The Wonder Years reboot made a mark with its premiere last week on ABC.
The Lee Daniels executive produced-comedy premiered on Sept. 22, with 3.07 million viewers and a 0.6 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49, according to Nielsen’s Live+Same Day numbers.
That gave the coming-of-age series one of the highest rated debuts so far this year in the 18-49 age group.
The reimagined version of the 1988 show, which starred Fred Savage, now focuses on a Black middle-class family in 1960s Montgomery through the point of view of imaginative 12-year-old Dean.
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The series stars Don Cheadle, who is narrating as adult Dean Williams, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Dean Williams, Dule Hill as Bill Williams, Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams, Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Julian Lerner as Brad Hitman, Amari O’Neil as Cory Long and Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons.
In addition to Daniels, Marc Velez of Lee Daniels Entertainment also executive produces alongside original star Fred Savage.
The reboot is created by Saladin K. Patterson (Psych).
“Because we’re setting it in this time where (there were) obstacles and challenges and disadvantages that a Black middle-class family would have faced, we wanted to show it was the ‘wonder years’ for them because of the strength of the family unit,” Patterson said in a recent interview with USA Today. “We wanted it to be aspirational and positive but at the same time very much rooted in reality and grounded.”
The Wonder Years currently airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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