"Small Wonder" (1985) TV series 1985-1989

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

7 September 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Father Ted Lawson creates robot, Vickie. The family, Ted, Joan, and Jamie, keep the information that Vickie is a robot secret...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Artificially Created Girl | Sitcom

Awards:

2 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Dick Christie	...	Ted Lawson (96 episodes, 1985-1989)
Marla Pennington	...	Joan Lawson (96 episodes, 1985-1989)
Jerry Supiran	...	Jamie Lawson (96 episodes, 1985-1989)
Tiffany Brissette	...	Vicki the Robot (96 episodes, 1985-1989)
Emily Schulman	...	Harriet Brindle (96 episodes, 1985-1989)

Runtime:

30 min (96 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Fox Television Studios - 1999 S. Bundy Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Seth Green screen tested for the part of Jamie Lawson

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Despite being "made of plastic, microchips here and there" the robot and her costume grew from season to season to accommodative the actress. However, in one of the episodes there was an explanation from the father who put in a special chip that enabled her to grow to avoid suspicion from friends and neighbors why she never grew and remained the same age.

Quotes:

[imitating a snobby girl]
Vicki the Robot: We don't have skeleton's in our closet... their in the back of the condo.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Remote Control: Romancing the Robot/Hajime Sorayama (#8.4)" (2005)

Unfairly criticized

"Small Wonder" was a show I enjoyed watching when I was a little kid, and I would probably enjoy it today; unfortunately, I haven't seen it in reruns since 1995 or so. Over the years, I have heard and read quite a few negative comments about SW, both here at IMDB and elsewhere. In response to those unjust criticisms, I say this: it's a light sitcom about a robot girl! A 10-year-old robot girl! This isn't groundbreaking television (though the special effects were decent for a low budget TV series from the 1980s), it's "Small Wonder"! One of the main reasons why I enjoyed this series was Tiffany Brissette; as Vicki, she did not express much emotion (because of her role as a robot, of course), but she still displayed enough charm and good comic timing to keep you watching. It is unfortunate that the talented Brissette did not have any other major TV or film roles during her acting career.

Some other comments about SW:

-My favorite supporting character was easily Reggie (Paul C. Scott), Jamie's best friend and the show's token black character. He was always able to score with the girls through his smooth and confident demeanor, while Jamie always ended up looking like a dork.

-Speaking of Jamie, whatever happened to Jerry Supiran? Like Brissette, he showed a lot of promise, but apparently dropped off the face of the Earth when the show was canceled.

-I do agree with SW haters about at least one thing: Harriet Brindle (Emily Schulman). She wasn't just annoying, she was ***ANNOYING***. "Hi-yeee!!! Bye-yeee!!!" Oh, the humanity!

-As if Harriet wasn't bad enough, there was Mrs. Brindle (Edie McClurg). "No-no-no-no-no-no!!" Again, one word: ***ANNOYING***.

Overall, I enjoyed SW for what it was: an entertaining sitcom with a silly premise. I would definitely love to see it in reruns again someday. And to that previous reviewer who suggested the idea of a school based on teaching "Small Wonder", I would sign up immediately.