PUNKY BREWSTER
Peacock, 3:00 a.m. ET
SERIES PREMIERE: In 1984, Soleil Moon Frye began a successful run as a child TV star, as the title character of NBC’s Punky Brewster. Young Punky was spunky, wore pigtails and mismatched sneakers, and had a beloved golden retriever. After the premiere, I never saw it again, though it was part of NBC’s Saved By the Bell kid TV wave. And since that series has been revived and updated by Peacock for a new generation, today Punky Brewster follows suit. Frye’s Punky, now a somewhat mature adult, no longer wears pigtails, but still wears mismatched shoes, and still has a golden retriever – though not, 37 years later, the same one. If the original series pleased and amused you, this reboot might. But if you your reaction to the Eighties series was less attraction than repulsion, consider this a warning.