Travel Back to 1988 and the WONDER YEARS…
Were you there?
In 1988, I was 27 years old. WOW, it’s amazing to say that. That’s half my current age. I was working for GM for Buick Motor Division as a Marketing Analyst. Every Tuesday night, 8:00pm EST, I would be on the couch watching my favorite series, The Wonder Years. Needless to say, I was quite excited when Time-Life sent us along a copy of The Wonder Years the Complete Series for review.
The series featured the Arnold family as they struggled to live through the radical late 1960’s and into the early 70s. The target viewing market for this series was baby boomers and success for the series was immediate. As noted in Wikipedia:
The show achieved a spot in the Nielsen Top 30 for four of its six seasons.TV Guide named the show one of the 20 best of the 1980s. After only six episodes aired, The Wonder Years won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1988. In addition, at age 13, Fred Savage became the youngest actor ever nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor for a Comedy Series.
The reason I loved the series was the format and the time setting. Kevin Arnold, a 13 year old boy, was the “star” of the show with his family and friends filling out the storyline. However, the story was fleshed out with “Kevin’s voice” as a grown-up, so the “voice” could say things that Kevin, as a 13 year old, never could. All of this was set against a compilation of 60’s music which was a new approach in TV series at the time and the music became an indelible part of the beloved series, which ran on ABC from 1988-1993.
Really the best way for you to get a idea of the series (if you haven’t ever seen it) is to watch this short clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGr2UJLaTKE&feature=youtu.be
The Wonder Years Complete Series DVD brings it all back
Never before released on DVD in its entirety — THE WONDER YEARS COMPLETE SERIES will be presented as a 26-disc collector’s set featuring all 115 episodes housed in a replica metal locker, along with a host of extras including 23 total hours of specially-produced bonus programming — featurettes, an incredible cast reunion 16 years in the making and never-before-seen outtakes. THE WONDER YEARS COMPLETE SERIES will be available exclusively online at TimeLife.com/WonderYears for $249.95
Fans of THE WONDER YEARS will thrill to the extensive list of cleared music, which includes 285 modern day classics and instrumentals such as “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” by The Byrds, “Louie Louie” by The Kingsmen, “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream, Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” The Trogg’s “Wild Thing,” “Good Vibrations” and “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” by The Beach Boys, “My Girl” by The Temptations and hundreds of others!
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Update: This post originally had a giveaway attached for The Wonder Years Complete Series DVDs. The Rafflecopter entry device has been removed and had 4321 entries. See Giveaway Winners.
I remember watching The Wonder Years, that was a great show. There’s a similar show on the air now called The Goldbergs, but this show is set in the 80’s.
I can still hear the theme song and smile over Kevin’s growing up. His family and friends around him. The characters were well-developed, and it was a show we watched as a family.
Mama’s Family complete series or Carol Burnett, love them both!
Mamas Family- I used to watch this with my mom when I was younger- so many memories laughing!
I’d like The Best of The Carol Burnett Show because it’s a great show
I would love to have some of their music items especially the music of the seventies. Either of those CD’s I would love to have!
I love The Best Of Carol Burnett. I grew up watching that show and it still makes me laugh!
I like the Vingtage Hollywood Collection. Thank you
MY mom who is 88 would love The Carol Burnett Show: The Ultimate Collection:) carol is very funny:)
My son would love the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Season 1. He really likes this show and it would make a nice stocking stuffer gift.
I would like to have China Beach series.This is one of my all time favorite TV series and looked forward to it every week.
I would love the timelife.com/products/power-rangers-from-mighty-morphin-to-lost-galaxy
First off my husband would so love this. I also liked they have Carol’s Crack Ups
26 Episodes on 12 DVDs
I would get the China Beach – The Complete Series. I’ve always wanted to watch this show.
I would love Mama’s Family because it was one we watched all the time and it had so much humor in it. 🙂
I would love Mama’s Family – The Complete Series, because I used to watch this as a kid.
I’d love to have Mama’s Family. I used to watch that with my grandmother when I was little
I would get The Carol Burnett Show: The Ultimate Collection my mom & I would watch it all the time and boy did we laugh!