Where is ‘Punky Brewster’ now? In this sequel, of course
If you needed a deep seed of nostalgia pulled out of you, NBC has you covered. The new NBC exclusive streaming service Peacock has started announcing its original series coming to the platform, and Punky Brewster of all things is getting a reboot. You know, the 1980’s sitcom about little Punky becoming a foster child and coming into the life of grumpy old building manager Henry Warnimont.
The quirky sitcom was short-lived but beloved by many, which got the show saved by syndications like many shows in the late ’80s. Now, NBC is ready to cashback in on the audience by giving Punky Brewster a grown-up twist.
Similar to the Disney+ Lizzie McGuire reboot and Netflix’s Fuller House, Punky is all grown up, living as a single mother to her three children. We can’t wait for some more Punky Power to liven up our lives again, so let’s dive into what the new show in the world of Punky Brewster will entail.
Punky the mother
After spending our time watching Punky Brewster deal with the life of being a foster child and overcoming anything thrown at her. So it’s natural that we get to watch grown-up Punky teach the same lessons to her dear children. Punky herself Soleil Moon Frye is coming back, so she will get to personally see Punky’s children live through the new world.
Punky Brewster was not afraid to take on controversial subjects, so we can expect the new revival to do the same. Does anyone else remember that painful Challenger explosion episode where the kids watched the accident happen live in class? Punky Brewster was dark.
Punky and Cherie, together again
Frye isn’t the only original coming back. Punky wouldn’t be Punky without her best friend Cherie Johnson, and Cherie is coming back to cause trouble with Punky again. But since neither Mr. Henry or Mrs. Johnson can come back (RIP), we expect a proper tribute to the adults that raised our favorite youngsters into the adults we’re about to see.
Original hands-on-deck
Series creator David W. Duclon is back to help executive produce the new series, with Frye taking a step behind the camera as executive producer as well. Nickelodeon’s School of Rock creators Steve and Jim Armogida are writing and executive producing the reboot as well. While not confirmed yet either, legendary there songwriter Gary Portnoy is in talks to write another bopping theme for the new series.
Granted, nothing will beat the catchiness of “Every Time I Turn Around” from Punky Brewster, but we can dream. NBC, you’ve used Portnoy to make such legendary themes (Cheers’ theme was a Portnoy tune!!) so you better bring him back for maximum nostalgia factor.
It won’t launch with Peacock, but when is it coming?
Considering we just found out about Peacock January 16th and what was coming in terms of reboots, we got a while to go until Punky comes back to town. If you really want some nostalgia, you’ll have to get by watching past seasons of Punky Brewster on Peacock when it launches in July 2020. Since the show was just announced, it’s going to be a while until the reboot hits the platform.
