Ask someone aboutThe Wonder Years, and you’re likely to stir up some strong memories.
“But it meant something to all of us because of the emotions involved.
That speaks to how that show cut across so many different demos.”
Dulé Hill, Saycon Sengbloh, Laura Kariuki, and Elisha Williams on ‘The Wonder Years’.Erika Doss/ABC
“It only exists in this haze of memory and nostalgia to each one of us.”
“People should not expect it to feel like a remake or reboot,” he explains.
And of course, his experiences are also narrated by his older self, with the voice ofDon Cheadle.
Elisha ‘EJ’ Williams in ‘The Wonder Years’.ABC
(His previous credits include the Nickelodeon seriesHenry DangerandDanger Force.)
“I’ve mainly been doing it by just keeping it natural.
And watching the old show definitely helped a lot with my comedic timing.”
Fred Savage directs Elisha ‘EJ’ Williams on the set of ‘The Wonder Years.'.Erika Doss/ABC
His family has done a great job in making sure he experiences childhood.
He’s an incredibly bright young man, too.
He gets the material, and he gets the cultural significance of it and the weight of it.
And he’s a great actor."
“Fred is our EJ whisperer,” Patterson says.
That definitely helps."
And what we really want to tap into is those universal feelings about growing up.
But again: Don’t call it a remake.
It felt like we were building something brand new."
The Wonder Yearspremieres Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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