The 1980s sitcom “Punky Brewster” is being rebooted on Peacock, the NBCUniversal streaming service.
The new series follows a grown-up Punky, now a single mother of three, who meets a young girl named Izzy who reminds her of her younger self.While the original “Punky Brewster” was known for its silly humor and heartwarming moments, it also featured some surprisingly dark and traumatic episodes that left a lasting impact on many viewers.
One particularly notorious episode, “Perils of Punky”, aired as a Halloween special during the show’s second season. In this two-part episode, Punky’s friend Alan is seemingly killed and turned into a zombie-like creature, while Punky’s other friends and even her dog also fall victim to an evil spirit.
The disturbing imagery and unsettling tone were a far cry from the show’s usual lighthearted fare.Another episode that haunted many children of the 80s featured Punky getting trapped inside an abandoned refrigerator. The fear of a child suffocating in a fridge was a powerful and frightening concept that stuck with viewers long after the episode ended.While the new “Punky Brewster” series is unlikely to feature the same level of darkness and trauma as those classic episodes, the reboot’s creators are aware of the show’s ability to unsettle its audience.
As one article put it, “a collective chill went down the spine of every child of the 80s” when the reboot was announced. Whether the new series will tap into that same vein of nostalgia and unease remains to be seen, but it’s clear that “Punky Brewster” still has the power to traumatize a whole new generation.
