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Punky Brewster

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Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster-Title.jpg
Premiere September 16, 1984
Finale May 27, 1988
Creator David W. Duclon
Network/Provider NBC (seasons 1-2),
First-run syndication (seasons 3-4)
Style 30-minute sitcom
Company Lightkeeper Productions,
NBC Productions (seasons 1-2),
Coca-Cola Telecommunications (seasons 3-4)
Seasons 4
Episodes 88
Origin USA
:For the animated series that ran concurrently with the same name see It's Punky Brewster.

Punky Brewster is a sitcom that aired on NBC for two seasons, and in first-run syndication for two seasons.

Punky was a cute little eight-year-old girl who is found living alone in an empty Chicago apartment with her dog, a Golden Retriever named Brandon (named for NBC executive Brandon Tartikoff). She is discovered by photographer Henry Warnimont, a grumpy fogey, who proceeds to take Punky to Fenster Home orphanage until she charms her way into Henry's heart. Punky's mother apparently took her to the store with her and abandoned her, and the subject of Punky wanting to see her mother again had cropped up from time to time. Mainly, the series has Punky dealing with children's issues with a light touch, using "Punky Power" to overcome obstacles.

Punky is essentially a tomboy with a bizarre clothing style, whose friends include Allen Anderson, her best friend Cherie Johnson, and rich and snobby Margaux Kramer. Stories through the run involved an episode where Cherie is trapped in a refrigerator while playing hide-and-seek and is discovered unconscious. Punky uses the CPR she learned at school to save Cherie's life. Another dealt with the space shuttle Challenger disaster, which devastated Punky as she had a yearn to be an astronaut when she grew up.

The show was never a ratings hit in prime time, but it did have a legion of children fans who kept it on NBC for two seasons, and it garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children's Series. In 1985, it spawned a Saturday morning cartoon version which was titled on-screen as Punky Brewster but has been billed elsewhere as It's Punky Brewster. It is believed that creator David L. Duclon based Punky on a girl he went to school with named Peyton and on whom he had a crush.

It ran two more seasons in syndication with new episodes. In the second episode of season 3, Casey Ellison left the show when his character, Allen, was faced with moving away with his mother after his parents got divorced. (Henry, Cherie and Cherie's grandmother take on brave faces saying goodbye to Allen; Punky, becoming emotional, fights the urge to start crying and loses at the end of the episode.) Some of the syndicated episodes tackled issues such as Henry's addiction to pills, Punky stricken with appendicitis, and Cherie's catharsis when she visits her parents' graves for the first time. In season 3, Henry sells his photography studio and uses the money to open a restaurant he names Punky's Place. In the series finale, Punky's dog Brandon finds a mate in a female Golden retriever named Brenda. With clips from past episodes sandwiched in, a wedding is held for the two dogs.

A ten-episode revival of Punky Brewster is now being streamed on NBC's service Peacock. In the reboot, Punky is a single mother of three when her ex-husband (Freddie Prinze Jr.) shows up.

Contents

Cast

Actor Character Duration
Main Cast 1 2 3 4
Soleil Moon Frye Penelope "Punky" Brewster * * * *
George Gaynes Henry P. Warnimont * * * *
Susie Garrett Mrs. Betty Johnson * * * *
Cherie Johnson Cherie Johnson * * * *
Supporting/Recurring Cast 1 2 3 4
Ami Foster Margaux Kramer * * * *
Casey Ellison Allen Anderson * * *
T.K. Carter Mike Fulton *

Seasons

Season  Premiere Finale #
NBC
Season One September 16, 1984 March 31, 1985 22
Season Two September 15, 1985 March 9, 1986 22
First-run syndication
Season Three October 30, 1987 December 7, 1987 22
Season Four April 27, 1988 May 27, 1988 22

In-Depth

DVD Releases

Title Release Date #
Season Sets
Season One June 1, 2004 4

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Season Two February 8, 2005 4

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Season Three July 25, 2006 4

purchase

Season Four February 26, 2008 4


Episode Collections
8 Complete Episodes July 14, 2009 1

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Turn Your World Around October 12, 2010 1

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External Links