Review: Peacock’s all-new ‘Punky Brewster’ brings Punky Power back

Premiering Feb. 25, 2021, “Punky Brewster” is the latest NBC hit sitcom from the ’80s to get a reboot on the Peacock streaming service.

The all-new 10-episode Peacock Original series catches up with the spunky Penelope “Punky” Brewster (played again by Soleil Moon Frye), who is now all grown up and a single mom of three – the wise-beyond-her-years Hannah (Lauren Lindsey Donzis) and modern-day odd couple brothers: sloppy Diego and neat freak Daniel (played by Noah Cottrell and Oliver De Los Santos).

In the pilot episode, we learn that Punky has become a photographer just like her foster dad Henry and that she’s still BFFs with Cherie (played again by Cherie Johnson), who now runs Fenster Hall, the Chicago shelter for orphaned and abandoned children from the original series.

When Cherie asks Punky to temporarily take care of a young girl named Izzy (Quinn Copeland), Punky recognizes similarities between her younger “Punkier” self and this feisty kid and invites Izzy to become part of the family. Also popping by from time to time for co-parenting (and way too many sweets) is Punky’s musician ex-husband Travis played by 90s heartthrob-turned-cool dad Freddie Prinze Jr.

With the help of Cherie, Travis, and even Hannah, Punky navigates the choppy waters of sitcom parenting, made even more tricky by the fact that she’s struggling with how to be a mom when she had no mom herself. Nevertheless, in each episode, she handles issues facing modern kids—including gender identity and identity in general—as she teaches her family to always be true to themselves.

While Frye certainly shines in touching exchanges with each of the four young actors, some of the show’s most charming moments are between Copeland and Prinze, including a song about Rocky Road ice cream and a juice box-fueled heart-to-heart.

Frye serves as executive producer of the new series along with original series creator David Duclon, which explains why the older and semi-wiser Punky still has the same “Punky Power” fans are expecting – along with her signature mismatched shoes and, of course, her catchphrase: “Holy Macanoli!”

Check out the official Punky Brewster trailer here: