“The Wonder Years” set the stage for an awkward “West Wing” reunion ahead of the ABC sitcom’s latest episode Wednesday.
In an exclusive clip shared with TheWrap, Bill Williams (Dulé Hill) and his wife Lillian (Saycon Sengbloh) have a quick conversation about the party they’re attending at the home of his new friend Alan (Bradley Whitford).
After delighting party guests with a Marvin Gaye joke, Bill is interrupted by Lillian after she comes to him with a concerned look on her face and suggesting they should both go home.
“I think this is some kind of sex party,” Lillian tells her husband in the clip. He tries to ease her mind, saying that she should stop reading their daughter Kim’s Cosmopolitan magazine.
“Sex party? My goodness Lillian, just be cool,” he adds, before Alan comes behind and puts his arm around him.
“Hey, you guys want to come down to the basement? I just had it completely soundproofed,” Alan says before the clip cuts to black. Given that Alan Van Der Kamp is also Dean’s (Elisha “EJ” Williams) new music teacher, there must be a rational explanation for the misunderstanding.
A logline for the sixth episode of Season 2, appropriately titled “Bill’s New Friend,” reads: “After Bill befriends Dean’s music teacher, Bill and Lillian attend a party at his house and the evening takes an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, with their parents away, Dean, Bruce and Kim make their own plans for the night.”
This season has already packed on the star power with guest appearances from Patti LaBelle as Bill’s mother, Titus Burgess as Bill and Dean’s neighbor during their summer in New York City, Phoebe Robinson as Lillian’s sister Jackie and more.
In an interview with TheWrap ahead if the Season 2 premiere, Hill highlighted working with LaBelle and Whitford among the star-studded guest star lineup.
“You don’t get any better than Patti LaBelle. And also, I have to say for myself, Bradley Whitford sticks out to me because it’s the first time Brad and I have shared the screen since ‘The West Wing,’” Hill told TheWrap. “I have so much love for Brad. I’ve known him for about 20 years.”
He teased that Whitford’s Alan will continue to open up the world of the Williams family, as Season 2 allows for each character to venture out of the family dynamic to find new ways to grow and evolve as the show progresses.
“A lot of Season 1, you’re really spending time learning who these characters are in the midst of their enclosed world,” Hill added. “I think it’s enjoyable for audiences to go on the journey with these characters as the world expands. That’s what is interesting about storytelling, seeing how these people you know react as the story goes on and their world grows.”
“The Wonder Years” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Episodes are available to stream the next day on Hulu.
