Thirty years ago today, on Jan. 31, 1988, immediately following Super Bowl XXII, America met the Arnold family for the first time on ABC’s The Wonder Years.

While the spotlight shined brightest on young Kevin (Fred Savage), his siblings, Karen (Olivia D’Abo) and Wayne (Jason Hervey), and his parents, Jack (Dan Lauria) and Norma (Alley Mills), all became familiar faces and, in many cases, mirror images, of the average suburban American family of the day — even though the show took place in 1968. The all-American gang was rounded out by quintessential girl next door Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) and loyal best friend Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano).

But arguably the most memorable presence wasn’t physical. Daniel Stern (Home Alone, City Slickers, Rookie of the Year) played the role of the adult Kevin Arnold and narrated the entire show, looking back on his youth with a mix of existential monologues and clever quips. The voice-over was progressive at the time and initially bewildering to the cast, and Stern tells Yahoo it almost didn’t happen. “I was fired!” he admitted in a recent interview.

Daniel Stern voiced adult Kevin Arnold and narrated The Wonder Years. (Photo: Getty Images) More

In fact, if you were watching the very first episode of The Wonder Years after the Super Bowl in 1988, you would not have heard Stern’s voice as the narrator. “Don’t get me started on Arye Gross,” Stern joked, referring to the actor who narrated the initial airing. Here’s what went down, as Stern tells it:

“Interesting story. I got the part, we did the pilot. And my contract was that I could go do movies, because that’s what I was doing, but I’d make space to record [The Wonder Years]. I had an audition for a movie that took place in Africa and I mentioned it to one of [The Wonder Years] producers … and he goes, ‘You’re going to go to Africa?’ I said, ‘I don’t think so, but, if I get the gig, [sure].’ The next day, I’m fired from the show. Because they’re worried [about] my movie career. They’re worried that I wouldn’t be available. And I’m like, ‘Crap.’ Because not only did I narrate it but I was going to direct [episodes].”

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