Trivia - The Wonder Years

Family-centered TV series have been part of television since its earliest days—think “The Goldbergs” in 1949 or “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” in the 1950s. So when ABC premiered “The Wonder Years” in 1988, another family sitcom might not have seemed revolutionary. But what set it apart was its unique format: television’s first true half-hour “dramedy,” blending comedy and heartfelt drama in a fresh new way.

The series followed Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), a suburban teen growing up in the late ’60s and early ’70s, alongside his parents (Dan Lauria and Alley Mills), siblings, best friend Paul (Josh Saviano), and first love Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar). Narrated by Daniel Stern as the adult Kevin, the show used a single-camera style, flashback structure, and unforgettable soundtrack to capture the universal ups and downs of adolescence with humor, honesty, and nostalgia.

In honor of my two brand-new episodes of Hollywood Obsessed Podcast (Episodes 133 & 134) featuring Dan Lauria—beloved as the stern but loving Jack Arnold—I’ve put together a fun and nostalgic Wonder Years Trivia Challenge to test even the most devoted fans.

So get ready to relive the charm, the laughs, and the timeless sweetness of one of TV’s most iconic shows. Let the trivia begin!

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“The Wonder Years” was devised in 1987 by husband and wife writing/producing team Carol Black and Neal Marlens. They also worked on “Growing Pains” and “Ellen.”

Brandon Stoddard, the head of ABC, was so impressed by the pilot that he put it on right after the Super Bowl on January 31, 1988. The reviews and ratings were great, so five more episodes were ordered right away.

While Daniel Stern was the narrator for the series, Arye Gross was the narrator for the pilot episode.

The house used for exterior shots of the home in the opening sequence and throughout the entire show's run is 516 University Ave., Burbank, California.

John Burroughs Senior High School in Burbank doubled for Robert F. Kennedy High School in “The Wonder Years”.

One major part of the show's running storyline is a falling-out between Kevin and Winnie, who becomes a background character for several months until she and Kevin reconcile. The primary reason for this part of the storyline was that actress Danica McKellar had a growth spurt, and she and star Fred Savage, already shorter than McKellar, didn't look right standing together. The characters reconciled after Savage began to catch up in height.

The character 'Wayne Arnold' was ranked #7 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 10 Biggest Brats" (27 March 2005 issue).

By the time Jason Hervey was cast as Kevin’s brother Wayne, he’d already worked in films like “Back to the Future,” “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure “and Rodney Dangerfield’s “Back to School.” Mills said that Hervey was “completely his character.”

After six episodes, “The Wonder Years” won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 40th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1988.

The show was also awarded a Peabody Award in 1989 for "pushing the boundaries of the sitcom format and using new modes of storytelling". In total, the series won 22 awards and was nominated for 54 more.

Actor Jason Hervey said that the scenes where he inched the car forward as Kevin tries to get in happened because his older brother did the same thing with him.

McKellar said there were six takes of the famous first kiss between Kevin and Winnie. 

When actor Daniel Stern recorded his final voiceover, he said, “When I got to the last speech, I went to read it, and it was very emotional. I was trying to not cry during the thing, and (showrunner) Bob Brush was sitting there and he was getting weepy.”

Although the show never mentions any actual town or state, in Season 3, Episode 7 (“The New Car”), Jack works on the old Dodge Polaris. You can see the last letters of the license plate indicating it is a California plate.

After the series ended, Fred Savage's mother kept the New York Jets jacket worn by Kevin during the show's first few seasons. In October 2014, Savage announced intentions to donate the jacket to The Smithsonian upon the institute's request for props from the show.

The show earned a spot in the Nielsen Top 30 during its first four seasons. TV Guide named it one of the 20 best shows of the 1980s

Fred Savage's brother Ben Savage (who played Cory in “Boy Meets World”) appeared at a very young age as a student/cupid on “The St. Valentine's Day Massacre”. However, Blake Sennett also played in “The Wonder Years” (Ninth Grade Man and The Candidate), also later played Joey "The Rat" on “Boy Meets World.” Also, Dan Lauria (who plays Jack Arnold on “The Wonder Years”) appeared on “Boy Meets World” in the episode “Wheels.”

The series debuted in 1988 and featured Daniel Stern as the voice of adult Kevin Arnold played by Fred Savage. In 1989, Stern played Savage's father in “Little Monsters,” also starring Howie Mandel.

Fred Savage is the only cast member to appear in every episode.

Jack Arnold’s catch phrase about his job is "Work is work."

Dan Lauria is a veteran officer (Captain O-3) of the United States Marine Corps and served in Vietnam from 1970-to 1973. This military experience was translated almost precisely to the show, as Jack Arnold is a veteran officer of the United States Marine Corps, serving in the Korean War from 1950-1953.

Robert Picardo originally auditioned to play the role of Jack Arnold but was turned down for being "too young" for the part. Picardo then auditioned for the role of the narrator/adult Kevin and was also turned down before being cast in the recurring role of Coach Cutlip.

H. Richard Greene and Lynn Milgrim, who had recurring roles as Winnie Cooper's parents, are married in real life and were at the time of the series run.

Juliette Lewis, Jim Caviezel, Alicia Silverstone, Giovanni Ribisi, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, David Schwimmer, Carla Gugino, Robin Thicke, Breckin Meyer, Soleil Moon Frye and John Corbett were all guest stars on “The Wonder Years”.

The show's creators Neal Marlens and Carol Black had auditioned a lot of kids, but five casting directors insisted they had to see this kid named Fred Savage. At the time, Savage was living in Chicago and had just finished work on the movie Vice Versa. He got a letter from the creators that he still has to this day. And while he liked the pilot after he read it, he says it was his parents who thought it was really special.

One challenge for the cast and crew was filming around a child actor, meaning that the show had to obey child labor laws. Savage at the time explained, "You have to get at least three hours of school in every day. So whenever I'm on a break, I go to school. It's really intense because I have to get a lot done in short periods. And it's hard because if they need you back on the set, they pull you away every 20 minutes. If you're writing an essay and suddenly get inspired, you've got to stop and go back to work."

The official soundtrack for “The Wonder Years” was released in 1988 by Atlantic/WEA contains a total of 13 tracks, featuring Joe Cocker's cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which is the show's theme song.

Dan Lauria and Alley Mills would be reunited in 2021 in an off-Broadway production of Paul Osborn's ''Morning's at Seven''.

At the end of the series finale, Kevin says Paul Pfeiffer went to Harvard and became a lawyer. However, in real life, actor Josh Saviano went to Yale (Harvard's arch-rival) and became a lawyer.

“The Wonder Years” wrapped its sixth and final season in May 1993. Its cancellation was partially blamed on conflict between producers and executives at ABC. As Kevin matured, the producers wanted the storylines to mature, as well. The executives at ABC, though, felt uncomfortable with more explicit content given the time slot.

Fans were somewhat disappointed with the ending of the series, in particular the revelation that Kevin and Winnie do not end up as a couple.

There was a reboot of “The Wonder Years” that aired on ABC from 2021 to 2023, but it was canceled after its second season. The reboot centered on a Black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama, during the late 1960s, providing a new perspective on the coming-of-age saga. The show followed the experiences of 12-year-old Dean Williams and his family, offering a hopeful and humorous look at their life in the Civil Rights era.

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Some facts in this post were sourced from IMDb and Wikipedia.

Don’t miss my fascinating two-part interview with Jack Arnold himself Dan Lauria on the latest episodes of the Hollywood Obsessed podcast! Bursting with exclusive stories, behind-the-scenes surprises, and plenty of laughs, it’s a conversation you won’t find anywhere else.

Listen now and get inspired:

Episode 133 – HERE

Episode 134 – HERE