Growing up in the 80’s, one of the highlights for me on television was always “The Wonder Years”. The cast was about the same age as me when the show aired, so I was able to relate to a lot of the issues that the series presented. This complete series has never before been released on DVD in its entirety. StarVista Entertainment/Time Life is presenting this as a 26-disc collector’s set featuring all 115 episodes housed in a replica metal locker. This is literally one of the best DVD presentations that I have honestly ever seen for a series. It is also jam-packed with over 23 hours of specially-produced bonus programming including featurettes, an incredible cast reunion 16 years in the making and never-before-seen outtakes. If you are looking to revisit the Arnold family and take a trip down memory lane, this is a wonderful release and I highly recommend it. Giving this a 5 out of 5 stars is not even nearly enough to give it the respect that it deserves.
Official Premise: It was 1968 — the year of Nixon and space walks and Mod Squad and Vietnam. Enter Kevin Arnold (Savage), a sixth grader at Kennedy Junior High School. Set against the suburban backdrop of Anytown, USA, Kevin sought to minimize his teenage angst while dealing with an older, noogie-happy brother Wayne (Jason Hervey), a rebellious sister, Karen (Olivia d’Abo), distant, workaholic father, Jack (Dan Lauria) and doting housewife mother, Norma (Alley Mills). Add to the mix Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano), his nerdy, allergy-riddled best friend, a potential love interest in winsome girl-next-door Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) and narration by an older, wiser, wittier Kevin (voiced by Daniel Stern) to add perspective to the nostalgia, and you have the perfect recipe for TV greatness.
One of the biggest aspects that I remember from this series was the music. This show introduced me to numerous songs and bands in my early years. What is amazing to find out is that the team at StarVista Entertainment/Time Life went above and beyond to ensure that the series was delivered in its most available entirety. This release received over 400 clearances and includes near 300 songs from many iconic artists such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles and The Rolling Stones, plus Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Many More! I am happy that people behind this release were able to put in the time and effort to deliver this series with all this great music still included. That is definitely not an easy (and cheap) task to deliver. They could have easy just cut these songs and saved a butt load of money but they decided to take this route
When I hear certain songs like “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, I am literally transported back to my parents house and find myself sitting in front of the TV watching this show. Of course let’s not forget the show’s timeless theme song “With a Little Help from My Friends” by Joe Cocker. This song is just so amazing and timeless is really the best way to describe it…another 100 years in the future it will still be just as effective and hopefully still synonymous with this show.
Amongst the over 23 hours of bonus features, some of the new features included are a commentary track on the first kiss outtakes by Fred (Savage) and Danica (McKellar) on all six takes of the legendary first kiss from Pilot episode, never before available. “That’s a Wrap! Mark B. Perry’s Farewell Set Tour Season 5” features Writer/Producer Mark B. Perry’s home video set tour from the end of his final season on the show, along with new commentary from him. “From the Vault: Alley Mills and Bob Brush Letters” features Alley Mills reading her emotional, written conversation with Executive Producer Bob Brush about the show’s finale. The one-hour finale as it was originally aired on ABC on May 12, 1993, including a deleted scene not included in the half-hour broadcasts of the final two episodes.
There are ten brand-new featurettes inclluding”With A Little Help From My Friends: The Early Days of The Wonder Years, “The Times They Are A-Changin'”: The Era, “My Generation”: The Kids Grow Up, “When A Man Loves A Woman”: Kevin & Winnie Forever, “Bookends”: Kevin & Paul, “A Family Affair”: At Home With The Arnolds, “”I Love You For Sentimental Reasons”: Fan-Favorite Episodes, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”: The Wonder Years’ Love Stories, “ABC”: Teachers That Made A Difference and “Both Sides Now”: The Music That Made The Moments. My favorite was the 2014 Los Angeles cast reunion, featuring all key cast together for the first time in 16 years.
There are also extensive individual interviews with all seven key cast members (Fred Savage, Danica McKellar, Josh Saviano, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d’Abo and Jason Hervey), as well as with notable actors featured as guest stars or in recurring roles, such as David Schwimmer, Ben Stein, Bob Picardo and Seth Green; plus, in-depth interviews with narrator Daniel Stern, Neal Marlens, Carol Black, Bob Brush and other production personnel. You can tell that the people that put together this release were fans of the show themselves. This is full of such amazing fan service that it will leave everyone satisfied.
If you want to purchase this Complete Series DVD set, click here. Also available now is the complete first season DVD, click here to buy.
