Lee Daniels is working with comedian Saladin K. Patterson to bring a new version of The Wonder Years to ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The original show aired for 115 episodes from 1988 to 1993 and followed a young boy named Kevin Arnold coming of age in a nondescript suburb twenty years prior to the air date. America fell in love with the relatable memories of life’s small moments and cheered Arnold on as he struggled to maintain his grades and fought to win the heart of Winnie Cooper. Its nostalgic themes were universal though the cast lacked diversity.
The new version of the classic will feature a Black family in 1960s Alabama. The creator of the original series, Neal Marlens, will consult on the project and the show’s star Fred Savage has signed on to executive produce and direct the pilot. In 2015, Savage told PEOPLE that it would be impossible for a reboot to happen. “The show was about a time in your life,” he said then. “The show was about this finite moment in your life that has a beginning and an end, and I think that’s what makes people long for that time in your life.”
Daniels has had previous success on the small screen with the FOX dramas Empire and Star. Patterson, who will be writing the script for the revived series, has worked on a number of hit shows including The Last O.G., The Big Bang Theory, and The Bernie Mac Show.
“I thank God for this opportunity. I hope that by showing how the turbulent 1960s could be “The Wonder Years” for a black family, we can make sure my kids will one day look at the turbulent 2020’s as their “Wonder Years,” wrote Patterson on Instagram.
“This will be a GREAT reboot! Let’s go ABC,” added Daniels in the caption for his post.