'Wonder Years' Reboot Sparks Big Reactions After NBA Finals Commercial Airs

The buzz on social media was all about ABC's upcoming The Wonder Years reboot after a preview of [...]

By Allison Schonter

The buzz on social media was all about ABC's upcoming The Wonder Years reboot after a preview of the upcoming series aired Tuesday evening during coverage of the NBA finals. The short clip offered one of the first looks of the show, which features a star-studded cast including Don Cheadle as the narrator for adult Dean Williams and Psych alum Dule Hill.

Officially ordered to series by the network in May and set to premiere on ABC this fall, the reboot focuses on the Williams, a Black, middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama during the late 1960s. It is told through the point of view of the perspective of 12-year-old Dean, portrayed by Elisha Williams, whose "hopeful and humorous recollections show how his family found their 'wonder years' in a turbulent time." Hill portrays Williams family patriarch Bill, with Saycon Sengbloh portraying matriarch Lillian. Laura Kariuki stars as Dean's sister, Kim.

Created by Marlens and Carol Black, The Wonder Years originally aired on ABC from 1988 to 1993 and followed the Arnold family from the perspective of Kevin Arnold. The show was and still is considered one of the most influential shows of its era and won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1988. Although news of the reboot was well received, the preview clip that aired Tuesday was largely met with mixed reactions from viewers. Keep scrolling to see what people had to say.

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"Black The Wonder Years with Dulé Hill? Uh yes. Yes please. I will take two," one person expressed their excitement. "I'm in. I hope they don't shy away from real s–. Since it's set in Alabama and all. I feel like the only people who are excited about this are probably over the age of 40."

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"The wonder years reboot should have been placed 30 years in the past in the 1990s just like the original one," somebody else suggested, adding that "Black people are not trying to watch 1960s Alabama terrorize a black family."

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"No one is trying to watch The Wonder Years in 2021," said somebody else. That person went on to write that remaking the beloved comedy-drama with a Black cast "just feels like diversity for the sake of, which I hate. Just create new black content."

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"I get the networks are 'showing us' but gahd– we not asking for reboots of shows we love and were good on their own," another person tweeted. "Soooo many other things we can do a show about on our own merits."

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"The Wonder Years was a show that looked at a changing America, in the midst of Vietnam, sexual revolution& civil rights, as the backdrop of a family story (you literally watch it all play out on TVs in the background)," added another. "This show apparently takes place in Alabama so ...I wonder."

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"New version of The Wonder Years. The original is one of my favorite shows growing up, I'm excited to see where this one goes as the black family perspective in the same era can be MUCH different," tweeted one fan. "I previously thought the new one was going to take place in the 90's or something."

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"The Wonder Years was one of my favorite shows!" added another. "So glad it is coming back!"

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