These days, there are still a few crumbs left for Fred

Fred Savage was thinking about devoting himself to directing and producing when he was offered “Crumbs.” So he’s back acting.

Savage is best known for playing wide-eyed Kevin Arnold on ABC’s “The Wonder Years” (1988-93).

He’s also well remembered as the grandson in the 1987 feature film “The Princess Bride.” Less memorable is the NBC sitcom “Working,” which lasted barely two seasons in the late ‘90s.

Since then, his focus has been behind the camera, producing and directing the kid-oriented comedy series “Phil of the Future” on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon’s “Drake & Josh.”

“Other acting opportunities had come along, but nothing that was tantalizing enough to me to step away from what I found most interesting,” says Savage, who at 29 still retains his boyish charm.

“Crumbs,” an ABC sitcom about a dysfunctional family, premieres Thursday at 9:30 p.m.

“I liked that it was about the characters, about the family … and was brave enough not to have a laugh for a few pages,” Savage says.

As the name implies, the Crumbs are a crumbled family who nevertheless retain affection for each other.

The mother (Jane Curtin) has just been discharged from a psychiatric facility. The father (William Devane) is expecting a baby with his new girlfriend. They’ve suffered the death of one of their three sons, and many unspoken memories linger.

Savage plays Mitch, the gay prodigal son who returns home from a failed Hollywood career.

While the series will explore the family’s reaction to Mitch’s sexual orientation, Savage says, “That’s not what the show is about. … (It) is really about family and secrets that families keep from each other, and how a family pulls itself back together after keeping so much from each other for so long.”

Creator Marco Pennette, on whom the character of Mitch is based, has used incidents in his own family life as inspiration.

“We had a lot of tragedy and a lot of pain, and we got through it with a lot of humor,” he says.

The live studio audiences sometimes have a hard time understanding the tone of the series.

“That actually encourages us to feel that we are on the right track, that we are doing something different, so it’s encouraging when they laugh at the wrong places, or don’t laugh at all sometimes,” Savage says.

As a young child, Savage “stumbled” into acting after going to a local community center.

“They were having auditions for a hot dog commercial and I went with my friends and my mom, because we lived in the suburbs of Chicago and it just seemed like something fun to do,” he recalls. “Instead of going to the park that day, we went there.”

Many years later, he’s philosophical about the pitfalls of stardom.

“I understand the business. I get it,” he says. “I didn’t buy a plane and then figure out how I was going to pay for it if a show got picked up. I think I bought a sweater.”

The birthday bunch

Actor Herbert Lom is 89. Author Judith Krantz is 78. Sports announcer Dick Enberg is 71. Singer Joan Baez is 65. Actress Susannah York is 65. Guitarist Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is 62. Singer Crystal Gayle is 55. Actress Joely Richardson is 41. Singer-guitarist Dave Matthews is 39. Singer A.J. McLean (Backstreet Boys) is 28.