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The Worst Episodes of The Wonder Years

Every episode of The Wonder Years ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Wonder Years!

Binge this in 10h 42m•Peaking at 8.5/10

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 point-of-view of imaginative 12 year-old Dean. With the wisdom of

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 6 - Be Prepared
    7.1/10(217 votes)

    #1 - Be Prepared

    S1:E6

    When Coach Long and Bill take the boys on a camping trip as part of their newly formed scout troop, their starkly different approaches to the outdoors show Dean that his father isn’t good at everything. As a thunderstorm threatens an eerie quest through the woods, Bill leans into his expertise to save the day.

    Directors:Fred Savage, Numa Perrier
    Writer:Bob Daily

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  2. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 8 - Science Fair
    7.1/10(211 votes)

    #2 - Science Fair

    S1:E8

    After seeing Dean bullied by Michael after school Lillian goes to confront his parents and learns he needs more compassion than discipline. Much to Dean’s dismay, she takes Michael under her wing and helps him with his project for the science fair – an event where Dean typically excels

    Director:Matthew A. Cherry
    Writer:Yamin Segal

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  3. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 10 - Lads and Ladies and Us
    7.1/10(182 votes)

    #3 - Lads and Ladies and Us

    S1:E10

    Bill and Lillian decide to join high society club Lads & Ladies as a way to introduce Kim and Dean to positive influences in the community. Bill, Kim and Dean fit right in, but things take a turn when Lillian is treated differently for being a working mom.

    Director:Ken Whittingham
    Writer:Jacque Edmonds Cofer

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  4. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 16 - The Sleepover
    7.2/10(154 votes)

    #4 - The Sleepover

    S1:E16

    When Dean learns that Corey’s dad, Coach Long, is in the doghouse, he struggles to keep this secret from his friend.

    Director:Shiri Appleby
    Writer:Jordan Black

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  5. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 2 - Green Eyed Monster
    7.3/10(322 votes)

    #5 - 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.

    Director:Fred Savage
    Writer:Mary Fitzgerald

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  6. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 5 - The Lock In
    7.3/10(235 votes)

    #6 - 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.

    Director:Molly McGlynn
    Writer:Amberia Allen

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  7. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 12 - I'm With The Band
    7.3/10(174 votes)

    #7 - I'm With The Band

    S1:E12

    When Dean loses his position as first chair saxophone in the school band, Bill lays the pressure on him to earn it back.

    Directors:Victor Nelli, Jr.
    Writer:Jordan Black

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  8. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 14 - Country Dean
    7.3/10(159 votes)

    #8 - Country Dean

    S1:E14

    The family spends spring break with Lillian's parents in the countryside, and Dean lies to his cousins about city life in Montgomery to impress them. Meanwhile, Lillian helps to settle a land dispute between her parents and their neighbors to impress her difficult-to-please mother.

    Director:Fred Savage
    Writer:Bob Daily

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  9. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 20 - Bill's New Gig
    7.3/10(145 votes)

    #9 - Bill's New Gig

    S1:E20

    Bill is excited to have made tenure at the university, only to find that his focus on career and family has cost him his spot in his band; Bruce adjusts to living at home.

    Director:David Robert Jones
    Writer:Dioverd Danny Batista

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  10. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 21 - Where No Dean Has Been Before
    7.3/10(131 votes)

    #10 - 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.

    Director:Ken Whittingham
    Writer:Bo Zenga

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  11. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    7.4/10(488 votes)

    #11 - 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.

    Director:Fred Savage
    Writer:Saladin K. Patterson

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  12. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 11 - Brad Mitzvah
    7.4/10(169 votes)

    #12 - 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
    Writer:Yael Galena

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  13. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 17 - Jobs and Hangouts
    7.5/10(151 votes)

    #13 - 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.

    Director:Aisha Tyler
    Writer:Jacque Edmonds Cofer

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  14. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 18 - Goose Grease
    7.5/10(145 votes)

    #14 - 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.

    Director:Ken Whittingham
    Writer:Yael Galena

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  15. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 13 - The Valentine’s Day Dance
    7.6/10(167 votes)

    #15 - 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.
    Writer:Brett Melnick

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  16. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 22 - Love, Dean
    7.6/10(138 votes)

    #16 - 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.

    Director:Saladin K. Patterson
    Writer:Yamin Segal

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  17. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 3 - The Club
    7.7/10(289 votes)

    #17 - 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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  18. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 7 - Independence Day
    7.7/10(221 votes)

    #18 - 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.

    Director:Robert Townsend
    Writer:Jacque Edmonds Cofer

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  19. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 15 - Black Teacher
    7.7/10(170 votes)

    #19 - 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
    Writer:Amberia Allen

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  20. The Wonder Years Season 2 Episode 8 - Like a Boss
    7.7/10(98 votes)

    #20 - 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.

    Director:Michael Schultz
    Writer:Tom Young

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  21. The Wonder Years Season 2 Episode 9 - Happy Birthday Clisby
    7.7/10(98 votes)

    #21 - 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.

    Director:Katie Locke O'Brien
    Writer:Kendra Cole

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  22. The Wonder Years Season 2 Episode 10 - The Happiest Place on Earth
    7.7/10(102 votes)

    #22 - 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.

    Director:Ken Whittingham
    Writer:Yael Galena

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  23. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 4 - The Workplace
    7.8/10(286 votes)

    #23 - 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.

    Director:Shiri Appleby
    Writers:Kendra Cole, Meredith Dawson

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  24. The Wonder Years Season 2 Episode 7 - A Star is Born
    7.8/10(100 votes)

    #24 - 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.

    Director:Lisa C. Satriano
    Writer:Melanie Boysaw

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  25. The Wonder Years Season 1 Episode 9 - Home For Christmas
    7.9/10(209 votes)

    #25 - 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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Worst Episodes Summary

"Be Prepared" is the worst rated episode of "The Wonder Years". It scored 7.1/10 based on 217 votes. Directed by Fred Savage, Numa Perrier and written by Bob Daily, it aired on 10/27/2021. This episode scored 0.0 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Science Fair".