Rico Bo$co has been teasing this one for a minute. A full blown ranking of the 33 best episodes of The Wonder Years, timed to the 33rd anniversary of the series finale. He said he poured his heart into it, and the word count backs him up.
The early heads up on what was coming: 5,200+ words and a top 33 list.
5200+ words have been submitted ... The 33 greatest episodes in honor of it's 33rd anniversary of ending. Poured my heart out on this one. Blog coming soon - please tell your friends @DanteTheDon @CaptainCons @TheClemReport @LargeBarstool @kirkmin
If you're under 35, The Wonder Years might be one of those shows you've heard your dad reference but never actually sat down with. Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold, Dan Lauria as the iconic gruff dad Jack, narration by Daniel Stern, the Joe Cocker cover of With A Little Help From My Friends over the opening credits. It ran from 1988 to 1993 and is one of the most beloved coming-of-age shows ever made. So a deep dive from a guy who clearly grew up on it is exactly the kind of swing the internet needs more of.
The pitch for the piece in his own words: timeless themes, lessons learned, the case that they don't make them like this anymore.
The blog dropped, the main account amplified it, and the rollout was rolling. Then came the kicker that anyone who has ever tried to watch this show on a streaming service knows in their bones.
The streaming rights bombshell, secondhand from a Dan Lauria run-in.
So apparently the music on streaming is nowhere near the original music used. They screwed it up. My Dad actually met Dan Lauria once he said it would never be streaming because of that - they screwed up the rights or something
This is the dirty little secret of The Wonder Years. The show was built around needle drops, Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys, all of it, and clearing that music for modern streaming is reportedly a nightmare. According to the tweet, Rico's dad actually ran into Dan Lauria, who told him the show would never properly stream because the rights got botched. That tracks with everything fans have complained about for years, the cheaper substitute songs on the home releases that gut the emotional beats. It's also the perfect, slightly heartbreaking footnote to a 5,000 word love letter. Go read the show's eulogy, then accept that the only real way to watch it is however your dad still has it taped.