The sophomore season of ABC’s hit freshman comedy, The Wonder Years, is welcoming a legend to its ranks. Deadline reports Patti LaBelle will join the sitcom as Shirley Williams, the mother to Dule Hill’s father, Bill. Many will remember LaBelle’s iconic role as another TV mom – Adele Wayne on NBC’s A Different World.
According to Deadline, LaBelle’s Shirley is where Bill gets his musical talent, as she is the choir director at her local church. As she spins sweet music for ears on Sunday mornings, Shirley is known for a colder tone if things don’t go quite her way. LaBelle is scheduled to have a two-episode arc as the grandmother to The Wonder Years’ lead character, Dean, played by newcomer E.J. Williams.
A reboot of the 1980s original, The Wonder Years follows Williams’ Dean, a young, precocious pre-teen growing up in 1960s Montgomery, Alabama. Amidst the changing times of latter 60s America, Dean experiences the highs and lows of adolescence along with his older siblings, classmates, and his best friend, who he begins to view romantically.
The series from Saladin K. Patterson (The Big Bang Theory, Fraiser) also stars Saycon Sengbloh (Funny Valentines, Respect) Laura Kariuki (Black Lightning, Along for the Ride), Milan Ray (Troop Zero, Charm City Kings), Amari O’Neil (All American, Sneakerheads), and Julian Lerner (Yes Day, Alma’s Way). The series is produced by 20th Television along with Bob Daily (Superior Donuts, Grand Hotel) and Lee Daniels (Precious, Star). The original Wonder Years star, Ben Savage, was attached as a director and executive producer until allegations of misconduct onset had him removed from the series.
According to Deadline, LaBelle is a Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated singer and actress whose career began in the 1960s as part of the singing group, Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles. She went on to lead the trailblazing trio, LaBelle, known for their iconic hit “Lady Marmalade.” Since LaBelle, Patti has continued as a solo artist scoring hits such as “A New Attitude,” “If Only You Knew,” “On My Own” with Michael McDonald (Minute by Minute, If That’s What It Takes), and “When You’ve Been Blessed.” Her other screen credits include FX’s American Horror Story, Oscar-winning film A Soldier’s Story, and her own short-lived NBC series, Out All Night.
The Wonder Years is set to return in midseason this fall on ABC.