ABC announced the anticipated release date for the Season 2 premiere of “The Wonder Years,” landing more than a year since executive producer and director Fred Savage — who starred in the original series — was fired from the show after multiple allegations of inappropriate conduct.
The comedy series is set to return with a special one-hour premiere event starting 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 14. Lee Daniels, Saladin K. Patterson, Bob Daily and Jacque Edmonds Cofer serve as executive producers on the series. Patterson also serves as showrunner. The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios.
Savage was fired from the reboot series following an investigation into charges of inappropriate behavior, a spokesman for 20th Television confirmed to TheWrap in May 2022. Specifics regarding the misconduct were not revealed at the time. In August, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that a group of six women who worked on the show brought up the allegations to Disney HR that led to his ousting, including a former crew member that accused him of sexual assault a former crew member, along with allegations he would routinely “verbally harass and belittle” below-the-line staff on set.
“Since I was 6 years old, I have worked on hundreds of sets with thousands of people, and have always strived to contribute to an inclusive, safe and supportive work environment. It is devastating to learn that there are co-workers who feel I have fallen short of these goals. While there are some incidents being reported that absolutely did not and could not have happened, any one person who feels hurt or offended by my actions is one person too many. I will work to address and change any behavior that has negatively affected anyone, as nothing in this world is more important to me than being a supportive co-worker, friend, husband, father and person,” the actor said in a statement to TheWrap at the time.
“The Wonder Years” reboot debuted in September 2021 to critical acclaim. A re-imagined version of the ’80s Emmy-winning original series of the same name, the coming-of-age comedy that tells the story of the Black middle-class Williams family during the late 1960s in Montgomery, Ala. — through the point of view of 12-year-old Dean.
The Peabody Award-winning series features Don Cheadle as an adult Dean Williams narrating the events of the series. The show stars Elisha “EJ” Williams as Dean Williams, Dulé Hill as Bill Williams, Saycon Sengbloh as Lillian Williams, Laura Kariuki as Kim Williams, Julian Lerner as Brad Hitman, Amari O’Neil as Cory Long and Milan Ray as Keisa Clemmons. All episodes of Season 1 are available to stream on Hulu.
Singer Patti LaBelle is also set to guest star two episodes in the upcoming second season, portraying Bill Williams’ mother, Shirley Williams. The network revealed in September Shirley is also the church choir director. Known affectionately as “Mother Williams,” she is “as sweet as she can be but has another side to her when choir members don’t quite hit the right notes,” per her character description.
As part of its summer 2023 slate, ABC also announced premiere dates for “Jeopardy! Masters” (Monday, May 8); “Judge Steve Harvey” (Tuesday, May 9); “The Prank Panel” (special preview episode Tuesday, May 24, regular time slot premiere Sunday, July 9); “Claim to Fame” and “The Bachelorette” (Monday, June 26); “Press Your Luck” and “Generation Gap” (Thursday, June 29); and “Celebrity Family Feud” and “The $100,000 Pyramid” (Sunday, July 9).
