A review of "The Wonder Years" (1988) DVD

The Wonder Years was a hugely successful American television series which won an Emmy award in 1988 after a mere six episodes. The show was a nostalgic look at what it was like to grow up in the 1960s and told through the eyes of an adult looking through the eyes of his 12-year-old self.

The Wonder Years

The series depicts the social and family life of Kevin Arnold, a boy in a typical American suburb between 1968 to 1973, covering his ages of 12 through to 17. Each year in the series is presented as having taken place 20 years before the original air dates (the show began in 1988 and finished in 1993). Fred Savage played the part of Kevin and the events are told from both his adult and childhood perspectives, thanks to the show's trademark narration. The series focuses on Kevin's relationships with family, friends, dates, and so on - many of which are impacted by the tumultuous political, social, and economic factors of the era. The Wonder Years DVD is still available to buy and would still be popular among all age groups.

The success of the show

The Wonder Years was the creation of husband-and-wife producers Neal Marlens and Carol Black. The Wonder Years cast was made up of Savage as well as Josh Saviano and Danica McKellar who were Kevin’s best friend, Paul Pfiffer and the love of Kevin’s young life, the angelic Winnie Cooper. Rounding out the cast was Kevin’s family; businessman and father Jack Arnold (Dan Lauria); homemaker mom Norma (Alley Mills); tormenting big brother Wayne (Jason Hervey) and hippie older sister Karen Arnold (Olivia d’Abo). Actor Daniel Stern was chosen to be the unseen narrator of the show, as the adult Kevin Arnold.. A major part of the show’s success is that it took normal slice-of-life incidents from real life and brought them to the small screen with a warmth and honesty seldom attempted in a family comedy. Everything from buying the family’s first colour television, to the dreaded gym class at Kevin’s Robert Kennedy Junior High School, to the on-again, off-again attraction between Kevin and Winnie, was true to reality and never had to be exaggerated to get a quick, cheap laugh. Stern’s narration (complete with inflections) gave The Wonder Years a unique feel and rhythm. Not having a laugh track or a studio audience helped to bring an intimate feel to the show as well.