For those of us who grew up with Kevin Arnold, Winnie Cooper, and Paul Pfeiffer on the coming-of-age
series The Wonder Years, the grainy home video images of the show's iconic opening credits
will forever inspire a feeling of nostalgia.
Still, it's hard to believe that nearly 30 years have passed since its 1988 premiere.
Over the span of its six-season run, the innovative comedy-drama brought in a slew of awards and
nominations, including an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series after airing only six episodes.
It also earned the Peabody Award in 1989 for pushing sitcom boundaries.
The show's deep influence on television is evident, with Rolling Stone ranking the ABC
series at #63 on its 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time list.
The success of the series was due in no small part to its incredibly talented cast.
So, what has the cast of The Wonder Years been up to since the series wrapped?
Let's find out…
Fred Savage
Kids of the '80s and '90s loved Kevin Arnold, The Wonder Years' protagonist – and it's
still hard not to be won over by Fred Savage's boyish charm and natural everyman relatability.
This adoration translated into critical accolades, as he was the youngest person to earn Emmy
and Golden Globe nominations for his performance.
After the show ended, Savage went on to attend Stanford University, and he's now one of the
most sought-after comedic directors in the business.
But as Savage told GQ, "The persona of The Wonder Years is something that's going to
be with me forever.
And I'm happy for that.
It's nothing that I'd ever shy away from, and it makes me feel so good that it's something
people still remember and talk about it and think of it so fondly."
The former child star has been happily married to childhood friend Jennifer Lynn Stone since
2004, and they have three children together.
But we won't ever forget this moment with Winnie.
"When a man loves a woman…"
Dan Lauria
Jack was the Arnold family's gruff yet loving war-vet patriarch.
"I get up at 5 in the morning.
I fight traffic.
I bust my hump all day.
I fight traffic again.
And I come home."
Since Wonder Years ended, Lauria has steadily guested and starred in dozens of television
shows and movies, including hits like The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy, and Hot in Cleveland.
But one of Lauria's most distinctive roles was actually as another dad named Jack — the
main character's bar owner father on TBS' now-cancelled Sullivan & Son from 2012-2014.
In addition to his impressive on-screen work, Lauria has devoted much of his professional
life to the theater.
When he's not working, Lauria remains close with his Wonder Years co-stars, and still
boasts about his TV family's accomplishments like a proud father.
"What would ---"
"Now, when you hear this, now this is Dan, what do you think of when you hear this song?"
"Well, the reason why I'm still working is because of that show."
Alley Mills
This charming lady is widely known for her role as Kevin's caring mother, and Jack's
wife, Norma.
Her character was the ideal mom, but while she played the put-upon 1970s homemaker part,
Norma was a modern character with incredible ambition looking to break out of her housewife
role.
Throughout the series, she returned to school, earned a college degree, and eventually obtained
a job at a software company.
Her inspiring story-arc was an undeniable reflection of the time's second wave feminism.
Over the years, Mills has also often worked as a theater producer in collaboration with
her husband, actor and writer Orson Bean.
Mills is a Yale graduate and has guested on several TV series and movies like Sabrina
the Teenage Witch.
But her longest-lasting role is her portrayal of Pam Douglas on the soap opera, The Bold
and the Beautiful starring in over a whopping 500 episodes!
Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo may still be most recognizable as Kevin's older sister, the rebellious hippie
Karen.
After Karen got married and moved to Alaska with her husband Michael, d'Abo's role on
The Wonder Years diminished, which allowed her to move on to other projects — mainly
supporting roles in TV and film.
Best known among these was a recurring role as criminal Nicole Wallace on Law & Order:
Criminal Intent.
And in 2005, d'Abo appeared on stage alongside Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane in the Broadway
production of The Odd Couple.
D'Abo has a son named Oliver, and amicably co-parents with her ex-husband and friend,
music producer Patrick Leonard.
Jason Hervey
While his breakout role may have been as Kevin's older, antagonistic brother Wayne, Jason Hervey
has since become one of Hollywood's leading producers of reality TV.
Hervey's rare television appearances following The Wonder Years included voice acting roles,
such as Dove on Justice League Unlimited.
And his production company has developed a number of reality shows, such as I Want to
Be a Hilton and Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling.
Unfortunately, the producer infamously spent two days behind bars for an arrest that occurred
in January 2015 following an alleged DUI incident caused by Ambien use, not alcohol.
He later told People he was grateful police intervened before anything happened.
Hervey is also a proud father of four, and has been happily married to Shannon Hervey
for nearly 20 years.
But we'll always see him as the sage older brother of Kevin Arnold.
"Born a butthead.
Lived a butthead's life.
Died a butthead."
Danica McKellar
"Becky, we have to break up.
I still love Winnie Cooper."
Kevin's on-screen heartthrob Winnie Cooper was played by Danica McKellar — and if you
were an '80s or '90s kid, you were either in love with her or you wanted to be her…or
both.
But following The Wonder Years, the actress' career took an interesting turn: proving that
she's even cooler (and nerdier) than her on-screen persona, she became a mathematician and education
advocate.
McKellar studied Mathematics at UCLA, where she and two colleagues proved their own theorem.
She's also written four acclaimed nonfiction books to encourage young readers who are interested
in math.
The first of which, 2008's Math Doesn't Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without
Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail, was a New York Times bestseller.
While working as an author and academic, McKellar has maintained a steadily successful career
in television with spots on The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother.
She also had a recurring role as Elsie Snuffin on The West Wing, a stint on Dancing with
the Stars, and now stars as The Quail on Netflix's Project Mc2.
McKellar has one son, Draco, 6, with her ex-husband, composer Mike Verta, and she is reportedly
happily married to lawyer Scott Sveslosky.
Josh Saviano
Despite the persistent, weird rumor from the early days of the internet, Josh Saviano is
not Marilyn Manson.
But equally interesting, the kid actor who played Kevin Arnold's archetypal nerdy best
friend Paul Pfeiffer actually left show business to become a successful lawyer.
"He went to Harvard… of course."
Actually, he went to Yale, not Harvard, eventually joining Morrison Cohen LLP as a Senior Counsel
and Partner between 2003 and 2015 before leaving the firm to start his own brand consulting
service for entertainers and media entrepreneurs.
Lately, Saviano has slowly been breaking back into show business with his highly anticipated
return to acting in 2014, playing what else but a lawyer on Law & Order: SVU.
According to TV Guide, the show biz lawyer now lives in New York City with his wife,
Jennifer Romer, and their daughter, Noa Isabel.
We're just glad he had that one last dance with Carla.
I get by with a little help from my friends.
Thanks for watching!
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