The Wonder Years Biography

‘The Wonder Years’ was narrated off screen by an older ‘Kevin’ (Daniel Stern) recalling the trials and tribulations of growing up from his first kiss to his graduation. It also examined the relationship with his family while setting it against the backdrop of America’s political upheaval and social reform.

The series began in 1988 and ran for 115 episodes. It won awards for casting, writing, directing, music, and acting - including an Emmy after just 6 episodes! It’s historical context meant that drama was often interspersed with real news footage including the Vietnam War and the Space program and gave each episode a point of reference.

However the shows creator Marlin and Black had also wanted it to ‘address the universal experience of childhood, rather than be a statement about an era’ and therefore the main focus was always his relationships with his best friend Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Savino), childhood sweet heart, Winnie Cooper, his brother Wayne, sister Karen and parents Jack and Norma.

The final episode was aired in 1993.