The Wonder Years Season 2 Review

The Wonder Years (2023)
Season 2 - 10 episodes (2023)

Buy The Wonder Years on Amazon Prime (paid link)
Created by: Saladin K. Patterson
Starring: Elisha Williams, Dulé Hill, Saycon Sengbloh, Laura Kariuki, Don Cheadle
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
A man recalls his experiences growing up in Montgomery, Alabama during the late 1960s.

Verdict
It's a great show that captures a time period, but still feels completely relevant as it's about a kid growing up with his family. While we see the difficulties the family faces due to the time period, it's easy to relate to Dean as he faces triumph and disappointment while becoming a teenager. This is just as good as the first season, I just wish this season had more episodes The show does such a great job developing characters and episode arcs.
Watch It.

Review
I'm not sure a spin off has ever been so well tied to the original. This takes place in the same time period as the original The Wonder Years (1988-1993), but it's instead a perspective from a black family growing up in the 1960s. It's been a while since I've seen the original, but I remember it as just as wholesome, honest, and touching.

Dean (Elisha Williams) is the youngest of three kids, learning how life works and his part in it through his parents and siblings. The narrator has the benefit of comparing times then to life in the present day, but that helps underscore how times have and haven't changed.

Dean's dad Bill (Dulé Hill) is cheap and stubborn, but they both have their viewpoints broadened when they meet a cross dresser in New York. While Dean is wary of a stranger and doesn't understand why, they find common ground. Dean fights with friends and deals with infatuation while his sister has to deal with her boyfriends' meeting dad.

The show is just so wholesome. Being a kid fundamentally hasn't changed and this show always winks at the future. It completely captures what it's like to be a kid. The world changes, but that experience remains the same. Each of the characters are fully realized, though Dulé Hill does such a great job as the dad. He's stern but understanding, weary but passionate about jazz. 

It's easy to relate to Dean as his theories about life are often put to the test, but you're going to like all of the characters as they face and embrace life together. Their experiences are relevant to everyone.