‘The Wonder Years’ Is Getting A Reboot With A Black Family From Lee Daniels And Fred Savage

ABC has officially announced that a pilot is in the works for a reboot of The Wonder Years from Empire co-creator Lee Daniels. The updated version of the classic ’80s staple will focus on a Black family, but it will still take place in the ’60s and during a time of civil unrest.

Just like the Arnolds, the family in the rebooted Wonder Years will navigate a tumultuous time in America from their hometown of Montgomery, Alabama where there will be no shortage of historical moments as the country comes to terms with its ongoing legacy of systemic racism. Via Entertainment Weekly:

Alabama was the site of many significant events during the American civil rights movement, such as Rosa Park’s defiance of segregation on a public bus in 1955, a white supremacist church bombing in 1973, and the five-day march from Selma to Montgomery led by Martin Luther King that pushed the government to approve the Civil Rights Act in 1965.

The new Wonder Years will be executive produced by Daniels with The Big Bang Theory‘s Saladin K. Patterson acting as showrunner. However, fans of the classic Wonder Years will be happy to know that Fred Savage will be involved as both a director and executive producer, and original co-creator Neal Marlens will be consulting.

In light of the recent Black Lives Matter protests over the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, this updated version of The Wonder Years comes at a time when America is openly struggling to move past its beginning as a country built on white supremacy towards one that champions equality for all.