Small Wonder on DVD? (1 Viewer)

Hello,
Does anyone remember Small Wonder? If not, go here: tvtome.com/SmallWonder

The show ran from 1985-1989 and did well in the ratings back in the day. Any chance of it coming to DVD? I'd like to see it again.

Part of Classic TV.

I'd be very surprised to see this show on DVD, but heaven knows there have been some shows coming to DVD that I haven't expected. You never know. Actually, when reading threads about shows from the '80s, I've been surprised by how many remember this show.

I love this show. Why it didnt win emmys I dont know.

I REALLY hope you just forgot to include a smiley along with that post...

And if Punky Brewster can get a DVD release, there's no reason SW can't have the same...

This is one of those shows that my friends and I always bring up about how crappy it was, and how desperate we are to watch again.

I would probably pick up the first season just to throw in at 2am when we are all have cut and brain fuzzed from movie night. (Superfriends currently fit this bill.)

I know it's not the same, but they do discuss Small Wonder in the commentary tracks of one of the Family Guy DVD sets.

This show was great.

Now was it good technically speaking?

I would have to say no (It was really, really bad in a fun cheesy way), but it did keep me entertained during my youth. So, it's not a total lost cause.

People would buy this show (The would just hide it), but I see no reason why it couldnt be released eventually.

It's a Fox property, and if it comes out it'll probably come out before S2 of Mary Tyler Moore.

This show inspired A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, which was one of Spielberg's biggest commercial failures.

lol, I remember this show. Haven't seen it since I was a kid though. I remember how extremely cheesy it was, but I still liked it for some unbeknownst reason. I'd probably pick it up for nostalgia sake. The one thing I can remember from that show was the cheesy looking control panel that they opened from her back. lol. Good senseless fun.

Oh, SW is an exceedingly entertaining show, but not for the reasons intended. It's quite possibly the worst series ever to hit the air...

The hot mother kept me entertained during my teen years.
Otherwise, it was worthless junk. But I still hope you guys get it on DVD.

The cheese factor was definitely very high on this show. But it could be fun. I might give it a looksee if it were released - in fact, I can pretty much guarantee that I would.

Look what I found:

sitcomsonline.com/sounds/smallwonder1st.wav

sitcomsonline.com/sounds/smallwonder2nd.wav

I heard tvshowsondvd.com helps. How true is this?

Rob P S,
I wouldn't laugh at the comment I made about the show being part of classic tv because it is. It's now part of the classic tv database. Take a look:

classic-tv.com/shows/smallwonder.asp

Yeah, I did forget the smileys. Great acting though. The little girl did a robot better than anyone that I can think of.

I agree, she even beat the Olson twins for robot like acting in IMHO.

Man, can you imagine how awful that theme song would be watching a disc of these back to back? You could use it for psychological torture!


"She'a a SMALL WONDER..."

This series was even worse than THE MUNSTERS TODAY and WHO'S THE BOSS?

Hopefully it will be released as bad TV should be preserved on DVD along with the good.

Aww man, I love that theme song! I used to sing along with it every time it was on. I would definately pick up this show!

Randy

Some of you guys just dont get it. This is a stoner show. It exists to laugh at and make fun of. Thats part of it's charm. It's so bad, but you cant help but watch. It's a total trainwreck. It's really weird undertones add to it's really bad and just plain messed up atmosphere. It's a favorite among the drag queen and midnight showing community just as movies like "Mommie Dearest" and "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" are.

Here is a retrospective I found online about the show. It mentions some of the undertones.

Date: 13 July 2003
Summary: Controversial but Groundbreaking Series

Small Wonder

Most people mistakenly believe that Ellen was the first American comedy series to feature an out lesbian as the main character. True, Ellen was the first network show to do so, and the firestorm of controversy led to its cancellation. But there was an earlier series, the syndicated comedy Small Wonder, which ran from 1985-89. The show managed to escape Ellen's fate because of its relatively low profile. It aired at odd hours of the morning - usually between 4 and 6:30 AM - and gathered a loyal following of night owls and insomniacs. In some after hours clubs, the music was shut off and the TV turned up for the half hour Small Wonder was on.

Ahead of its time and controversial from the outset. The plot concerns a scientist, Ted Lawson, who is working on a robot project in a high tech government lab. The lesbian robot (not mentioned past script) named V.I.C.I. is programmed to wreak havoc upon American family values by any means necessary. Quite revolutionary in such neo-conservative times! V.I.C.I. is given the form of a little girl, the least likely to arouse suspicion. Unable to resist the adorable Vicki, (as she is called), Ted brings her home to his typical American family, as a combination adopted daughter/household appliance, with the intention of socializing her as a mega-chore-doing fembot. He has no idea that Vicki has an agenda of her own.

Once adopted by the Lawson family - Ted, wife Joan, and 11 year old gay son Jamie - Vicki is installed in her adopted brothers room, where she regenerates in a cabinet! The symbolism is not lost on little Jamie. Each time Vicki emerges from her cabinet, he is reminded that he too could burst out of his own self-imposed closet. Vicki as a symbol of gay liberation was only one of her aspects. The character's influence was far reaching, and is even being felt today. As a being with advanced intelligence and enhanced physical capabilities, Vicki is the precursor of Star Trek Voyager vixen Seven of Nine. Seven also regenerates in a cabinet of sorts and her Borg intonation is reminiscent of Vicki's robotic voice.

Vicki's mode of dress and seemingly submissive demeanor holds sentimental views of childhood that border on fetishism. Vicki's fetishwear consists of an old fashioned, frilly pinafore, white knee socks and patent leather Mary Janes, the kind of outfit not worn by children in decades, yet which strikes a chord of nostalgia in the adults.

Vicki finds an ally in neighbor girl Harriet Brindle and her family, who seem to only exist to torment the Lawsons.

A turning point in the series was reached with the introduction of evil twin robot Vanessa, an even more advanced version of the Vicki model. Vicki and Vanessa join their powers together to bring an apocalyptic end to American family life and all it stands for. Embarking on a wild, comical killing spree during school hours, the girls return to the refuge of the Lawsons' house each afternoon. There they spend hours helping Jamie dress in drag. One particularly hilarious episode, "Go-Go Jamie," concerns him going to cheerleader try-outs in drag. All the boys hit on him thinking he's a new girl in school.

Soon the audience grew tired of Vanessa. There was also a backlash against the potty-mouthed Vanessa, after children started using "Vanessa-isms" like "caca-head" and "tinkle-wad" in school. After only three episodes the Vanessa character was canned, but not before transferring some of her unique powers to Vicki.

Small Wonder, the family comedy with a twist, did eventually run out of steam. What was cutting-edge in the mid-80's became old hat as the 90's approached. Opposition from church groups and right-wing political organizations chipped away at its sponsor base. Programmers found that the early morning time slot could be filled more profitably with infomercials. One by one, Small Wonder lost its affiliates until its continuation became untenable. Production finally shut down in February 1989. Now, it's a rarely seen cult classic, a true 80's oddity.