From the very first line spoken on the show, the new ABC series The Wonder Years (2021) sets the standards of what to expect from this reboot: “Growing up, Mom and Dad gave me “The Police Talk” about how to handle yourself around cops. There was a presidential election that created a racial divide and there was a flu pandemic that they said would kill a million people around the world. But it was 1968. And that’s the state our country was in. (scoff) Yeah, even the flu part” (Patterson & Savage, 2021). Almost immediately, the show, despite taking place in 1968 (just like the original), situates itself in our modern sociopolitical context through this sudden drawl of similarities between time periods. Interestingly, this first line serves as an excellent example that appropriately describes the intent of this reboot: to reimagine a classic American sitcom through the modern lens.
The Wonder Years (1988) was a massively popular sitcom from the 1980s, that followed the coming-of-age story of a precocious 12-year-old growing up in the American suburbs during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. However, it is shockingly clear—when considering this sitcom in retrospect—how tame and censored this depiction of youth and, especially, of the time period was. With no real consideration of the socio-political events of the late 1960s and early 70s, the original The Wonder Years lacks—especially according to the standards of today. And in this we find the need for this reboot: with a desire to see more multidimensional representation on TV, alongside the tactic of studios to hide in the safety of past successes, The Wonder Years (2021) was almost inevitable.
Following the same format of the original, The Wonder Year (2021) follows a Black, middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama in 1968—a harsh contrast to the original that featured almost no people of color at all. One can situate this shift in perspective as a decision very fitting for the nature of television today, as there have been more intentional efforts to diversify the entertainment industry (Deggans, 2020) Breaking away from the stereotypes that media has long used as a crutch, this reboot provides a multidimensional look at a Black family living during this time. However, to truly understand the innovative take of this reboot, we must acknowledge the many shows with Black representation that precedes it. Shows like The Cosby Show (1984-1992), The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1996), Family Matters (1989-1997), and more have contributed to the evolving way in which Black families and culture has been depicted on screen. This intertextuality— as defined by Stuart Hall as the accumulation of meanings across texts, where one piece of media refers to the other (Hall, 1997)—adds and alters the meaning by which the audience perceives this reboot. Additionally, it would be remiss if we didn’t situate this reboot intertextually with how families from the 1960s and 70s were depicted overall, this including the original The Wonder Years, and other classics like, The Brady Bunch, and even That 70s Show. Considering the White Majority make-up of on-screen representation— in relation to family life and everyday concerns—for this time, the audience perceives the reboot beyond what it provided. As Lee Daniels, the producer of the reboot, states: "A lot of Black families were lower middle class and middle class...And they have not been depicted in this era properly... We wanted it to be aspirational and positive but at the same time very much rooted in reality and grounded" (Lawler, 2021). And it does just that. This reboot welcomes the audience into the home of a Black family and just like the original, we encounter episodic stories of family relations, friendships, young love, and more coming-of-age conflicts. However, unlike the original, these stories do not stand alone from the time period, but rather, like one can expect, they are intricately intertwined and affected by it.
Furthermore, there is something to be said about making a reboot of The Wonder Years, in general. Why do it at all? Why not write a whole new show altogether, that uses the same framework of multidimensional representation? The answer is money. Just because the show is trying to be a part of the change for more representation, doesn’t mean it is not still playing within the system it belongs to. In this entertainment industry, nothing is promised, but a reboot or remake of a successful show is as close as you can get. Reboots, remakes, and franchises lie in the realm of standardization, as identified by cultural theorists Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, where companies and studios will always prefer the safety of a predictable and reproducible formula over a risky investment. From the words of Adorno and Horkheimer themselves, “Culture now impresses the same stamp on everything. Film, radio, and magazines make up a system which is uniform as a whole and in every part…” (Horkheimer & Adorno, 1944). I’m sure we’ve all seen them—reboots are everywhere. Beauty and the Beast (1991, 2017), Dune (1984, 2021), She’s All That (1999; He’s All that, 2021) and so many Cinderella remakes I couldn’t even list them all. It all follows the adage from this industry that never ceases to be true: studios are always looking for “the same, but different.” A story that follows a set pattern is the best bet for a studio that hopes to make money. The Wonder Years (1988-1993) was a complete and total hit, as it is considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time (Sheffield, 2019). The choice to make a reboot of the show was probably an easy choice: not only could this reboot be successful because of its modern reimagining that would resonate with new audiences—it will also appeal to the original’s audience that take comfort in the nostalgia. All in all, the use of standardization through the tactic of remakes and reboots is rooted in studios’ interest in financial gain and stability above all else.
References.
Deggans, E. (2020, December 4). More evidence TV doesn't reflect real life diversity. NPR. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2020/12/04/942574850/more-evidence-tv-doesnt-reflect-real-life-diversity.
Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Newbery Park, CA: Sage, pp. 225-249
Horkheimer, M., & Adorno, T. W. (1944). Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. In Dialectic of Enlightenment. essay.
IMDb.com. (1988, January 31). The wonder years. IMDb. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094582/.
Lawler, K. (2021, September 23). Why Lee Daniels and ABC brought 'The wonder years' back with a black family in the 1960s. USA Today. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/09/22/the-wonder-years-reboot-why-abc-brought-back-black-family/5783648001/.
Patterson, S. (Writer), & Savage, F. (Director). (2021, September 22) “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1). In LD. Daniels (Executive Producer), The Wonder Years, ABC.
Sheffield, R. (2019, July 29). 100 Greatest TV Shows of all time. Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-105998/?sub_action=logged_in.
The Wonder Years (1988) was a massively popular sitcom from the 1980s, that followed the coming-of-age story of a precocious 12-year-old growing up in the American suburbs during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. However, it is shockingly clear—when considering this sitcom in retrospect—how tame and censored this depiction of youth and, especially, of the time period was. With no real consideration of the socio-political events of the late 1960s and early 70s, the original The Wonder Years lacks—especially according to the standards of today. And in this we find the need for this reboot: with a desire to see more multidimensional representation on TV, alongside the tactic of studios to hide in the safety of past successes, The Wonder Years (2021) was almost inevitable.
Following the same format of the original, The Wonder Year (2021) follows a Black, middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama in 1968—a harsh contrast to the original that featured almost no people of color at all. One can situate this shift in perspective as a decision very fitting for the nature of television today, as there have been more intentional efforts to diversify the entertainment industry (Deggans, 2020) Breaking away from the stereotypes that media has long used as a crutch, this reboot provides a multidimensional look at a Black family living during this time. However, to truly understand the innovative take of this reboot, we must acknowledge the many shows with Black representation that precedes it. Shows like The Cosby Show (1984-1992), The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1990-1996), Family Matters (1989-1997), and more have contributed to the evolving way in which Black families and culture has been depicted on screen. This intertextuality— as defined by Stuart Hall as the accumulation of meanings across texts, where one piece of media refers to the other (Hall, 1997)—adds and alters the meaning by which the audience perceives this reboot. Additionally, it would be remiss if we didn’t situate this reboot intertextually with how families from the 1960s and 70s were depicted overall, this including the original The Wonder Years, and other classics like, The Brady Bunch, and even That 70s Show. Considering the White Majority make-up of on-screen representation— in relation to family life and everyday concerns—for this time, the audience perceives the reboot beyond what it provided. As Lee Daniels, the producer of the reboot, states: "A lot of Black families were lower middle class and middle class...And they have not been depicted in this era properly... We wanted it to be aspirational and positive but at the same time very much rooted in reality and grounded" (Lawler, 2021). And it does just that. This reboot welcomes the audience into the home of a Black family and just like the original, we encounter episodic stories of family relations, friendships, young love, and more coming-of-age conflicts. However, unlike the original, these stories do not stand alone from the time period, but rather, like one can expect, they are intricately intertwined and affected by it.
Furthermore, there is something to be said about making a reboot of The Wonder Years, in general. Why do it at all? Why not write a whole new show altogether, that uses the same framework of multidimensional representation? The answer is money. Just because the show is trying to be a part of the change for more representation, doesn’t mean it is not still playing within the system it belongs to. In this entertainment industry, nothing is promised, but a reboot or remake of a successful show is as close as you can get. Reboots, remakes, and franchises lie in the realm of standardization, as identified by cultural theorists Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, where companies and studios will always prefer the safety of a predictable and reproducible formula over a risky investment. From the words of Adorno and Horkheimer themselves, “Culture now impresses the same stamp on everything. Film, radio, and magazines make up a system which is uniform as a whole and in every part…” (Horkheimer & Adorno, 1944). I’m sure we’ve all seen them—reboots are everywhere. Beauty and the Beast (1991, 2017), Dune (1984, 2021), She’s All That (1999; He’s All that, 2021) and so many Cinderella remakes I couldn’t even list them all. It all follows the adage from this industry that never ceases to be true: studios are always looking for “the same, but different.” A story that follows a set pattern is the best bet for a studio that hopes to make money. The Wonder Years (1988-1993) was a complete and total hit, as it is considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time (Sheffield, 2019). The choice to make a reboot of the show was probably an easy choice: not only could this reboot be successful because of its modern reimagining that would resonate with new audiences—it will also appeal to the original’s audience that take comfort in the nostalgia. All in all, the use of standardization through the tactic of remakes and reboots is rooted in studios’ interest in financial gain and stability above all else.
References.
Deggans, E. (2020, December 4). More evidence TV doesn't reflect real life diversity. NPR. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2020/12/04/942574850/more-evidence-tv-doesnt-reflect-real-life-diversity.
Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. Newbery Park, CA: Sage, pp. 225-249
Horkheimer, M., & Adorno, T. W. (1944). Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception. In Dialectic of Enlightenment. essay.
IMDb.com. (1988, January 31). The wonder years. IMDb. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094582/.
Lawler, K. (2021, September 23). Why Lee Daniels and ABC brought 'The wonder years' back with a black family in the 1960s. USA Today. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2021/09/22/the-wonder-years-reboot-why-abc-brought-back-black-family/5783648001/.
Patterson, S. (Writer), & Savage, F. (Director). (2021, September 22) “Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1). In LD. Daniels (Executive Producer), The Wonder Years, ABC.
Sheffield, R. (2019, July 29). 100 Greatest TV Shows of all time. Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 11, 2021, from https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-lists/100-greatest-tv-shows-of-all-time-105998/?sub_action=logged_in.
Hi Paola,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post! I’ve never heard of The Wonder Years, but the quote from the first line of the show was very striking to me considering that is was about 1968 but was just as relevant to very recent events. I think the trend of rebooting classical American sitcoms through the modern lens–as you described– is reflective of Adorno and Horkimer’s idea of pseudo-individuality. In its most basic form, this is described as slight calculated differences in products, and while I wouldn’t imagine this to be applicable to entire tv shows, this is clearly what is happening as the entertainment industry is striving to create more representation in the easiest way possible.
Adorno and Horkimer also state the idea that audiences rely on mindless entertainment. By contrast, Nussbaum explains that TV is a conversation with the audience, and your point about how the entertainment industry has gone through a long journey to have more representation, and to break away from harmful stereotypes, shows that audiences have at least some degree of influence over representation in media. Seeing as this reboot is likely going to follow a formula–which you described with the point of standardization–it will be interesting to see if the producers create a story that is the exact same as the white, previous version but with african american stereotypes imposed on the story, or if it will be authentic to telling the stories in new ways based on how an african american family would’ve navigated society during this time.