In the late 2010s, a TV industry-wide reboot craze saw the return of favorites from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s to the small screen. Joining the new and updated versions of “Will and Grace,” “Murphy Brown,” “Boy Meets World,” “Roseanne,” “Charmed,” and “Full House”: a 10-episode “Punky Brewster” continuation. Before it launched in 2020, the NBCUniversal-owned, NBC-affiliated streaming service Peacock ordered reboots of some cherished chestnuts, including “Saved by the Bell” and “Punky Brewster.”
Soleil Moon Frye starred as a grown-up Punky, a divorced mother of three who takes in Izzy, a plucky foster child extremely similar to young Punky. “To our incredible fans who have stood by us, thank you for believing in me and I will do my best to make you proud. I love you. Punky Power forever!” Frye said in a statement announcing the new series (via Variety).
When Season 1 of the newer “Punky Brewster” finally debuted on Peacock, a year after its announcement in February 2021, it was met with so-so, vaguely positive reviews from critics. “There’s nothing here that strives to be remotely novel,” wrote Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times. “But as a new season of ‘Punky Brewster,’ it is unimpeachable.” While fans gave the show a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, there evidently weren’t enough viewers to justify continuing the reboot. Six months after Season 1’s upload, Peacock canceled “Punky Brewster.”
