Should the series have ended when it did?

[James]

I don't know about the rest of you, but should "The Wonder Years" have continued past 1973? I think the series should have gone on another ten (yes, 10!) years.

I thought that the two elements that made the show as good as it was were the current events of the time and the music.

For current events I would have loved to have seen Watergate (and the rise of Gerald Ford after the resignation of Richard Nixon), the end of the Vietnam War, America's bicentennial, the 1975-76 Big Red Machine, Happy Days (and Mork & Mindy, Laverne and Shirley, and Joanie Loves Chachi), The Waltons, WKRP in Cincinnati, Taxi, Diff'rent Strokes, The Brady Bunch (the original show, the '77 variety hour, and the movie and series about Marcia and Jan's double wedding), the Dukes of Hazzard, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, The Urban Cowboy, the Atari (heck, I'll even throw in Pong!), President Jimmy Carter, Star Wars (both the movie and Reagan's missile defense system), the Iranian hostage crisis of 79-'81, oil shortages (and 15 mpg clunker cars--ahhgh! when you consider gas was $1.30 a gallon), double-digit inflation, disco, USA Olympic Hockey's 4-3 win over Russia in Lake Placid, Mt. St. Helens' eruption in Washington State, the Space Shuttle Columbia (remember they talked about space in the series!), the 1981 baseball strike, the 1982 NFL strike, the Reagan Administration (and his assassination attempt), the deaths of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Karen Carpenter; E. T., Sally Ride (the first US female astronaut), and the Tylenol cyanide scare.

For music I would have loved to have seen the music of The Commodores (and Lionel Richie's solo career), Air Supply, The Oak Ridge Boys, Dolly Parton, Sheena Easton, Blondie, Ray Parker, Jr., the Captain & Tennille, Dan Fogelberg, The Little River Band, Queen, Abba, Kansas, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, The Pretenders, .38 Special, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Christopher Cross, Alabama, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton-John, Al Jarreau, Loverboy, and Huey Lewis and the News featured in the show.

I don't know about the rest of you, but without the music and events TWY would just have been another show. With those elements TWY was one of a kind.

[ThomasE]

I think the show should have continued on throughout the senior year.

Originally posted by ThomasE:
I think the show should have continued on throughout the senior year.

I agree. There was no way it could've lasted another 10 years, though, like the original poster suggested. The original premise and charm of the show would have been blown completely out of the water had it lasted that long. The Wonder Years was a commentary on the childhood of Kevin Arnold, and for a lot of people, that ends with high school graduation. There was no need to see Kevin go through college, get his first job, etc. Boy Meets World is a good example of a show that lasted a couple of years too long. Did we really need to see Cory and Topenga get married when they still looked like they were 16?

[James]

OK, I won't say the show should have gone on ten more seasons, but rather THIRTEEN! It could have ended in March 1986.

Here's the scenario for the 1986 finale: Kevin is living in Chicago (in actuality Fred Savage grew up north of there in either Glencoe or Highland Park) in an apartment by himself, and a foreigner from a Mediterranean island knocks on his door claiming to be his cousin.

Note: Another popular series started here.

Just a thought!

[James]

Oh, and forgive me for saying it should have ended in 1986; I meant 2006, when the show is talking about 1986!

[James]

Originally posted by James:
Actually, we did see Kevin get his first job at Chong's Chinese as a delivery boy.

I was wrong. His first job was chopping onions. His friend Paul was the assistant manager.

[This message has been edited by James (edited 01-13-2001).]

[TJ]

The Wonder Years is definitely one of my favorites - along with Seinfeld it was one of the only sitcoms of the 90's that I watched.

It could have gone on a few seasons more. The music and narration made it great to me along with the great cast and writing.

[MikeNY718]

Originally posted by landofrapeandhoney:
Boy Meets World is a good example of a show that lasted a couple of years too long. Did we really need to see Cory and Topenga get married when they still looked like they were 16?

Hey, those were my favorite episodes!

[Artfiore1]

Hi all,
In Arnoldtown, U.S.A -- wherever it may have been -- according to my calculations, Kevin should've turned twenty years old some time around 1976. By then, I think, the wonder years are pretty much over. In my opinion, the show ended at just the right time. Its original innocence and much of its charm was already beginning to fade. The show was about growing up, remember?
Also, the element of surprise in much of the revelations which came at the end of the final episode would have been completely blown if we were allowed to see what was happening to these people all along.
Besides, by the Reagen years of Kevin's life, if not before, it would have been necessary for Fred Savage to lipsynch all of his lines which would have to have been prerecorded by Daniel Stern, whose voice sounds *nothing* like Savage's grown-up voice.

Later,
Art

[James]

Originally posted by Artfiore1:
Besides, by the Reagen years of Kevin's life, if not before, it would have been necessary for Fred Savage to lipsynch all of his lines which would have to have been prerecorded by Daniel Stern, whose voice sounds *nothing* like Savage's grown-up voice.

Later,
Art

Maybe Daniel Stern would have been replaced by the time Kevin's voice sounded like his, by someone with a deeper voice like, say, Barry White. Or Richard Sterban (sang bass with the Oak Ridge Boys).

[APPLEI]

I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A WONDER YEARS REUNION MOVIE THAT WOULD BE SET IN THE YEARS (1973 TO THE PRESENT)UPDATEING THE CHARACTERS THROUGH FLASHBACKS WITH MUSIC.

[James]

Originally posted by APPLEI:
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A WONDER YEARS REUNION MOVIE THAT WOULD BE SET IN THE YEARS (1973 TO THE PRESENT)UPDATEING THE CHARACTERS THROUGH FLASHBACKS WITH MUSIC.

It so happens that Procter & Gamble is working with CBS, ABC, and the WB to create some family-friendly TV shows. You might want to send a letter requesting a movie about "The Wonder Years" to the following address:

Mr. Robert L. Wehling
Procter & Gamble Co.
1 Procter & Gamble Plaza
Cincinnati, OH 45202-3315

Just a thought!!!

[James]

Originally posted by Artfiore1:

Also, the element of surprise in much of the revelations which came at the end of the final episode would have been completely blown if we were allowed to see what was happening to these people all along.


If they had extended the show for another ten seasons like I keep saying they should have then they could have cut that "revelation part" of the finale out.


Besides, by the Reagen years of Kevin's life, if not before, it would have been necessary for Fred Savage to lipsynch all of his lines which would have to have been prerecorded by Daniel Stern, whose voice sounds *nothing* like Savage's grown-up voice.

Later,
Art

If the show had continued for ten more seasons (until 1983/2003 in real life) it would have been unnecessary for Kevin to "lipsynch" his lines since Daniel Stern spoke from "the present" (being 1988 until 1993 for TWY). 1983 is five years too shy of it catching up with Daniel Stern's first quotes from the series, which wouldn't be "lipsynched" until 2008 if the series were to go that far since it started in 1988. But I think 2003 would have been enough because it would have covered what I thought was the last good year for music in 1983.

[Robert Tilton]

I hate lipsynching; that's how Milli Vanilli went out of business dear friends.

Now my spirit man; yea even my soulish area says: There is a person watching me who "wonders" if the series should have ended when it did. Hear the Word of Tilton for a 1000 $ vow of faith when you send your seed time prosperity harvest plan faith check to RT Ministries. Here however is the anoiting of the preliminary word:

Yes the series ended at a fine time; too bad Stern, etc had to write a rushed finale; yea even the Winnie thing was rushed through.

Now with your 1000 $ Wonder Vow you will get the full revelation as to WHY the series should have ended & HOW in 20/20s hindsight it would have better ended.

The Seed of Abraham is in All Nations so activate the Wonder seed vow today! Amen &

Will Jason Hervey rise again.

------------------

Riches & Glory are in the vow of faith! Send a check or money order for at least $1000, preferably to my account in Zurich; I have a ski lodge up there!

[Davester713]

Realistically, they could've gpne another season or two. It would've been ionteresting. However, I think the Winder Years is one of the shows that ended in its prime.