'The Wonder Years' Is Back — With A Nod To LGBTQ Rights

Rotary phones, paisley print and stickball. It’s the summer of ’69, and the Williams family is back.

On June 14, ABC’s “The Wonder Years” returned for its second season with a back-to-back doubleheader. Starring Elisha “EJ” Williams, Laura Kariuki, Saycon Sengbloh and Dulé Hill, the coming-of-age story follows 12-year-old Dean Williams as he navigates adolescence in 1960s Montgomery, Alabama.

Narrated by Don Cheadle, who is Williams’ adult self, the reboot of the beloved late ’80s/early ’90s sitcom was created by Saladin K. Patterson. “The Wonder Years” not only provides insight into the sociopolitical events and racial tension of the late ’60s from the lens of a tween, but centers Black boyhood on television in a newfound light.

Williams, the series’ 14-year-old lead, said in February that “The Wonder Years” has helped him “look at things from a different perspective.”

Williams told HuffPost, “The things that we film in the show, I’ve heard about, seen videos of, and even seen other people film about it on television. But now that I’m the one experiencing it firsthand, it definitely has had an effect on me. Being in those older clothes, seeing the older cars, and even other things from that time period definitely changes your point of view of life.”

In the first episode of Season 2, titled “One Small Step,” Dean tags along with his father Bill (Dulé Hill) on a summer in New York City. Bill, a music professor and funk singer-songwriter, is on a mission to write a song for Marvin Gaye.

While on the job, Bill earns the moniker “Alabama” from his Yankee colleagues, who are insistent upon teasing him for his Southern roots — and tell Bill that his music “isn’t what the kids are dancing to.” His wife, Lillian (Saycon Sengbloh), offers him some words of encouragement over the phone as she holds down the fort back home.

Lillian receives a surprise visit from none other than her little sister, Jackie, played by comedian and “Everything’s Trash” star Phoebe Robinson. Dubbed “the cool aunt” and a bit of a hot mess, Aunt Jackie takes Lillian and her daughter Kim (Laura Kariuki) for a trip to a Tuscaloosa nightclub in what is her ex-boyfriend’s car.

Jackie’s shenanigans catch up with her en route to see the performance. At first glance, what seems like a series of unfortunate events turns into an opportunity for vulnerability between two generations of Black women. “The Wonder Years” star Kariuki told HuffPost that being able to depict the nuanced lived experiences of a dark-skinned Black family during that era has been “the biggest joy” for her.

“Being able to showcase the joy, happiness, nostalgia, as opposed to only the sadness, of Black people in America during the ’60s is amazing. It is a different perspective that I don’t think has been displayed enough,” said Kariuki. “We have not shied away from the heartbreak and cruelty that was occurring, but also showed the other layers. Representation is so important, and getting to show little dark-skinned Black kiddos that they can do this too makes me so so happy.”

Meanwhile, Kim’s little brother, Dean, is tasked with making new friends, and gets jumped by some city boys in the process. When Dean gets locked out of their New York City apartment, their neighbor Lonnie Edmonds (Tituss Burgess) extends him kindness.

Hailing from Union Springs, Alabama, Edmonds is a queer drag performer who goes by the stage name “Sybil Disobedience.” Coming to and from the West Village in drag attire, Edmonds initially garnered stares from the Williams men, namely Dean, but the reluctance fades once they bond over a home-cooked Southern meal.

Lonnie welcomes the Williams family into his home, ultimately helping Dean conquer his creative block through a little technique of his.

“The Wonder Years” makes an intentional nod to our Black queer brothers and sisters during this Pride Month, especially as LGBTQIA+ rights have come under attack recently.

As Dean finds himself at the center of everyday preteen struggles, such as illicit middle school treehouse romances in Episode 2, viewers get to see a young Black boy grow up to learn more about the world around him — and the people who contribute to the fabric of his community.

“I’d accomplished my goal of making a friend in New York City, but not in the way I’d expected. I taught Lonnie everything I knew about the Apollo missions, and he introduced me to New York things like Broadway shows! Well, off-off-Broadway, mainly,” says Don Cheadle at the end of the episode, as Dean sits on the porch with Lonnie.

“Now, I was grown before I understood why Lonnie had to move all the way to New York before he could finally be himself ... but I hope one day Lonnie was able to finally go back to Alabama, boa and all.”