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The Best Episodes of The Wonder Years

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...
  1. 8.6/10(200 votes)

    #1 - Love & War

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    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.

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    Director:Numa Perrier
  2. 8.4/10(115 votes)

    #2 - Football Team

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    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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  3. 8.4/10(114 votes)

    #3 - Blockbusting

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    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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  4. 8.3/10(115 votes)

    #4 - Forbidden Fruit

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    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.

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    Writer:Bob Daily
  5. 8.3/10(95 votes)

    #5 - Bill's New Friend

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    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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  6. 8.2/10(93 votes)

    #6 - A Star is Born

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    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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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Wonder Years

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  8. 8.2/10(93 votes)

    #7 - The Happiest Place on Earth

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    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. 8.1/10(104 votes)

    #8 - Takeover Spirit

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    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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  10. 8.1/10(91 votes)

    #9 - Like a Boss

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    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.

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    Writer:Tom Young
  11. 8.1/10(91 votes)

    #10 - Happy Birthday Clisby

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    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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  12. 8.0/10(146 votes)

    #11 - One Small Step

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    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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  13. 7.9/10(202 votes)

    #12 - Home For Christmas

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    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

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    Director:Fred Savage
    Writer:Bob Daily
  14. 7.8/10(279 votes)

    #13 - The Workplace

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    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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  15. 7.8/10(211 votes)

    #14 - Independence Day

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    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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  16. 7.8/10(165 votes)

    #15 - Black Teacher

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    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

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    Director:Fred Savage
  17. 7.8/10(132 votes)

    #16 - Love, Dean

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    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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  18. 7.7/10(282 votes)

    #17 - The Club

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    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.

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    Director:Fred Savage
    Writer:Max Searle
  19. 7.6/10(163 votes)

    #18 - The Valentine’s Day Dance

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    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.

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  20. 7.6/10(146 votes)

    #19 - Jobs and Hangouts

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    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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  21. 7.5/10(164 votes)

    #20 - Brad Mitzvah

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    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.

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    Director:Fred Savage
  22. 7.5/10(141 votes)

    #21 - Goose Grease

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    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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  23. 7.5/10(124 votes)

    #22 - Where No Dean Has Been Before

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    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.

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    Writer:Bo Zenga
  24. 7.4/10(476 votes)

    #23 - Pilot

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    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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  25. 7.4/10(313 votes)

    #24 - Green Eyed Monster

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    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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  26. 7.4/10(227 votes)

    #25 - The Lock In

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    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 8.6/10 based on 200 votes. Directed by Numa Perrier and written by Kendra Cole, it aired on 4/13/2022. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Football Team".