lorj
I grew up watching The Wonder Years and I still love watching the series on Netflix. I think this series is best in seasons 1-4. Why, because Kevin and Paul have great chemistry and the friendship resembles some of the complicated stuff we go through in real life. There is an episode called "Little Debbie" from season 4 that is the perfect example of how TV shows used to be wonderful. In this episode, Kevin Arnold agrees to take Paul's little sister to a special dance. For me the best scene was when Kevin jumped into the pool to get Debbie's earring. Seasons 5-6 are different and I am not sure but the writing changed. Kevin becomes a narcissist and Paul seems to be almost entirely written out of the series. While Winnie Cooper is still there, the last season is not as good as the first four seasons. I can appreciate the actors and cast growing older (because everyone should grow up), but the writing and the exclusion of Paul Pfeiffer (one of my favorite characters) was a let down. Overall I love the series. It had great actors (entire cast was great) and good directing.
scott7680
(cue the movie trailer voice guy>) In a world where Breaking Bad and The Wire (both incredible shows) both score 9.4 and The Wonder Years only scores 8.2. (end the movie trailer voice guy)...Seriously though...this is a travesty. I honestly couldn't believe that The Wonder Years didn't score higher. Granted that this is a deeply personal show for me...but judging from the other reviews, it seems to be a deeply personal show for a lot of people. What is amazing about The Wonder Years is its ability to relate cross generations. I'm not going to talk specifically about any one episode because there are too many and no one here wants to read about my life story, but bear with me. I was born in 1980...so when I started watching The Wonder Years I was 8 and it ended when I was 13.....pretty much my formative years as a child. Watching the show during this time even as a child it was important to me. As a child, I could relate to Kevin or at least some of the other characters on a level where the understanding to me had everything to do with his experiences as a child and not a whole lot for the generation in which he lived his life. It worked for my parents because the show both created nostalgia to the time period in which they grew up as well and holding nostalgic memories of experiences that they may have had in common with the characters. Watching this show later in life only further showed me how great a show this truly was. Viewing this show 20+ years later you are able to see the show in a completely different light. While I'm not able to share in the nostalgia of the time period...as my parents...I am able to better relate to teenage Kevin....and his parents, grandparents, and dare I even say his jackass of a brother Wayne. If I wrote this review at another time I might be able to write a better one, but I am writing this on pure emotion and I can honestly tell you that this was one of the best shows ever made for television. The creators and the writers knew exactly what they were doing and it showed. Perhaps the Wonder Years was a little too far ahead of its time...or maybe America is all the stupider. I just feel bad for the kids of today that have no clue of this show. It is a damn shame that they won't either until licensing fees are worked out and and they can actually get this show on DVD. They need to do it right though. They can't leave out or replace the music because in blended in and complimented the show to a point that to leave it out would be to savagely diminish the quality....(sigh) Until then I'll have to rely on my bootleg copies and keep reminding the world that The Wonder Years even existed in the first place.
Brian Rodriguez
When I was a kid, I loved "The Wonder Years." In fact, I relished the evenings I spent in front of my TV with Kevin, Winnie and Paul. Watching the show now, I realized something. Dating as a pre-teen was beyond awkward. Adolescence is a period of time when you've shot a foot taller, your voice is couple octaves deeper but your face looks the same as it did in the second grade. Well, that is except for the strange peach fuzz growing on your upper lip. Or is that a pimple? Don't think about it or you'll get another one! Oops, too late. In other words, you look like a crazy man baby, the opposite of Teen Wolf. ....... To read more, visit my blog- http://brianrodriguez.tv/?p=143
dee.reid
"The Wonder Years," even though the show was a period piece, it still seems like the events it portrayed weren't that long ago and still have some relevance today. I was born in 1985, so I wasn't alive when Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) came of age during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s in the United States, as was portrayed in the show and whose thoughts were narrated by Daniel Stern. He was one of the most likable television characters of my formative years. The life lessons, the romance, the conflicts with friends and family alike, and the pains of adolescence and growing up still resonate nearly two decades later after this show's successful run on television with today's audiences. Why this show hasn't gotten a DVD treatment, I'll never know. I just know that for several years this was truly one of the best shows in the history of American television.10/10