Want to be on TV? Extras needed in Montgomery for filming of ABC's 'The Wonder Years' reboot

Executive producer Saladin Patterson is bringing "The Wonder Years" to his hometown of Montgomery to film several scenes next month, and the show has put out a casting call for paid extras here.

ABC's reimagining of the heartfelt family comedy is set in the same turbulent late-1960s time period as the original but follows a middle class Black family in Montgomery. Original series star Fred Savage also serves as an executive producer and directed the pilot episode. This time the protagonist is 12-year-old Dean, played by Elisha Williams, and he's surrounded by a cast that includes Dule Hill, Saycon Sengbloh, Milan Ray and narrator Don Cheadle.

The show plans to film Oct. 11-15 in Montgomery. They're looking for "men, women, and children of all ages and ethnicities" to appear as paid background actors on the show, according to a casting call released this week. No experience is required. Anyone who's interested can sign up at www.centralcasting.com/alabama.

Patterson said they plan to film some scenes at Eastdale Mall with the show's featured kids, some scenes at the fair, some exterior shots in downtown Montgomery and a few other places.

The show was picked up by ABC in May and has been filming for several weeks. Most of that filming so far has happened near Atlanta area, an area that has the infrastructure in place to handle ongoing TV productions. But Patterson has long said that he wanted to bring the show here to film some of the show if possible.

Patterson grew up off South Boulevard in Montgomery and is a 1990 LAMP graduate. He's worked on a long list of shows over the years including "Frasier," "Psych," "The Big Bang Theory," "The Last O.G.," and "Dave."

"We’re excited to see Saladin Patterson – a Montgomery native and graduate of Montgomery Public Schools - bring to life 1960s Montgomery for The Wonder Years," Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said. "Few settings could be as impactful or meaningful to the crux of this story as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement. When we see the events, injustices and heroes unfold before the eyes of a young Black man coming of age in Montgomery amid the reckoning brought by the Civil Rights Movement, I think many people will see Montgomery in a new light – one that is more relatable and tangible.

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"This kind of exposure will not only add to Montgomery’s growing tourism sector, but it will open our city to new opportunities in the entertainment industry."

Early reviews of "The Wonder Years" have been positive. 

"With brainpower that’s rare for a contemporary network sitcom, it makes its characters’ relationships feel vivid and real against the backdrop of changing times," Daniel D'Addario wrote in a review for Variety.

The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han wrote: "That the series manages to invoke nostalgia for bygone days while also remaining relatively clear-eyed about the challenges of that period, both in adolescence and in American history, is no small feat — and it accomplishes this while delivering the cozy appeal of the best family sitcoms, including the one that gives it its name. As it turns out, another thing that hasn’t changed much about growing up over the decades is that there’s still a Wonder Years to come home and cuddle up to."

"The Wonder Years" premieres Sept. 22.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at bharper1@gannett.com.