The Review: The Wonder Years (2021)

The Wonder Years 8/10

This was a funny ass series. When I first heard that this was going to be a thing I shit all over it because I'm a dick. I thought they were just gonna remake the show but after watching just the first episode I realized that while it takes place in the same time period as the original Wonder Years it could be a completely different series when seen through the eyes of a Black family in the same era. I laughed my ass off when the star Dean milked the death of MLK to do less work in school. The thing I enjoy more about this than the original is that I actually cared about everyone in the family and they all had their own story going. Maybe the OG show did but I don't remember them or care. The father was a musician. The mom had a job we actually got to see her at while running the home. The sister was going through wanting to be a teen and a revolutionary. Dean had friends and a girl he had a crush on and I noticed that he had more friends than Kevin in the original. He also seemed to be more involved in what was happening. His brother was fighting in Vietnam and he would compare himself to him as from what we have been told he was just good at everything and everyone liked him. Dean is not close to perfect and reminds me way too much of myself at times which is why I cringed so much while watching. This is on Hulu and only eight episodes which you could watch in a day but I watched it every week as it came out and got bummed when I realized it was finished. I look forward to another season.

Elisha "EJ" Williams as Dean Williams

Don Cheadle narrates as an older Dean

Dulé Hill as Bill Williams

Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams

Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams

Amari O'Neil as Cory Long

Julian Lerner as Brad Hitman

Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons

Click here for previous The Review.

All Grown An' Shit 4

Remember that show Wonder Years? Of course you do. It was a great show that every once in a while would toss a super depressing ass episode in to remind you about the time period the show took place in. One of the main reasons I and other guys watched the show was because of Winnie Cooper. There is no secret that I am thousands of other guys grew up wishing that we had a neighbor that was literally “the girl next door.” I have never in my life had a neighbor that I wanted to get with. Yeah, there was that fat chick over the summer vacation when I was about 13 but that doesn’t count. She lived across the street, not next door.

So Winnie Cooper was played by an actress named Danica McKellar. She has vanished from the public meaning my line of sight for a long ass time until she popped up in Maxim magazine. Now with actresses from when I was little you never know what they are gonna look like when they grow up much like with girls you go to school with. The hottest girl can become a mess and a girl you barely paid attention to will grow up to be a damned bombshell. Winnie Cooper grew up pretty damn good looking.