On Chronology

By Matt Doran

Chronology is a peculiar thing. The television show Wonder Years aired from 1988-1993 and depicted events 20 years earlier—1968-1973. The Arnolds lived in the postwar suburbs. Jack was a Korean War veteran who worked for a defense contractor. Karen was a counterculture hippie. Winnie’s brother died in Vietnam. All of these events seemed so distant at the time.
​
An equivalent show beginning today would depict the years 2000-2005. What would the themes include? 9/11, Iraq, West Wing, flip phones, Hurricane Katrina? These don’t seem so distant.