One of the coolest things to ever emerge from my generation was none other than the Wonder Years. The reason why is
because it was one of the first American television shows that successfully, for my generation, showed what the 60′s and early 70′s were about – abeit with the perspective of a preadolescent kid named Kevin Arnold (played by Fred Savage). He was accompanied by his pal Paul Pheiffer, love interest and later highschool sweetheart Winnie Cooper as well as his family: his brother the bully Wayne, hippie sister Karen and parents Jack and Norma. Jack was a bit conservative much like most fathers were in that time period. Norma was middle-road and sort of a feminist – much in reflection to the Women’s Liberation Movement.
However, there was one thing that made this show hit the ball out of the park: the music. Never had a show truly encorporated the hit songs of the time with such ease. They used songs such as Light My Fire by the Doors, Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Steppenwolf, the list goes on. The soundtrack to that show not only introduced that music to a new generation but also made good scenes between characters great.
The other great thing about The Wonder Years is that it shows that regardless of decade, the aspects of growing up never change. Young girls will always be chased by the young guys. There will always be teenage rebellion and angst. In the 60′s it was artists like Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix as well as Vietnam War protests. My generation gets the horrible events of September 11, 2001, No Doubt, Nirvana, and Jay-Z. Not TOO shabby but still, they aren’t as comparable to those legends.
It wasn’t good television. The Wonder Years was GREAT television.
