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The Best Episodes of The Wonder Years

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Every episode of The Wonder Years ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Wonder Years!

The Best Episodes of The Wonder Years

A coming of age story set in the late 1960s that takes a nostalgic look at a black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama through the...

Seasons2

  1. Background image for Love & War
    8.5/10(204 votes)

    #1 - Love & War

    S1:E19

    Bruce returns home from Vietnam, and the family is shocked to find out he is dating an older woman with an 8-year-old son with whom he is eager to start his life. When they learn more about Bruce’s latest deployment, they begin to understand his survivors’ guilt and come together to support him.

    Director:Numa Perrier
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  2. Background image for Takeover Spirit
    8.0/10(107 votes)

    #2 - Takeover Spirit

    S2:E5

    When Lillian joins the church choir, she discovers a new side to her mother-in-law; Kim encourages a guilt-ridden Dean to have an encounter with the supernatural.

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  3. Background image for Bill's New Friend
    8.0/10(101 votes)

    #3 - Bill's New Friend

    S2:E6

    After Bill befriends Dean's music teacher, Bill and Lillian attend a party at his house and the evening takes an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, with their parents away, Dean, Bruce and Kim make their own plans for the night.

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  4. Background image for One Small Step
    7.9/10(150 votes)

    #4 - One Small Step

    S2:E1

    It’s the summer of 1969, and Dean and Bill are experiencing new walks of life in New York City where Dean has tagged along for Bill’s career-making songwriting gig. Back in Montgomery, Lilian’s infamous sister, Jackie, pays a memorable visit.

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  5. Background image for A Star is Born
    7.9/10(98 votes)

    #5 - A Star is Born

    S2:E7

    In search of a new hobby, Dean joins the drama club - only to find himself mixed up in drama of his own. Bill and Kim grapple with Bruce's choice to campaign for a local politician.

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  6. Background image for Happy Birthday Clisby
    7.9/10(96 votes)

    #6 - Happy Birthday Clisby

    S2:E9

    The Williams gather to celebrate Clisby's 75th birthday - including Bill's brother Melvin and his daughter Cassie. While Bill and Melvin try to one-up each other for Clisby's approval, Cassie shares big news with Lillian and Kim.

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Wonder Years

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  8. Background image for The Happiest Place on Earth
    7.9/10(99 votes)

    #7 - The Happiest Place on Earth

    S2:E10

    When the Williams family decides to go on a family vacation, Kim suggests a road trip to Austin College and Dean proposes a stop at Disneyland. After meeting up with his old bandmates, Bill reflects on his life choices.

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  9. Background image for The Workplace
    7.8/10(283 votes)

    #8 - The Workplace

    S1:E4

    It’s “Take Your Son to Work Day” and Dean heads to band practice with Bill. But the “grown folks’ business” at the music studio prompts Lillian to have to pick up Dean. While at her office, Dean finally learns what his mom does while he’s at school all day, gaining a newfound respect for her career and ambition.

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  10. Background image for Home For Christmas
    7.8/10(204 votes)

    #9 - Home For Christmas

    S1:E9

    Dean can’t wait to spend Christmas with his older brother, Bruce, when he returns home from Vietnam. But adjusting to life back in Montgomery comes with unexpected challenges for Bruce, and the rest of the Williams family rely on their favorite holiday traditions to bring cheer

    Director:Fred Savage
    Writer:Bob Daily
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  11. Background image for The Club
    7.7/10(286 votes)

    #10 - The Club

    S1:E3

    Dean stumbles upon some “racy literature” and shares it with friends at school. When he is caught by the school principal, Bill and Lillian navigate uncharted territory as parents and Dean learns that manhood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

    Director:Fred Savage
    Writer:Max Searle
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  12. Background image for Black Teacher
    7.7/10(167 votes)

    #11 - Black Teacher

    S1:E15

    When their teacher goes on maternity leave, Dean, Cory and Keisa are excited to be taught by Mr. Brady, the school’s first Black teacher. Mr. Brady encourages the students to try out for the Knowledge Bowl team where Dean faces some unexpected challenges

    Director:Fred Savage
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  13. Background image for Like a Boss
    7.7/10(96 votes)

    #12 - Like a Boss

    S2:E8

    After Lillian's boss announces budget cuts, she is forced to make a decision and enforce boundaries between her personal and professional life. Meanwhile, Dean and Cory's friendship hits a few speed bumps as they work together for the boxcar derby.

    Writer:Tom Young
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  14. Background image for Independence Day
    7.6/10(215 votes)

    #13 - Independence Day

    S1:E7

    As Kim’s campaign for a car coincides with the need to take Grandaddy Clisby’s keys away, Bill proposes a solution that is only pleasing to him: Kim can drive, so long as she takes her grandfather and Dean around town. Later on at the mall, Dean is worried about seeming uncool when Clisby ends up chaperoning him and his friends, but Clisby has a few crowd-pleasing tricks up his sleeve.

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  15. Background image for The Valentine’s Day Dance
    7.6/10(165 votes)

    #14 - The Valentine’s Day Dance

    S1:E13

    Dean’s plans to ask Keisa to the Valentine’s Day Dance are foiled when another boy asks her out first after a new makeover makes her the talk of the school. Meanwhile, Bill and Lillian make Kim sign up for a Big Sister program to have extracurricular activities for her college applications.

    Directors:Victor Nelli, Jr.
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  16. Background image for Love, Dean
    7.6/10(136 votes)

    #15 - Love, Dean

    S1:E22

    It's the end of the school year, and summer excitement is all around; Bill and Lillian each receive major career opportunities; Dean and Keisa take shelter together as a tornado tears through.

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  17. Background image for Football Team
    7.6/10(120 votes)

    #16 - Football Team

    S2:E3

    As Kim decides to take classes at Bill's college and date one of his star students, Bill must walk the line between teacher and dad; Dean and his friends join the football team where Dean finds himself in a tricky situation.

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  18. Background image for Blockbusting
    7.6/10(119 votes)

    #17 - Blockbusting

    S2:E4

    Bill and Lillian consider moving into the first integrated neighborhood in Montgomery; Dean develops a crush on Brad's mom during a sleepover at their house.

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  19. Background image for Goose Grease
    7.5/10(143 votes)

    #18 - Goose Grease

    S1:E18

    When Dean comes down with the chicken pox on his way to a hunting trip with Bill and Grandaddy Clisby, Lillian forces the three of them to quarantine together. Clisby pushes homemade remedies on them out of his mistrust of doctors, but he’s forced to reckon with this when Dean’s condition worsens.

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  20. Background image for Forbidden Fruit
    7.5/10(120 votes)

    #19 - Forbidden Fruit

    S2:E2

    Torn between his secret relationship with Keisa and his friendship with Broderick, Dean turns to Jackie for advice. Meanwhile, after her latest run-in with the law, Jackie decides to turn over a new leaf.

    Writer:Bob Daily
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  21. Background image for Pilot
    7.4/10(481 votes)

    #20 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    Struggling to figure out where he fits in, Dean decides to pursue his calling as "The Great Uniter" and attempts to organize the first integrated baseball game between his team and his friend Brad's team.

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  22. Background image for Green Eyed Monster
    7.4/10(317 votes)

    #21 - Green Eyed Monster

    S1:E2

    While Dean reckons with his first taste of heartbreak and betrayal, the adults in his life are overly empathetic and assume his grief is from mourning current events.

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  23. Background image for Brad Mitzvah
    7.4/10(167 votes)

    #22 - Brad Mitzvah

    S1:E11

    Brad works through his nerves preparing for his bar mitzvah speech while Dean ends his friendship with Keisa when Charlene tells him he can’t be friends with other girls. Things come to a head when the whole group comes together to celebrate Brad’s bar mitzvah.

    Director:Fred Savage
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  24. Background image for Jobs and Hangouts
    7.4/10(149 votes)

    #23 - Jobs and Hangouts

    S1:E17

    Kim is excited to start her new job as a waitress at the local diner, which Dean adopts as his local hangout. When Kim experiences drama with her friends, she finds unlikely allies in a tough coworker and her younger brother.

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  25. Background image for Where No Dean Has Been Before
    7.4/10(128 votes)

    #24 - Where No Dean Has Been Before

    S1:E21

    Dean tries to impress Keisa's cool new boyfriend by inviting him and his friends to a party Kim is throwing while Bill and Lillian are away for the night; things get out of hand just as Bill and Lillian arrive home.

    Writer:Bo Zenga
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  26. Background image for The Lock In
    7.3/10(231 votes)

    #25 - The Lock In

    S1:E5

    Dean is reluctant to attend the annual church lock-in until Kim tells him it’s where she got her first kiss. He enlists his friends to help him pair up with Keisa, but his plans are thwarted when he instead gets paired up with the pastor’s daughter, Charlene.

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Best Episodes Summary

"Love & War" is the best rated episode of "The Wonder Years". It scored 8.5/10 based on 204 votes. Directed by Numa Perrier and written by Kendra Cole, it aired on 4/13/2022. This episode scored 0.5 points higher than the second highest rated, "Takeover Spirit".