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Punky Brewster proves the old,
family-friendly sitcom is as captivating for kids today as it was in 1984.
Somewhere in the tradition of Silas Marner and Chaplin's The Kid,
Punky Brewster breathes new life in the story of an isolated bachelor who
takes in a lost and forgotten child. Thanks to the inspired casting of
Helsinki-born, journeyman actor George Gaynes (The Crucible) as
misanthropic photographer-turned-foster dad Henry Warnimont, the tradition stays
strong in Punky Brewster even as the series paints the world in primary
colors for a young audience.
Gaynes's autumnal Henry is the gruff-but-lovable loner who discovers
8-year-old, abandoned Punky (Soleil Moon Frye) squatting with her golden lab
puppy, Brandon, in an empty apartment across from his own. With great
reluctance, Henry allows the loquacious, spunky Punky to stay with him until
she's situated with Chicago's youth services, then misses her the moment she's
gone. After a cute showdown with officials in court (Punky cracks wise atop the
judge's desk), Henry and his moppet become a family, and the series explores the
many ways in which the duo (well, Henry, actually) learns to accommodate a
shared life.
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