The Wonder Years

I don't think about her often anymore, but the news that Danica McKellar (aka. Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years) recently got married reminded me that once upon a time I wanted to be Winnie Cooper. At the time, I'm not even sure it had much to do with the character's personality — I think I just coveted her long, straight hair. But for whatever reason, I thought Winnie Cooper was totally rad. I was also slightly obsessed with Punky Brewster and wished I were as fun and fearless as she seemed to be (when I wore mismatching sneakers, it just looked like a sad mistake).

One of my other major "role models," of sorts, was Chris Parker (Elizabeth Shue) from Adventures in Babysitting. I think more than anything I wanted her to be my babysitter, but I also admired Chris and wanted to be like her — clever, pretty, able to improvise a blues song when need be — when I grew up.

What about you? What characters on TV and in the movies did you think were just the coolest?

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Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar T-shirt!

Thanks to all of you who chimed in with suggestions for The Wonder Years, which is a challenging one due to all the young characters. I really like the ideas for Winnie Cooper, including Whip's suggestion of Selena Gomez, and agree I with arienne that Madeline Zima would have been perfect if she were a tad younger.

And then of course there's the all-important Kevin Arnold to recast (it's so hard to think of anyone but Fred Savage in that role!). Nick Jonas, as leeluvfashion suggests, definitely has the right hair for the period and there were several suggestions for Michael Cera which is actually right on in terms of little Kev's neurotic nature.

But as you know, I could only choose one and the winning recast's suggestions for Winnie and Paul totally won me over. Congratulations johnsonkm20!

To see who johnsonkm20 chose, along with a new cast photo, read more

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

Last week there was news that NBC has ordered a pilot by the writer of The Wonder Years that will be similar in tone to the classic dramatic series, except it'll take place in the '80s. So even though it's not a remake, I thought it would be fun to recast Kevin Arnold and gang anyway! I loved this show set in the late '60s/early '70s, and the first few lines of the opening credits song still give me goosebumps.

So, who could possibly play Kevin Arnold, the tween at the heart of the show? What about his nerdy, loyal friend Paul, and his childhood crush (whose hair I wanted so badly!) Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper?

Let's also recast the rest of the Arnold family: Kevin's dad Jack (played with perfect moodiness by Dan Lauria), stay-at-home mom Norma, Kevin's free-spirited sister Karen, and big brother from hell, Wayne. And for kicks, who could play Mr. Cantwell, the junior high school science teacher, famously portrayed by Ben Stein?

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, Sept. 16, complete with a "new" cast photo.

To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt, read more

Imagine The Wonder Years, but with Jordache jeans, mall hair, and music with heavy synthesizers. That's part of what NBC has in mind for its new drama pilot called Lost in the '80s.

The project comes from Bob Brush, who won an Emmy for his writing on The Wonder Years and envisions this pilot as a companion piece to the earlier series — not a remake, just a show with a similar feel set 20 years post-Kevin Arnold. A couple of other notable things about it:

• In addition to the Wonder Years tone, the show is being described as Fast Times at Ridgemont High meets The Ice Storm.
• Among those who have signed on to produce is Arrested Development's Mitchell Hurwitz.

My first thought was, "Sounds like Freaks and Geeks with a voiceover." But having tossed it around for a while, I think this show could be a great idea. After all, I watched the '60s-set Wonder Years while growing up in the '80s; now, 20 years later, why shouldn't today's tweens get to connect with a next-generation Kevin and Winnie?

Do you think a Wonder Years-style show about the '80s has potential?

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Before reality television and trashy prime-time teen dramas, there was "The Wonder Years." Who could resist watching awkward little Kevin pine after Winnie, his chubby-cheeked object of affection? (All together now: "Awww...") But despite tuning in every week, I never noticed the scarcity of dialogue on the show. I guess Kevin was even more awkward than we originally thought! Just watch.