The Punky Brewster reboot on NBC's Peacock streaming service has been a huge hit with its cast of both returning and new characters. Nostalgic '80s and '90s kids along with a new generation are loving the wholesome, traditional sitcom feel with a modern twist.
Punky Brewster isn't the only sitcom from the '80s, however, to be rebooted recently. There have been plenty of other TV series reboots that have come and gone, are continuing to air, and even ones that are confirmed but haven't premiered yet. Which ones will suit Punky Brewster fans?
Fuller House (2016-2020)
Fuller House, the sequel to Full House (1987-1995) has a very similar feel to Punky Brewster, with a single mom raising several kids and a dog with the help of her best friend (and sister in Fuller House). Each of the shows deals with modern-day issues, like dating after divorce (or, in the case of Fuller House, becoming a widower), bullying, and acceptance.
While Fuller House is far more light-hearted, fans of Punky Brewster would find the vibe and family focus of this show to be a perfect match.
Saved By The Bell (2020-present)
Already receiving a renewal for a second season, the Saved By The Bell (1989-1993) reboot is both similar and different from the original, with plenty of nostalgic throwbacks. It still follows a group of kids at Bayside High, including the son of Zack and Kelly. But it deals with topics that are timelier to today's world, including LGBTQ+ themes.
Fans of Punky Brewster will love the show given the same '80s and '90s look and feel and a similar focus on dealing with kids who are coming-of-age.
Murphy Brown (2018)
This might sound like an odd inclusion, but this revival series takes viewers back to the late '80s when the original series of the same name aired from 1988 through to 1998. Murphy is a strong female character just like Punky who had to overcome obstacles in her life. With Murphy, it was alcohol addiction and with Punky, it was being abandoned by her mother.
While Punky has to deal with her ex dating a much younger woman, Murphy has to deal with a former Miss America filling in for her at work while she was in rehab. The revival series of Murphy Brown focused on Murphy's time now that she is retired and while it's much more politically charged than the fun Punky Brewster, they both demonstrate how times have changed from then until now.
The Conners (2018-present)
Another sitcom that's a fitting option because it's from the same generation as the original, with Roseanne having run from 1988-1997, there are also some similar themes between Punky Brewster and The Conners. In both cases, the families are middle class, average people just trying to get by.
Both series also feature mixed-race families with young sons who are figuring out their gender identity. While the tone is very different in each, the shows will both appeal to the same kinds of viewers because of their depictions of more relatable American families.
Will & Grace (2017-2020)
The title characters and their two best friends Karen and Jack reprised their roles for this revival series that came out more than a decade after the original series ended its 11-year run in 2006. It concluded in 2020 with a finale that wrapped the story up with a better bow than the original had done.
Will & Grace isn't about parenting at all but about four single 40-somethings living in New York City and navigating their dating lives, careers, and day-to-day issues. While the original didn't hit the airwaves until 1998, a decade after Punky Brewster ended, it was ground-breaking sitcoms like this one that paved the way for others, like the Punky Brewster revival, to openly explore LGBTQ+ characters on screen.
One Day At A Time (2017-2020)
With some modifications, including focusing on a new family and making the landlord a much younger man, the reboot of One Day At a Time has a similar premise to the original, which aired from 1975 to 1984. At the heart of it is a single mother and her children. Both Penelope and Punky have lost their fathers. And both are often navigating the complicated parenting waters, dolling out advice to their teenage kids, including both a son and a daughter, just as Punky is in every episode.
One Day At A Time focuses a lot more on serious topics, from mental illness to immigration, and race. But like Punky Brewster, it's a sitcom designed to appeal to a new generation while maintaining the same light-hearted laugh tracks that made people love sitcoms from decades ago.
The Baby-Sitters Club (2020-present)
HBO originally aired a TV series based on the popular Ann M. Martin children's novel series in 1990 but it only lasted a single season. The new version of The Babysitters Club, which was released on Netflix in 2020 and has been renewed for a second season, will have a longer run. And it has already provided some clever nods to the '90s.
Fans who love Punky Brewster's teenage daughter character Hannah, a level-headed, responsible–yet still typical–teenage girl, will love this series, which focuses on a group of girls around her age. Not only do they start up their own babysitting club, but they also fight for causes they believe are important, including women's rights. Like this series, Punky Brewster is also very female-positive, celebrating strong, independent women and girls of all kinds.
The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air (Coming Soon)
Technically, the reboot hasn't even been released but it has been confirmed and will launch on Peacock as well, with a two-season order already confirmed. The reboot will reportedly be more dramatic, and fans can likely expect a focus on social and racial differences and inequalities.
The original series aired from 1990-1996, after Punky Brewster's time. But The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air explores a similar theme of a fish-out-of-water child (in Fresh Prince's case, a teenager) who ends up living with a new family, though for very different reasons than Punky and, in the reboot, Izzy, did. Nonetheless, in both cases, viewers get to see a main character adapt to being part of a new family.
Mad About You (2019)
The revival of Mad About You was designed to be a limited series that would air a dozen episodes and end. But it brought back memories for fans who loved watching Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple without children navigating their busy lives and careers in the original of the same name (1992-1999).
While Punky is a professional photographer in the revival and her ex Travis is a musician, Reiser's character in Mad About You, also named Paul, was a documentary filmmaker. So there are some similarities in terms of learning to live with, and love, someone who works in the high-pressure entertainment business.
iCarly (Coming Soon)
Paramount+ will be home to the revival series of iCarly, which will see Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress, and Jerry Trainor reprise their roles as teenagers who once produced and hosted their own radio show. Like Punky's kids, they had spunk, were confident, and wanted to have their voices heard.
The original series (2007-2012) focused on the characters as teenagers. Like with Punky Brewster, the revival, which is set to potentially premiere in summer 2021, will take place years in the future with the kids now fully grown. However, given that this series wasn't from the '80s, the main characters will be in their 20s versus Punky, who is now in her 40s.