Who else loves this show? It's definitely one of my all time favs. So many episodes struck a cord with me. I was born during its run and was too young by the time it ended to remember it while it was still airing, but I remember watching reruns in the late 90s on Nick@Nite and recently watched the whole series on Netflix.

It ran from '88 to '93 and took place in '68-'73. It's weird to think if the show were still airing and making new episodes today, the characters would be living in 1992 by now!

Do you think a similar show about growing up in the '90s and '00s could ever work?

Who else loves this show? It's definitely one of my all time favs. So many episodes struck a cord with me. I was born during its run and was too young by the time it ended to remember it while it was still airing, but I remember watching reruns in the late 90s on Nick@Nite and recently watched the whole series on Netflix.

It ran from '88 to '93 and took place in '68-'73. It's weird to think if the show were still airing and making new episodes today, the characters would be living in 1992 by now!

Do you think a similar show about growing up in the '90s and '00s could ever work?


Wow exactly the same story for me.  8)  ;D

I was really disappointed he didn't end up with Winnie. They're so alike, they seemed destined for each other. The ending was depressing in my opinion. The thing about his dad dying was really sad too. The whole series was actually pretty sad and melancholy.

As to your question - um, you mean if they started it in 2018 and it ran until 2023? They could, but yeah it wouldn't be as interesting. Even if they made a series now and set it in the late 80s/early 90s, it wouldn't be quite as interesting as the original's setting. Part of what made The Wonder Years appealing is the fact it was set during that revolutionary and exciting time. I think the conservatism and stagnation in everything except technology and superficial pop culture differences over the past 35 years wouldn't be a good backdrop.

But then again, I would probably still give the show a chance. It would be interesting to see how they'd characterize the era. I could see the show starting with the Clinton scandal and Kevin showing Paul the new dial-up connection his family just installed, jokes about the Clinton scandal, Kevin and Paul ogling over Britney Spears, and then as they progressed into the show they'd have a 9/11 episode, they would get their first cell phones, maybe Winnie's brother would have died in Afghanistan instead of Vietnam, I mean who knows how they could re-invent it.

Good topic!

I thought Kevin -not- ending up with Winnie was pretty fitting, actually. Life is not a fairy tale and we don't always get the girl, but at least they made a point of saying Kevin and Winnie stayed in touch when she went to Europe.

And that's a good point about the 90s not being as revolutionary as the late 60s and early 70s were, but it could still work.

I thought Kevin -not- ending up with Winnie was pretty fitting, actually. Life is not a fairy tale and we don't always get the girl, but at least they made a point of saying Kevin and Winnie stayed in touch when she went to Europe.

And that's a good point about the 90s not being as revolutionary as the late 60s and early 70s were, but it could still work.


It was fitting just kinda depressing. Especially since not getting the girl is kind of the story of my life.  :D

I'm glad Karen and Michael stayed together though. The episode where he camped in front of her house was crazy, but it was a different time. I could tell he wasn't a creep but genuinely loved her.

It's a shame the closest thing we're gonna get to a release is Netflix.(the music licensing would make it impossible for a DVD set).  :(

I thought the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris was very similar to The Wonder Years.

A 90's remake could possibly work but what part of the 90's would it be set in?

It's a shame the closest thing we're gonna get to a release is Netflix.(the music licensing would make it impossible for a DVD set).  :(

I thought the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris was very similar to The Wonder Years.

A 90's remake could possibly work but what part of the 90's would it be set in?


Oh yeah, I can see that.

He said 90s and 00s so I would guess he probably means 1998-03 if it was to parallel with Wonder Years only 30 years afterwards.

A 90's remake could possibly work but what part of the 90's would it be set in?


Hmm probably starting in 1991, right after the end of the Gulf War, so they could have an episode about Nirvana'a Nevermind coming out and setting the music scene change in motion. Then if the show had good enough ratings, it could last 9+ seasons and they could have an episodes about Y2K and 9/11. Then the show could end when the War in Afghanistan begins since that kind of marked the end of an era.

Who else loves this show? It's definitely one of my all time favs. So many episodes struck a cord with me. I was born during its run and was too young by the time it ended to remember it while it was still airing, but I remember watching reruns in the late 90s on Nick@Nite and recently watched the whole series on Netflix.

It ran from '88 to '93 and took place in '68-'73. It's weird to think if the show were still airing and making new episodes today, the characters would be living in 1992 by now!

Do you think a similar show about growing up in the '90s and '00s could ever work?


If it was set in the '98-'03 time frame, Kevin would have that short gelled hairstyle or some kind of bowl cut with a part in the middle, he'd be wearing Gap brand clothing, his friend could be something like a wigger. Winnie would be a teenybopper totally into Nsync, The Backstreet Boys, ect.

It would be interesting if in the future a show(say around circa 2030) was set during the '08-'13 time frame(I think there would be a lot more to go on).

If it was set in the '98-'03 time frame, Kevin would have that short gelled hairstyle or some kind of bowl cut with a part in the middle, he'd be wearing Gap brand clothing, his friend could be something like a wigger. Winnie would be a teenybopper totally into Nsync, The Backstreet Boys, ect.

It would be interesting if in the future a show(say around circa 2030) was set during the '08-'13 time frame(I think there would be a lot more to go on).


Yeah I'd actually rather see a show about today than about the turn of the millennium years.

Who else loves this show? It's definitely one of my all time favs. So many episodes struck a cord with me. I was born during its run and was too young by the time it ended to remember it while it was still airing, but I remember watching reruns in the late 90s on Nick@Nite and recently watched the whole series on Netflix.

It ran from '88 to '93 and took place in '68-'73. It's weird to think if the show were still airing and making new episodes today, the characters would be living in 1992 by now!

Do you think a similar show about growing up in the '90s and '00s could ever work?


it could work.

What about The Hard Times of RJ Berger?  ;D

Do you think a similar show about growing up in the '90s and '00s could ever work?


I think so, but not so much the 90's (which was a mostly peaceful and prosperous time and thus wouldn't be exciting enough for a show based mostly on nostalgia of the era itself), but certainly the 00's.

I mean, between the 2000 election recount, 9/11, Anthrax, the D.C. Sniper, Afghanistan, Iraq and the anti-war movement, Katrina, Bush, Obama and the economic crisis, the 2000's was probably the most totally screwed up decade we've seen since the 60's.

A fair amount of stuff happened in the 90's
Gulf War I
LA Riots
OJ Trial
Bill Clinton elected
Monica Lewinsky affair
Oklahoma City bombing
Princess Diana's Death
Columbine
Heaven's Gate
Bosnia War
Dot Com Boom and bust

plenty of pop culture related items too

Who else loves this show? It's definitely one of my all time favs. So many episodes struck a cord with me. I was born during its run and was too young by the time it ended to remember it while it was still airing, but I remember watching reruns in the late 90s on Nick@Nite and recently watched the whole series on Netflix.

It ran from '88 to '93 and took place in '68-'73. It's weird to think if the show were still airing and making new episodes today, the characters would be living in 1992 by now!

Do you think a similar show about growing up in the '90s and '00s could ever work?


i do remember watching it and wondered how my life was tame compared to how it was for kevin arnold. of course, there were things that were happening, but it seemed so different that i had that kind of reaction. man, i wish they would release the DVDs. err sad face on that one!

but i think it could work. they did a similar thing with boy meets world and it worked well. in fact, they're bringing back cory and topanga for an updated show or something like it. of course it's interesting that both leads of those shows are brothers lol. :)

i do remember watching it and wondered how my life was tame compared to how it was for kevin arnold. of course, there were things that were happening, but it seemed so different that i had that kind of reaction. man, i wish they would release the DVDs. err sad face on that one!

but i think it could work. they did a similar thing with boy meets world and it worked well. in fact, they're bringing back cory and topanga for an updated show or something like it. of course it's interesting that both leads of those shows are brothers lol. :)


The whole 90s nostalgia thing is creeping me out. Hell um, Danielle Fishel was born in 1980 so she's kind of my generation if you consider Gen Y to be late 70s to early 90s, her daughter in Girls Meets World will be 13 so I'm actually halfway between both their ages!

The whole 90s nostalgia thing is creeping me out.


I agree. I think it's because it seems like just yesterday that the "eighties nostalgia" movement was at it's peak and I was feeling left out because I wasn't really old enough to remember any of it. Now it's weird that shows I watched as a kid (like the first wave Nicktoons for example) are now being looked at as "old timer" stuff by most current middle school kids.

As far as the Boy Meets World thing, yeah that is kinda strange for me too. I'm only a few years younger than Corey and Topanga myself, and now they're considered old enough in TV land to have a 13 year old daughter. :D

I agree. I think it's because it seems like just yesterday that the "eighties nostalgia" movement was at it's peak and I was feeling left out because I wasn't really old enough to remember any of it. Now it's weird that shows I watched as a kid (like the first wave Nicktoons for example) are now being looked at as "old timer" stuff by most current middle school kids.

As far as the Boy Meets World thing, yeah that is kinda strange for me too. I'm only a few years younger than Corey and Topanga myself, and now they're considered old enough in TV land to have a 13 year old daughter. :D


I wonder if people who grew up in the 80s found it annoying the 80s were 'coming back' because to them it felt like they were only there yesterday. I feel like that about 90s nostalgia, I feel like as long as people are still sagging their pants it's too early to bring the 90s back.  ::)

Danielle was actually born in May 1981 so she's actually only a little more than 8 1/2 years older than me!  :o That means that by the end of this decade I could be playing the father of a teenager on TV.  ;D

Come to think of it, didn't Topanga become pregnant at the end of the series back in 2000?

I wonder if people who grew up in the 80s found it annoying the 80s were 'coming back' because to them it felt like they were only there yesterday. I feel like that about 90s nostalgia, I feel like as long as people are still sagging their pants it's too early to bring the 90s back.  ::)


I do feel like the 80's were yesterday.

Danielle was actually born in May 1981 so she's actually only a little more than 8 1/2 years older than me!  :o That means that by the end of this decade I could be playing the father of a teenager on TV.  ;D

Come to think of it, didn't Topanga become pregnant at the end of the series back in 2000?


I think so but I think she was about to get married and move in with Cory.

Kevin and Winnie not ending up together...that's just life. Most people don't go on to have lifelong marriages to their childhood sweethearts. Plus Winnie was very inconsistent and scatterbrained. But it's tough to blame her too much, over the course of the show she went through a lot of turmoil. Brother dying in Nam, parents divorce. Not sure if Kevin really ever understood how difficult it was for her.

I felt bad for Jack, passing away so early and leading such a hard life (I think they said he died 2 years after the final episode which took place in 1973...so that would make it 1975) So he probably didn't even reach 50 in terms of his TV age.

No TV series better depicted a period in time.

Also on the subject of Girl Meets World...I'm still astounded that it's been almost 13 years since that show was on the air. I still watch episodes on youtube (recently saw the Christmas special...a Very Topanga Christmas  ;D) and it was damn good. Didn't seem dated really except for the fashions, and even in that regard it doesn't seem too bad.

What's strange is that when Boy Meets World was still in it's original run, nobody really talked about it much, nor was it a ratings knockout. Once it ended everybody was like "Oh remember Cory and Topanga!?!?" and the nostalgia starts ratcheting up. But back in the day it was never must see tv.

Kevin and Winnie not ending up together...that's just life. Most people don't go on to have lifelong marriages to their childhood sweethearts. Plus Winnie was very inconsistent and scatterbrained. But it's tough to blame her too much, over the course of the show she went through a lot of turmoil. Brother dying in Nam, parents divorce. Not sure if Kevin really ever understood how difficult it was for her.

I felt bad for Jack, passing away so early and leading such a hard life (I think they said he died 2 years after the final episode which took place in 1973...so that would make it 1975) So he probably didn't even reach 50 in terms of his TV age.

No TV series better depicted a period in time.


Yeah I never really liked Winnie's personality much, I understand she went through hard times but I don't know, yeah she was so wishy washy. But so was Kevin which is why I felt they were perfect for each other.

The thing about Jack was very sad, yeah that last episode was so sobering.

In retrospect, does anyone think 20 years was a little too soon to get nostalgic for that era? It's depressing that 1988 (when the show first aired) is closer to 1968 (when it took place) than it is to today. In fact, the 20th anniversary of the series finale is coming up.

In retrospect, does anyone think 20 years was a little too soon to get nostalgic for that era? It's depressing that 1988 (when the show first aired) is closer to 1968 (when it took place) than it is to today. In fact, the 20th anniversary of the series finale is coming up.


It is strange how far away it's gotten from us...I mean when the wonder years first started the people who were watching it and were Kevins age in the 60's (let's say...10 in 1968, who watched that era unfold) were only 30 in 1988.

Now those people are 55