Punky Brewster’s Soleil Moon Frye Reveals Hopes for Peacock Revival

Punky Brewster is fondly remembered by many, and now the series and its star are back in Peacock’s new Punky Brewster revival. Star Soleil Moon Frye is back as Punky too, and joining her is a mix of old friends and new faces as she steps into the role Henry played for her in the original. This time it’s Punky opening up her home to a foster child named Izzy, and longtime fans will appreciate how the new show deals with the themes of the original while putting a fresh spin on things. ComicBook.com had a chance to speak with Frye all about the new series, including the most important aspect it needed to have to make it all work and what she hopes fans will get from the series.

“I had been wanting to do this for so many years and the magic of the universe that it came together the way it did is just it’s so exciting. And for us, it was so important to keep the authenticity of the original, and the heart of the original, and who would’ve Punky have grown into, and what would her family look like, and to really stay true to that,” Frye said. “I felt it was really our duty, and we all did, to really stay true to the original and so that was a part of it from the very beginning.”

The original series tackled many aspects of foster care, both from the view of a parent and from the view of a child in the midst of it, and the revival doesn’t shy away from exploring those themes either.

“It’s interesting that you say that. When we’re talking about the people watching, I always say like if I’m 88 and people still call me Punky, I’ll be totally happy and grateful because it’s so much more than a character. She’s such a part of me,” Frye said. “The stories that I’ve been able and so honored and humbled to hear over the years of people that had come through the foster system, come out of this foster system, that came from adopted families and that were just going through their own struggles of their upbringings as we all have in so many ways, that Punky really was a best friend to them and that it helped many people get through different challenging times.”

“And so my hope is that in the reboot that we can provide some healing, some laughter, family conversations, and that when people watch the show, whether it’s me that they connect with, Izzy, Cherie, Travis, that people can watch it and they can find… The kids are so brilliant that they can find something of themselves in one of these characters or all of these characters, and so that has been really important,” Frye said.

You can find the official description for Punky Brewster below.

In this continuation of the iconic 80s sitcom about a bright young girl raised by a foster dad, Punky is now a single mother of three trying to get her life back on track when she meets Izzy, a young girl in the foster system who reminds Punky a lot of her younger self.

Soleil Moon Frye (Punky) and Cherie Johnson (Cherie) will reprise their original roles. The series also stars Freddie Prinze Jr. (Travis, Punky’s ex-husband), Quinn Copeland (Izzy), Noah Cottrell (Diego), Oliver De Los Santos (Daniel), and Lauren Lindsey Donzis (Hannah).

Punky Brewster launches on Peacock on February 25th.

Are you excited for the Punky Brewster revival? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things Punky with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!