The Return Of Punky Brewster Is Exactly What We Need Right Now

Kenyth Mogan March 12, 2021

As a queer kid growing up in Montana in the 80s and 90s I didn’t have a lot of role models telling me to embrace the differences that made me unique. Even fewer told me to celebrate the power that being different gave me. One who did was Punky Brewster.

Punky taught me (and millions of other children) that even if no one else believed in us, we had the power to believe in ourselves and that was enough. Again, for a queer kid in the middle of nowhere, this was a revolutionary way of thinking, and it’s something that has stuck with me my entire life. I discovered just how strong that power was when my parents who (for a time) not only disapproved of my homosexuality, but actively railed against it. However no matter how hard they tried they were no match for my Punky Power.

PUNKY BREWSTER — Pilot Episode — Pictured: Soleil Moon Frye as Punky Brewster — (Photo by: Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock)

From 1984 to1988 (and for many years after) Punky Brewster embodied the wholesomeness of the 80s family sitcom by showing the strength of love and friendship while teaching lessons every child should know (like the dangers of hiding in abandoned refrigerators). It’s titular character, portrayed by Soleil Moon Frye was the sort of every-child anyone, male or female, could relate too – and I know I did. She became a champion for the downtrodden – and now she’s back and she’s better than ever – and I couldn’t be more exited.

PUNKY BREWSTER — Season: Pilot — Pictured: (l-r) Lauren Lindsey Donzis as Hannah, Noah Cottrell as Diego, Cherie Johnson as Cherie, Soleil Moon Frye as Punky, Oliver De Los Santos as Daniel, Quinn Copeland as Izzy, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Travis (Photo by: Robert Trachtenberg/Peacock)

Now a (newly) single mother of three Punky has found herself in a whole new chapter of life. Luckily her best friend Cherie Johnson (played by Cherie Johnson) is still ready to be there with whatever comfort the situation calls for. Joining the Punky family is Freddie Prinze Jr as Punky’s rocker ex-husband Travis, and Lauren Lindsey Donzis, Noah Cottrell, and Oliver De Los Santos as Punky and Travis’ three children Hanna, Diego, and Daniel. The series also introduces Quinn Copeland as Izzy, a spunky little girl who, like Punky, was abandoned by her mother, and becomes a foster daughter to Punky.

Airing on Peacock, NBC’s new streaming site, Punky Brewster, fans get to see a divorced mother of three foster a fourth child while dipping her toe in the dating pool. Punky also co-parents with her former hubby Travis (Freddie Prinze Jr.), and they still dig each other, even if they can’t really act on those lovey-dovey vibes.

According to TV Line, “Meanwhile, Cherie is a lesbian with a beautiful girlfriend named Lauren (The Good Doctor‘s Jasika Nicole), and by Episode 8, both women are so in love that they each propose marriage in arguably one of the sweetest TV proposals of all time. The writers even work in a funny nod to Cherie’s lifelong fear of refrigerators. (Now that’s an Easter egg.)”

PUNKY BREWSTER — Pilot Episode — Pictured: (l-r) Soleil Moon Frye as Punky Brewster, Cherie Johnson as Cherie — (Photo by: Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock)

Johnson, who describes reprising her role as “a dream I didn’t even know I wanted,” says she loves the relationship between Cherie and Lauren and is proud the producers gave her character a meaningful romantic update. “I was really excited when the producers came to me with the idea,” Johnson tells TVLine. “Representation matters. But I said, ‘You’ve gotta do me a favor. You gotta get me a hottie,’” she laughs. “Jasika Nicole is such an amazing actress, and she just meshes into the family like she’s been there the whole time. Working with her is such a pleasure.”

Like the original series, Punky Brewster tackles everyday issues like drugs, divorce, gender / sexual identity, and all the pitfalls of normal everyday life. But it does so in a way that’s relatable, not preachy – it’s woke, but not obnoxious. The only agenda it’s pushing is “Love is a powerful thing.”