Punky Power Returns to TV

A beloved comedy from the 1980s returns to TV this season, with a new twist

It may be three decades since Punky Brewster went off the air, but when Soleil Moon Frye and Cherie Johnson returned to the soundstage for the beloved sitcom’s revival, the reception of the duo was as warm as ever.

Frye, who at just eight years old introduced the world to the sassy orphan that gets adopted by her building manager, describes that moment in front of a live studio audience as lightning in a bottle. “For us, this was really about coming home,” says the actress. “There was an energy that was so beautiful and so amazing. You could literally hear a pin drop in the live-audience taping because people were so invested.”

For Frye and Johnson, their off-screen reunion was equally emotional. “The elevator doors opened, and before I could get off, my best friend was standing there,” says Johnson, choking back tears. “I didn’t realize how much I missed her and how much I missed that place. I think we hugged for about 15 minutes until they separated us. We were crying and laughing, and they took us down to the set—they basically took us home again. We hadn’t been there for so long. We cried again.”

The return home feels particularly precious for Frye, whose soft spot for the character that made her a household name has never left her. “This amazing Punky is such a part of me, I don’t know where I end and she begins because we are so much the same,” says the actress, who’s also an exec producer on the reboot. “We told the audience ‘These are not just characters for us, these are our beings. And Punky Power to us is about so much of our rediscovery of self.’ ”

Since Punky Brewster said goodbye in 1988, Frye has constantly been reminded by fans of the impact her character had on those in the foster system. “One of the reasons I felt it was so important to stay true to the original, is the stories that have been shared with me since being a little girl,” she explains. “I had two sisters who came up to me a few years ago and we were in tears, because they were sharing how they had gone through the foster system and how much pain they had gone through growing up, and that Punky was their family. I felt a huge duty and responsibility to make sure that I could in some way make those people that grew up with it proud.”

This time, in the absence of George Gaynes’ Henry Warnimont, it’s Punky who’s the patron saint of the lost and abandoned—even as she herself, in Frye’s words, is “coming of age again, as an adult.” The single mother of three is introduced, through her old friend Cherie, to a girl who reminds Punky of her younger self; and of course, heartwarming hilarity ensues once Izzy (Quinn Copeland) is added to the already chaotic brood. But it’s not all fun and games. “The original Punky Brewster dealt with so many real issues and for us creatively, keeping that authenticity was absolutely pivotal,” says Frye. “The original Punky had humour and laughter, but you also were dealing with pain. Life is messy and we go through rollercoasters of emotions, so to continue that honesty was incredibly important to everyone involved.”

Frye’s own memories of her time on the old NBC backlot involve just as much play as work, which she believes helped her stay grounded. “So much of it was based on us being able to still be kids, you know?” says Frye. “Cherie and I were on pogo sticks jumping off of furniture and riding our scooters all over the lot and running away to Johnny Carson’s office. Literally, it was so surreal and yet it was such a dream that we were able to be kids.” That playfulness was something she hoped to pass on to the actors who play her children. “It was so joyful for me to see with our amazing cast of kids that they also were throwing a ball outside. Then they would get on set and just bring in the emotion and be so centred. It was just beautiful to see.”

In a year where mining laughter out of tough times is more than welcome, Frye thinks a show about the importance of your chosen family really hits the spot. “The world now, more than ever, can really use some Punky Power and Cherie Power. It couldn’t be a more beautiful time to be able to share that again,” she says, adding that it’s not an entirely selfless endeavour. “I have always said that if I was 88 years old and people were still calling me Punky, I would be thrilled, because she is such a part of my heart and soul. I had wanted to bring her back for so long, and just the way the stars aligned, it’s been this mystical, amazing experience.”

Punky Brewster airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. & 8:30 p.m. on W Network