A half-hour show that revolved around the life of a preteen boy during the turbulent years of 1968 to 1973, The Wonder Years stirred up nostalgia with plots that were common to everyone. A first kiss, a sudden death, family fights, shocking news events: All of the situations that young protagonist Kevin Arnold (poignantly played by the Emmy-nominated FredSavage) and his family found themselves in were universal and easy to relate to. It wasn’t just audiences that were fond of the Arnolds; with less than a full season under its belt, it won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1988. The Wonder Years was so impactful that in 2014, members of the cast and crew donated costumes and other memorabilia to The Smithsonian. It’s widely considered one of the best shows of all time. Now, ABC is rebooting the beloved franchise by flipping the script on the comedy-drama. In the new iteration of The Wonder Years premiering Wed., Sept. 22 at 8:30 p.m. ET, the series focuses on a Black family in Alabama during the same timeframe as the original. Don Cheadle (currently one of Marvel’s Avengers) will do the narration for Dean Williams, the boy taking Kevin’s spot, and Dulé Hill of West Wing and Psych fame will be playing the patriarch of the Williams family, a music professor. To celebrate the reboot, Savage along with original co-starsDan Lauria (who played Kevin’s dad) and Danica McKellar (who portrayed comely neighbor Winnie Cooper) will be appearing in current ABC shows on October 13. Savage will cameo on The Conners, Lauria will be in The Goldbergs and McKellar will appear on Home Economics. All of which may leave you “wonder”-ing: What have Savage, McKellar and everyone else on The Wonder Years been up to since the show’s original run? To find out, keep reading to catch up with the cast of The Wonder Years and find out what they’ve been up to in the 28 years since the show ended—plus, take a stroll down memory lane as we remind you of some Wonder Years actors you may not have remembered were on the show the first time around.
Wonder Years Cast Where Are They Now
What is Fred Savage doing now?
The baby-faced actor at the center of The Wonder Years was just 12 when he debuted in the series’ lead role. A year later he became the youngest male actor to be nominated for an Emmy at the age of 13. After The Wonder Years wrapped, Savage eventually transitioned into a successful acting career as an adult with movies like Austin Powers in Goldmember and series like The Grinder and Friends From College. He’s also voiced animated characters in shows like Oswald, BoJack Horseman and American Dad and he recently appeared as himself in Deadpool 2 in a version of his childhood role from The Princess Bride. Today, Savage is doing what “he was always trying to do” on The Wonder Years set, according to McKellar: direct and produce. Arnold has helmed episodes of Modern Family, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and 2 Broke Girls.He even directed the first episode of the Wonder Years reboot! Savage wed his real-life Winnie, childhood friend named Jennifer Lynn Stone, in 2004. The couple has three children: two boys, Oliver and August, and a daughter named Lily.
What is Daniel Stern doing now?
The one person we never saw on The Wonder Years was Daniel Stern, who narrated the series as grown-up Kevin. Turns out, we almost didn’t get to hear Stern as well; he once revealed that he was fired from the narrator role soon after he was hired for it! “My contract was that I could go do movies, because that’s what I was doing, but I’d make space to record [The Wonder Years],” Stern explained in 2018. “I had an audition for a movie that took place in Africa and I mentioned it to one of [The Wonder Years] producers … and he goes, ‘You’re going to go to Africa?’ I said, ‘I don’t think so, but, if I get the gig, [sure].’ The next day, I’m fired from the show. Because they’re worried [about] my movie career.” The good news? Stern was not only hired back almost as quickly, but he claims he “got a big raise,” too! Besides The Wonder Years, Stern is known to most fans as Marv the criminal from the first two Home Alone films and from his co-starring role in City Slickers and the Hallmark movie Battle of the Bulbs. Stern is also a bronze sculptor, but perhaps more impressively, he’s done a great deal of humanitarian and volunteer work, earning a “President’s Call to Service Award” in 2009 from President Barack Obama. His most recent TV work includes playing Aidy Bryant’s dad on the Hulu series Shrill.
What happened to The Wonder Years’ Jason Hervey?
Jason Hervey played the bane of Kevin’s existence: his older brother, Wayne. Since The Wonder Years, Hervey has voiced animated characters and appeared in TV series like Baywatch Nights and 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd. These days, Harvey is (much like Savage) focused on producing, with shows like The Devil’s Ride for Discovery; he’s also worked on I Want to Be a Hilton and See Dad Run. Hervey has also co-founded a production company called Bischoff Hervey Entertainment. But Hervey’s most recent ventures may be his most surprising: For starters, earlier this year, it was reported that he would be launching a line of cannabis products alongside TigerKing storeJoe Exotic! Perhaps even more exciting, he and McKellar will soon reunite to co-star in a 2021 Hallmark Christmas movie, You, Me and the Christmas Trees. The film will kick off the Hallmark Channel’s 2021 Countdown to Christmas movie lineup on Friday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. ET.
What happened to The Wonder Years’ Olivia d’Abo?
Olivia d’Abo played Karen Arnold, Kevin’s flower child sister. She’s since followed her TV brother Hervey into the world of animated voice character work, but she’s also appeared in several films and television shows, including Point of No Return with Jodie Foster and Bank Robber with Forest Whitaker, Patrick Dempsey and Lisa Bonet. She also had a recurring role as serial killer Nicole Wallace in Law & Order: Criminal Intent. D’abo took after her dad (a singer in Manfred Mann) and also released an album in 2008 called Not TV. She collaborated with Seal on the song “Broken” and sang backing vocals on Julian Lennon’s album Help Yourself. She was briefly engaged to Lennon as well. She’s divorced and has one son, named Oliver.
What happened to The Wonder Years’ Dan Lauria?
A real-life war veteran, former Marine Lauria played Kevin’s kind-hearted grump of a dad. Lauria kept working after the conclusion of The Wonder Years, appearing in TV series like Shameless, Blue Bloods, This is Us and the film The Way Back. A longtime lover of theater, Lauria also portrayed legendary football coach Vince Lombardi on Broadway in 2010. More recently, you may have seen him playing Toby’s dad on This Is Us. Fun fact: Lauria and actor Chris Sullivan (who plays Toby) co-starred on The Great White Way together in Lombardi!
What happened to The Wonder Years’ Alley Mills?
Mills was so interested in the part of Kevin’s mom on The Wonder Years that she reportedly wore one of her mom’s old dresses to her audition for the role. After The Wonder Years, she became a staple on the CBS soap The Bold and the Beautifulsince December 1, 2006. Mills has also appeared in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Yes, Dear.
What happened to The Wonder Years’ Danica McKellar?
McKellar was never supposed to be on The Wonder Years as long as she was. In fact, the only reason McKellar was allowed to audition was that it wouldn’t interfere too much with her education, she told Good Morning America in 2014. What’s more, McKellar’s sister Crystal also auditioned for the part of Winnie. She almost got the part, and the show’s creators promised to write a part for the blonde sister. Crystal appeared later as Becky Slater, who belts Kevin in the gut for breaking up with her. So what did the real-life Winnie do after the show ended? McKellar kept acting, doing voiceovers for animated characters for such shows as DC Super Hero Girls. She’s also done Hallmark films like Crown for Christmas and Matchmaker Mysteries as well as appearing in both The West Wing and How I met Your Mother. However, McKellar’s perhaps best known as a numbers nerd; she’s made a name for herself in the education field with her fun, sassy books about math. She graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in the subject and went on to get a PhD in 2005 from the University of Chicago. Some of her books include Kiss My Math,Math Doesn’t Suck and Hot X: Algebra Exposed.
What happened to The Wonder Years’ Josh Saviano?
Josh Saviano played Kevin’s best friend, Paul Pfeiffer. There was a persistent rumor that he became Marilyn Manson, but that’s not true. After the show, just like his character, he got a law degree. He currently heads up a celebrity brand consulting firm he started in 2015. He did a handful of episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as well. In 2012, when Hurricane Sandy ravaged New York, Saviano almost lost everything he had from The Wonder Years. “Pretty much everything that was down there was utterly destroyed. It was completely submerged with brackish water for days,” he said, though he was able to salvage some items. “I could not bring myself to throw away the tapes and I could not bring myself to throw away the scripts.” The trio of friends from The Wonder Years still get together from time to time. “Yes, @joshsaviano, I totally agree – you guys are like family… I mean, we DID grow up together, after all,” McKellar tweeted with a snapshot of Saviano, herself and Savage in 2019.
What happened to The Wonder Years’ Robert Picardo?
Robert Picardo played Coach Cutlip on The Wonder Years. He got an Emmy nomination for the role, and went on to play Dr. Richard in China Beach and the holographic Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager.
What happened to The Wonder Years’ Raye Birk?
Raye Birk played Assistant Principal Mr. Diperna on The Wonder Years. “Even when I wasn’t in it, I would watch it,” Birk said of his enjoyment of the show. “The idea of doing a comedy that shot like a movie, without an audience, was practically unheard of.” Birk has since appeared in Silk Stalkings, Wings, Seinfeld and Black Scorpion.
Was Ben Stein in The Wonder Years?
Yep! Ben Stein played Mr. Cantwell, Kevin’s science teacher. As a lawyer, economics teacher and former speechwriter to Presidents Nixon and Ford, it is somewhat surprising that Stein even showed up on a network family show. “I got called by ABC to play the same kind of person I have always been—a big, monotoned nerd, exactly what I was in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and what I am in real life when I teach at Pepperdine or UCLA or give expert testimony in securities law cases,” Stein recalled in 1991. After The Wonder Years, Stein kept teaching, opining and delivering his “monotoned nerd” style in commercials (for Clear Eyes!) and even game shows (Win Ben Stein’s Money, co-hosted by a young JimmyKimmel!). These days, at the age of 76, he’s got a podcast called The World According to Ben Stein.
Was David Schwimmer in The Wonder Years?
“The actor that we found… is kinda like… Nicolas Cage, has these big puppy dog eyes… he’s kinda dopey, a little goofy…” is what d’Abo remembers being told about David Schwimmer, who would play her boyfriend Michael for a handful of episodes on TheWonder Years. Those big puppy dog eyes would soon be on to bigger things when Schwimmer co-starred in Friends, which debuted a year after The Wonder Years ended.
Was Giovanni Ribisi in The Wonder Years?
Next, check up on the original cast of She’s All That and find out what they’re doing now!
