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Punky Brewster
| Punky Brewster | |
 | |
| 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 |
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
- At a Glance: Additional information about the series
DVD Releases
| Title | Release Date | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season Sets | |||
| Season One | June 1, 2004 | 4 | |
| Season Two | February 8, 2005 | 4 | |
| Season Three | July 25, 2006 | 4 | |
| Season Four | February 26, 2008 | 4 |
|
| Episode Collections | |||
| 8 Complete Episodes | July 14, 2009 | 1 | |
| Turn Your World Around | October 12, 2010 | 1 | |
