’The Wonder Years’ reboot to feature Black family, hit the small screen in 2021

Nostalgia will get a reimagining in 2021 when ABC debuts a reboot of “The Wonder Years,” nearly 30 years after the coming-of-age comedy concluded its acclaimed six-season run.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Disney-owned network has partnered with “Empire” co-creator Lee Daniels to recast the 1960s slice-of-life program with a middle-class Black family living in Montgomery, Alabama, long considered the birthplace of the civil rights movement in the United States.

Variety reported comedy veteran Saladin K. Patterson will write and executive produce, alongside executive producer Daniels. Meanwhile, Fred Savage, star of the original series, is slated to direct the pilot and executive produce, and Neal Marlens, co-creator of the original series, will serve as a consultant.

The original “The Wonder Years” aired more than 100 episodes between 1988 and 1993, focusing on the white, suburban Arnold family and told through the eyes of the family’s youngest child, Kevin, played by Savage.

According to THR, sources say Daniels, Velez, Patterson and Savage brought the idea directly to ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke, who has stated publicly that “The Wonder Years” was one of the programs that made her want to work in television.

Cox Media Group