Sunday, September 29, 1991
Home Edition
Section: TV Times
Page: 6
By LAUREN LIPTON, TIMES STAFF WRITER
"The Wonder Years" is about to grow up.
ABC's Emmy-winning comedy, which explores coming of age in the '60s and '70s, is popular for its nostalgic view of childhood. But when the series begins its fourth season Wednesday, viewers will notice a move away from its trademark naive sweetness toward a world of adult situations and feelings.
The reason is simple. Kevin Arnold, the show's pivotal character (played by Fred Savage), has metamorphosed from a cherubic 11-year-old to a bona fide teen-ager, driving permit and all. As Kevin enters high school, he's crossing a threshold--and the show is too, said Ted Harbert, the ABC executive vice president who oversees returning series. "When child stars come back after summer hiatus having grown three inches, you have to deal with that." Savage, at 15, may not quite be a full-fledged adult, but his character is heading in that direction.
"Kevin is opening new doors," Savage said, via his mother's car phone on his way to the set. "I think he isn't going to be as cute anymore."
What? Not as cute? Certainly, Kevin/Fred's adorability helped keep "The Wonder Years" fairly high in the ratings for its entire young life (last year it finished 28th out of 141 shows). Viewers loved to watch the puppy dog-eyed kid emote through tragedy (a teacher's death), turmoil (an abusive big brother) and joy (first love with the girl down the street).
Is Kevin going to turn into Bart Simpson? Or James Dean?
"He's not going to be such a sweet little guy anymore," Savage hinted. "But I won't say rebellious."
"Wonder Years" executive producer Bob Brush will say rebellious. In trying to learn about himself, Kevin will definitely test his parents' patience. "He'll be attempting to find out 'who I am and who am I going to be,' " Brush said. "He'll meet a lot of new people this year; he'll be starting a brand new school and attempting to play some sports. He's going to fall in love a couple of times--the giddy-headed romance of the seventh grade is turning into pure lust."
The big question, of course, is whether Kevin experiments with sex (as Doogie Howser did in that show's season opener last week). "Right now, there are no plans for him to lose his virginity," Brush said. "But we'll see, who knows, anything can happen at that age."
Kevin's impending adulthood comes at a critical juncture for the show. Some viewers (including Times Television Critic Howard Rosenberg) have charged that it has become too predictable--an opinion Brush recognizes though doesn't necessarily agree with.
"I think by the end of ninth grade last year, there was a sense that we were all waiting to move on, as Kevin was, " Brush said. "If Kevin's world seemed to be closing in on him, that was because we had spent three years with him. When you live with a character for that many seasons, you begin to know him pretty well."
But those feeling too cozy saw Kevin's world shaken up by the end of last season. His sister Karen (Olivia d'Abo) moved in with her boyfriend, while Kevin's on-again, off-again romance with Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) seemed more off-again. His best friend Paul (Josh Saviano) planned to attend private school. All of which, said Brush, will test Kevin's character this season. "The private school decision is based on trying to explore the trials between friends. We felt that it would add a little spin to their relationship."
Brush said the show's writers have no grand plan and don't plot out events down the road beyond setting up certain situations to see how they will develop.
"I don't think there's ever a sense of 'what do we do next year,' " he said. "We do put together a story arc for the season, but so much of doing any show is operating on instinct. The problem with this show is that we have no idea from month to month who the kids are going to be or what they're going to look like."
ABC's Harbert said he views "The Wonder Years" as the most rewarding kind of show a network can do. Despite the uncertainty inherent in gearing a series around a constantly changing young star, he said, "it's the greatest thing in the world when you can get a child America wants to grow up with."
Savage, who just began his sophomore year at a private school in Los Angeles, is looking forward to exploring Kevin's new maturity. "It's good to get to another dimension," he said. "It's good to get a little change in the character."
But Brush emphasizes that "The Wonder Years" will still be "The Wonder Years." "The sweetness is giving way to a harder edge. I think the show will be funnier but still as moving," he said.
"But I want to stress that it's not going to be a different show. The show is doing what boys and girls do at that age. It's developing."
"The Wonder Years" airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.
PHOTO: "Wonder Years" executive producer Bob Brush, on the high school set with Fred Savage, said Savage's character Kevin will develop at a pace expected of 10th-graders. "He'll meet a lot of new people this year; he'll be starting a brand new school and attempting to play some sports. He's going to fall in love a couple of times."
PHOTOGRAPHER: DON KELSEN
PHOTO: COLOR, (Orange County Edition) "Wonder Years" executive producer Bob Brush, on the high school set with Fred Savage, said Savage's character Kevin will develop at a pace expected of 10th-graders.
"He'll meet a lot of new people this year; he'll be starting a brand new school and attempting to play some sports. He's going to fall in love a couple of times."
PHOTOGRAPHER: DON KELSEN