Camp Wilder is an American sitcom about a family living in suburban Los Angeles, California, airing as part of ABC's TGIF lineup for half a season (right after Step by Step). The show is notable for featuring early appearances by Jerry O'Connell, Jared Leto, and Hilary Swank. It premiered on September 18, 1992, but was canceled after the 19th episode aired on February 26, 1993, due to low ratings. A 20th episode was produced but was never aired in the US. Camp Wilder was also shown in the UK and Germany, where it actually became a hit.

Synopsis

Ricky Wilder (Mary Page Keller) was a 28-year-old nurse and single mother, raising her family in the childhood home of hers, left by her deceased parents. Ricky's only actual child was her cute-as-a-button 6-year-old daughter Sophie (Tina Majorino), but she was also the principal guardian to her younger, teenage siblings Brody (Jerry O'Connell) and Melissa (Meghann Haldeman). From the time their parents died, Ricky understood that she couldn't change out of her persona as the "cool, approachable" older sister and mixed parenting tactics in with the setting of a casual, laissez-faire household. In fact, the atmosphere in the Wilder house was so laid back that many of Brody and Melissa's friends sought it as a refuge from the stricter, more confining homes run by their traditional parents. Ricky thus welcomed them all in with open arms, where they regularly sat around the family's kitchen table, kicked back, and talked about life, while Ricky helped them sort out their issues and dispensed sound advice; albeit in a non-judgemental, friend-like way. As a result, the neighborhood youth nicknamed their home "Camp Wilder".

Among the regular inhabitants of Camp Wilder were Brody's best pal Dorfman (Jay Mohr) and Melissa's friends Beth (Margaret Langrick) and Danielle (Hilary Swank). Many other friends and classmates of theirs passed through Camp Wilder in guest appearances, most notably Dexter (Jared Leto), a hip, motorcycle-riding bad boy whom Melissa had the hots for. Other stories focused on the escapades of the Wilders, and especially on little Sophie, who was beginning to look up to Brody as a surrogate father figure rather than just as an uncle. Throughout the show's 20 episodes she began exhibiting tomboyish traits, and at Christmas, she told the family that all she wanted was to be a boy. The storylines of such variety were also dealt with meetings and morals learned around the "mess hall" of Camp Wilder.