment was when Kramer met him on Seinfled.

Link - ( New Window )

In comment 14032173 bceagle05 said:

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So many classic episodes - the pilot, Harper's Woods, Winnie's car accident, Wayne flunking his Vietnam physical, Wart returning home with PTSD, Cara at the lake, Karen's wedding, the finale...I could go on and on. I found all the characters to be annoying at times, which is true to life. Family and friends drive each other crazy.

Oh man you just brought back some memories. The Harper’s Woods episode devastated me as a kid.

Now that was the best damn show on tv.

functional family
super hot chicks in tight outfits on all time.
great potty humor
Al Bundy is one of the most iconic tv characters of all time.

One of my favorites. 'The Accident', 'How I Spending My Summer Vacation', the episode where Mr. Collins dies & Kevin gives the exam to the vice-prinipcal and says, 'You don't need to grade it. It's an A'. I could go on & on...

I still get chills at the end of the pilot:

"It was the first kiss for both of us. We never really talked about it afterward, but I think about the events of that day again and again, and somehow I know that Winnie does too. Whenever some blowhard starts talking about the anonymity of the suburbs, or the mindlessness of the TV generation. Because we know that inside each one of those identical boxes, with its Dodge parked out front, and its white bread on the table, and its TV set glowing blue in the falling dusk, there were people with stories. There were families bound together in the pain and the struggle of love. There were moments that made us cry with laughter. And there were moments, like that one, of sorrow and wonder."

Thanks for that link. I forgot all the tail that Kevin pulled in that show.

I'm a late gen xer and growing up in the 80s was very different than the 60s, but there were some universal themes of adolescence, growing up, family dynamics etc. and I loved the acting, particularly the parents and wayne.

In comment 14032217 christian said:

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For context an equally timed retrospective show now would follow an adolescent in 1998.

Boy, that's surreal to think about

But I might have imagined that one.

...and my only thought is that families and family life were (and still are) so varied that it is very difficult to accurately capture the atmosphere, mood, behavior, thoughts, etc. of a particular generation.

At best, IMO, the Wonder Years sorta captured a 2-dimensional window into that era/decade.

Here's just one example. My family grew up in the very north end of New Rochelle and we were SURROUNDED by families who were against the war in Vietnam. But my family voted for Barry Goldwater and we used to say of my Dad that he was the rear-guard of the right guard. We supported our nation's decision 100%.

In the west end of New Rochelle, heavily Italian and lots of blue collar workers, my very best friend (and his family) should have been supported the Vietnam War all the way. Several of their neighbors had sons serving there. But, nope... my best fried and his parents were dead set against the war.

You just can't generalize. It works OK until it doesn't.

This was one of the best written shows of all time

As I got older and started re-watching them, Jack Arnold becomes such a beloved sympathetic figure. As a kid you just sort of see him as this gruff unreasonable dad. But when you actually grow up you see this guy was an unbelievable father.

Never liked Winnie's personality. Kevin deserved better

In comment 14032182 St. Jimmy said:

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me that Kevin Arnold was a Jets fan. We were watching reruns a few years back. It seemed to go down hill pretty quickly after the first few seasons when researching it. I remember the premier being on after the Superbowl. Usually ended with my Mom crying. A great episode which wasn't mentioned is where they are trying to find the bar the Rolling Stones are supposed to be playing at.

Well you have to remember the series began in 1968. Namath era. It was unofficially set in the Long Island suburbs though I'm not sure if they ever mentioned it. So it makes sense

in Wonder Years went to Southern Connecticut on a football scholarship.

just some more useless Wonder Years trivia. Occasionally on the show I used to see him wearing a Southern Connecticut football sweatshirt and wondered why. I guess they have some say in their wardrobes.

The scene where he's clothes shopping with his mom still cracks me up. Loved that show, always watched with my dad, some nuce childhood memories there.

It was pretty much Anytown, USA.

Jack Arnold played Lombardi on Broadway. He was damn good.

In comment 14032348 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:

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It was pretty much Anytown, USA. Jack Arnold played Lombardi on Broadway. He was damn good.

Regret not seeing that. Hope they revive it

Though I have never really been of fan of family based sitcoms like the Wonder Years.

Fucking Gugino??? Damn Kev!

In comment 14032225 pjcas18 said:

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but Winnie Cooper and Becky Slater are real life sisters. Must have made all that jealousy and vitriol Becky had that much easier. Great link below on "the many loves of Kevin Arnold" with then and now pictures. the best Fred Savage moment was when Kramer met him on Seinfled. Link - ( New Window )

Some winners for sure:

Now: Perhaps the most infamous of Kevin Arnold's love interests, Holly Sampson went on to become a porn star, appearing in such films as 'Cheating Housewives 6' and 'Big T--- at Work 9.' Sampson also claimed to be carrying on an extramarital affair with golfer Tiger Woods.

Now: Silverstone went on to star in Aerosmith music videos, 'Clueless' and 'Batman and Robin.' She can currently be seen feeding her baby like a bird.

But looking it up....the series creator grew up in Huntington and intended it to be set on LI, but the network insisted that the location never be mentioned. They wanted it to be a universal kind of place that anyone could identify with.

if you have that. FYI.

Also, Winnie was a babe.

and it was amazing how much fine *ss Kevin got but kept going back to Winnie.

In comment 14032225 pjcas18 said:

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but Winnie Cooper and Becky Slater are real life sisters. Must have made all that jealousy and vitriol Becky had that much easier. Great link below on "the many loves of Kevin Arnold" with then and now pictures. the best Fred Savage moment was when Kramer met him on Seinfled. Link - ( New Window )

I had such a huge crush on Madeline. What a babe! When she invited Kevin to come over to bake something and was wearing something skimpy (for a PG show, that is), have mercy! Kevin actually chose Winnie over Madeline...what an idiot.

The whole "Good job, Mr. Collins" thing was a bit much though. It should've ended with Kevin just handing the test over to the principal and saying that he didn't need to grade it.

Also love the episode of Kevin's grandpa selling his car to Kevin for a $1.

And when Kevin was given a dog despite his dad's wishes.

And Winnie getting into a car accident.




So many good episodes.

Agreed. The soundtrack is unrivaled.

"Independence Day."

If I had to pick a favorite, I'd probably go with Karen's wedding. Some funny moments (Jack and Norma among the hippies) and a lot of emotional ones - the Alaska reveal, the ensuing argument and resolution, the wedding ceremony, Jack back home looking up at the stars with Kevin. Lots of good stuff.

My favorite Kevin love interest is Cara. The actress - Lisa Paige Robinson - later became a comic. Didn't have a whole lot of success, but there are YouTube videos of her doing stand-up, and I found her to be very funny.

all of those actresses being in it. Carla Gugino, Punky Brewster, Alicia Silverstone, Kelly Packard, etc. I guess most were only in one or two episodes.

hate what netflix became


it's on prime but not available

In comment 14032217 christian said:

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For context an equally timed retrospective show now would follow an adolescent in 1998.

That was... that was NOT necessary!

I often employ the same tool with music. Bands that I referred to as classic rock when I was in high school were actually much less old then than bands like Radiohead are now.

The Simpsons pretty much summed up The Wonder Years in less than 30 seconds.
"He didn't know it and neither did I, but at that moment..." - ( New Window )

In comment 14032760 santacruzom said:

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The Simpsons pretty much summed up The Wonder Years in less than 30 seconds. "He didn't know it and neither did I, but at that moment..." - ( New Window )

It's awesome that they got Daniel Stern to also do the voice-over. I read somewhere that he was so used to doing it in The Wonder Years, this only took him one take.

in the closing scene of the series finale was Daniel Stern's own son. (When Daniel Stern said, "I'll be right there" or something).

In comment 14032705 Pete in MD said:

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all of those actresses being in it. Carla Gugino, Punky Brewster, Alicia Silverstone, Kelly Packard, etc. I guess most were only in one or two episodes.

Screech was on Kevin's basketball team. SWEET GEORGIA BROWN.

oh man, she was a hottie!

In comment 14032217 christian said:

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For context an equally timed retrospective show now would follow an adolescent in 1998.

That could work.

Columbine, 9/11 through the eyes of a pre teen or a teen, that silly 2000 election, the rise of Youtube/social media, everyone becomes a Red Sox fan.

I remember my sister who would be around Kevins age around 1998 thought the Wonder Years was pretty corny. She watched it but found a lot of it to be rather ....outdated.