My Classic TV: The Wonder Years

Since several have shown up on Nick, the home of "Classic TV", I thought I'd do a series on the shows I loved as a kid and consider classics. First up, is "The Wonder Years". The series starred Fred Savage as a young boy growing up in the late 60's/70's. Each episode would open and close with voice overs by an adult Kevin Arnold (Savage's character) reflecting on the events that happened in that episode. This is a favorite for many reasons. The first being the format. It was basically the first "dramedy" and the writers and cast were able to mix the laughs and tears perfectly. No matter how somber the episode, there was always an element of comedy mixed in to keep things from getting too dark. For example, the episode where Winnie Cooper's (Kevin's crush) brother dies is lightened by a scene in the school cafeteria where Kevin rebels against the principal and inadvertently starts a food fight. It's done in such a way, neither story ever seems out of place or forced.

Speaking of the writers.... they're another reason I rate this show among the true classics. They're able to perfectly capture a kid's voice as well as the adult voices and made the Arnold family relatable. Even though they're writing about many things that children of the 80's such as myself would not be able to relate to, they still managed to add in many elements of growing up that are relatable to anyone, no matter what time period you grew up in: first kisses, embarrassing moments in school, bullies.. it was all there.

Finally.... the cast is another reason I adore the show. Fred Savage was perfect as Kevin Arnold. He and the writers were able to bring to life a character that was not a typical sitcom kid. He wasn't perfect. He was often obnoxious or mean... something that all kids are at one point or another. Dan Lauria is another standout as Kevin's father, Jack. Jack was your typical old school dad: not very hands on, tough, and definitely not warm and fuzzy. Despite all this, Lauria was able to bring a humanity to Jack Arnold that made him likeable despite all that. Ally Mills played Norma, Kevin's mother. Norma was a stay at home mom who lived in an era where you basically did what your husband said. While she often went along with Jack, Mills was able to bring a quiet strength to the character as Norma struggled to have her voice heard. As Wayne Arnold, Jason Hervey was the older brother we all loved to hate. His character was every big brother stereotype you'd ever heard but he was so over the top, you couldn't help but love the character- even when you wanted to smack him. These actors weren't just great individually, either. They had a chemistry that is rare among TV families today. Mainly, because the characters they were portraying were so real. Just watch Dan Lauria and Olivia D'Abo clash as flower child daughter Karen fights for independence against a father who can't let her go and you'll probably come away with flashbacks to your own life.

Now that the show is in reruns on ION television, I've been able to revisit this classic series I enjoyed so much as a kid and over a decade later? It still holds up just as well as it did when it was first on.