“The Wonder Years” turns 30.

On Sunday, January 31, 1988, The Wonder Years premiered on ABC, immediately after Super Bowl XXXII. The show was always set 20 years in the past, and the first season chronicled the tumultuous year of 1968 through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy.

The pilot, chock full of wistful nostalgia and the pangs of adolescence, starts out innocently enough — until the ugly side of 1968 rears its head in the final act, as Kevin and his family learn their longtime neighbor, Brian Cooper, had been killed in Vietnam.

In the episode’s original airing, adult Kevin’s narration was provided by Arye Gross. By the time the second episode aired nearly two months later, he had been replaced by Daniel Stern, who also re-recorded the pilot’s narration for reruns. The Arye Gross version aired only once.

 

Here’s the first two minutes of the original version of the pilot.

 

And here’s the last minute.

 

I’m old balls.

 

"...and I learned something that day..."

 

Just read yesterday that the actress that played Kevin’s mother could not stand the actor that played the father

 

And I get by with a little help from my friends.

 

I couldn't get into this show-felt like Thirtysomething for kids

 

Here’s the complete Arye Gross version of the pilot.

 

I was 7 when the show started and 12 when it ended, and this was a show I had to watch every week. I don’t know that it was targeted to kids; my parents liked it, too, and I would occasionally hear other adults in my life talking warmly about the show – especially the ones who were Kevin Arnold’s age during the era the it covers (’68 through ’73).

 

What a great show and excellent cast.

I have it on DVD and need to really re-watch the whole series again.

 

Great,great series.

 

wonderful! I watched this the first time round on TV back in the day.
havn't seen it since. I remember thinking I'd pick up the box set, then I heard
some ordinary reviews on it, and passed. Some said the video was grainy and no effort
was made to restore it, and 'some?' of the great soundtrack songs could not be used and
were edited out due to copyright?

 

There were a few holdouts — like Neil Young and the Doors — but I think they were able to use the vast majority songs from the show. In fact, I think it was miraculous they were able to clear the amount of songs they did.

And yes, the video wasn’t remastered, unfortunately. @Vidiot will probably correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the show was shot on film and edited on tape.

 

I was too young to fully appreciate it at the time it was on, but years later I really "got" how incredible it was. It managed to be really funny and dramatic at the same time. Pretty ballsy for its time. Given how huge comedic sitcoms were at the time, they could have easily made this more of a comedy with a laugh track (or live audience) and everything, but instead they straddled the line and managed to make a show that could make you laugh and cry at the same time. What a show.

 

How could a show about kids, not be targeted toward kids? This is essentially Grampa fables about walking 5 miles through the blinding snow to get to school...only this time it's worth it, because Winnie's there. "Dayum, Mom - get me my muk-luks!"
Aaannnd, all the parental nostalgia on either side of that, is just some moral lesson they think is going right over my head...!

 

Great show. Man I not 30 now. Funny thing though I turned 30 that year.

 

It was also shot on 16mm film, which is dodgy in general. IMDB claims it was shot in Super 16mm, but I don't think that actually happened until the last couple of years of the show -- I think the majority of it was 4x3. It would be a huge pain in the ass to rescan all the 16mm negatives and re-edit the show from scratch. It can be done, as they proved with the Pee Wee Herman TV show.

There are some fantastic-looking shows shot on Super 16mm, like Walking Dead, but those are rare exceptions, particularly compared to shows shot 25 years ago.

 

I remember Wonder Years. Probably watched the last season of it back in the early 1990s, just before I entered primary school.

 

This was actually the first place I heard With A Little Help From My Friends (yes, I heard Joe Cocker's version before The Beatles' original version). So now whenever I play Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band I sometimes think of Fred Savage playing baseball in that opening home movie footage.

 

Yeah Ok thanks for the information. It's such a great series, as much as it's a huge pain in the ass, I wish someone
would get this done right. I'd do it!! It's a worthwhile show to get right.
(Paythe bucks, I'd fly out tomorrow to work on it!!)

 

I got the box set for Christmas, and I am making my way through it. The picture quality is not very good, but it is still watchable. Most of the music is on it, which is more important for this show, IMO. I love this show, and I am very happy to have it on DVD.

 

Even though I was born in 1969, this was a show I could easily relate to since the general experience of someone born in 1956 wasn't all that different from someone born in 1969, believe it or not. Things like playing outside until dark (or playing outside period), leaving the house unlocked without worrying, 3 TV channels. Even the major events that occurred in Kevin's first 13 years of living were still talked about and familiar to someone my age. It was a great show that I haven't watched in a long time. I'll have to catch an episode.

 

Never really a fan of this show mostly because I always wanted to punch the older brother in the throat ..... repeatedly. He was a DB before being a DB was s thing lol