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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!

The story of Kevin Arnold facing the trials and tribulations of youth while growing up during the 1960s and 70s. Told through narration from an...
Genres:ComedyDramaFamily
Network:ABC

Worst Episodes Summary

"Soccer" is the worst rated episode of "The Wonder Years". It scored 7.4/10 based on 299 votes. Directed by Thomas Schlamme and written by N/A, it aired on 11/20/1991. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Pfeiffer's Choice".

  • Soccer
    7.4/10299 votes
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    #1 - Soccer

    Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/20/1991

    Kevin joins the school's soccer team in an attempt to become involved in school sports, but becomes very frustrated with the team's lackluster performance and an extremely apathetic coach.

    Director: Thomas Schlamme

    Writer: N/A

  • Pfeiffer's Choice
    7.5/10287 votes
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    #2 - Pfeiffer's Choice

    Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 12/18/1991

    The Pfeiffer and Arnold families have always been friends, but that friendship is threatened when the Pfeiffers come into a lot of money due to a real estate investment that Jack Arnold passed on. When the Arnolds are invited to the Pfeiffers' country club, Jack cannot handle it. Norma saves the day with a toast to the families' continuing friendship

    Director: Ken Topolsky

    Writer: Mark B. Perry

  • Politics as Usual
    7.5/10289 votes
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    #3 - Politics as Usual

    Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 10/21/1992

    Kevin gets jealous of a charismatic political campaigner who has encouraged Winnie to help him out.

    Director: Bryan Gordon

    Writer: N/A

  • Who's Aunt Rose?
    7.6/10305 votes
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    #4 - Who's Aunt Rose?

    Season 4 Episode 13 - Aired 2/6/1991

    Kevin learns the importance of family when Grandpa Arnold returns to town for Aunt Rose's funeral.

    Director: Rob Thompson

    Writer: Mark B. Perry

  • Courage
    7.6/10302 votes
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    #5 - Courage

    Season 4 Episode 14 - Aired 2/13/1991

    Kevin has a small crush on Dr. Tucker's dental hygienist, Miss Hasenfuss. She makes him feel like a man, though that all changes when she calls him in for his first cavity filling.

    Director: Daniel Stern

    Writer: Mark B. Perry

  • The Wonder Years
    7.6/10284 votes
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    #6 - The Wonder Years

    Season 4 Episode 23 - Aired 5/15/1991

    A clip show of highlights from Kevin's years in Junior High. Including clips from "Don't You Know Anything About Women," "The Glee Club," "Just Between You and Me... and Kirk and Paul and Carla and Becky," "Summer Song" among others.

    Director: Nick Marck

    Writer: Mark B. Perry

  • Broken Hearts and Burgers
    7.6/10297 votes
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    #7 - Broken Hearts and Burgers

    Season 5 Episode 24 - Aired 5/13/1992

    Kevin is torn between whether to try getting back with Winnie or just enjoying his time at the diner with friends. Includes flashbacks of Winnie in the pilot, "Steady as She Goes," "Nemesis," "How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation," among many others. There is also a flashback to Becky Slater in "Just Between You and Me and Kirk and Paul and Carla and Becky," to Lisa Berlini in "Dance with Me" and to Madeline in "It's a Mad, Mad, Madeline World."

    Director: Ken Topolsky

    Writer: N/A

  • Alice in Autoland
    7.6/10285 votes
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    #8 - Alice in Autoland

    Season 6 Episode 12 - Aired 1/13/1993

    When Kevin is offered a great deal on a used car from Alice's dad, Pistol Pete, Kevin has to decide whether to betray his friend, Chuck, who has broken up with Alice again.

    Director: Arthur Albert

    Writer: N/A

  • Reunion
    7.6/10275 votes
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    #9 - Reunion

    Season 6 Episode 20 - Aired 4/28/1993

    The Arnolds fly across country so Norma can attend her 25-year class reunion. Her parents keep talking about her old boyfriend, Roger, which upsets Kevin, but not Jack. Kevin realizes that the bond between his parents is stronger than he realized.

    Director: Arthur Albert

    Writer: N/A

  • The Pimple
    7.7/10324 votes
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    #10 - The Pimple

    Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 11/28/1989

    Kevin is looking forward to the visit of an old family friend, Gina, until he discovers his first pimple.

    Director: Matia Karrell

    Writer: David M. Stern

  • The Glee Club
    7.7/10342 votes
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    #11 - The Glee Club

    Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 2/27/1990

    A new student teacher tries to make something of the 8th-grade boys' Glee Club, but without much success.

    Director: Jim McBride

    Writer: N/A

  • Buster
    7.7/10302 votes
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    #12 - Buster

    Season 4 Episode 15 - Aired 2/27/1991

    Kevin's dog Buster needs to get fixed to stop his incessant barking, but the dog wants to avoid that at all costs.

    Director: Nick Marck

    Writer: Mark B. Perry

  • Full Moon Rising
    7.7/10289 votes
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    #13 - Full Moon Rising

    Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 10/30/1991

    When Ricky Halsenbach turns 16, Kev and friends decide to go cruising for chicks. Kevin gets into trouble with Cindy after she catches him in a lie. Purdle moons Kevin's parents from Ricky's car.

    Director: Ken Topolsky

    Writer: Mark B. Perry

  • Scenes from a Wedding
    7.7/10303 votes
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    #14 - Scenes from a Wedding

    Season 6 Episode 3 - Aired 10/7/1992

    When the Arnolds attend the wedding of Jack's boss' daughter, one of the bridesmaids turns her attention to Kevin. He tries to get a bottle of champagne for them to consume together, but ends up drinking it while he waits for her. When she does arrive, Kevin vomits on her. Later, Wayne tells Kevin that he's had sex with the bride.

    Director: Michael Dinner

    Writer: Jon Harmon Feldman

  • The Test
    7.7/10277 votes
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    #15 - The Test

    Season 6 Episode 9 - Aired 12/2/1992

    While Kevin and Winnie are concerned about their futures, Jack gets a disappointing evaluation from his employers at NORCOM. Kevin doesn't want to end up in a job like his dad has and Jack is getting pretty tired of it, too.

    Director: Ken Topolsky

    Writer: N/A

  • Eclipse
    7.7/10303 votes
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    #16 - Eclipse

    Season 6 Episode 17 - Aired 3/3/1993

    On the way to the Planetarium, Kevin and Winnie and Alice and Chuck play "Truth or Dare." When Winnie asks Kevin what he'd change about her, he thinks and then says sometimes she is just too perfect. She doesn't appreciate this and tries to prove that she make trouble as well as anyone else.

    Director: Stephen Cragg

    Writer: N/A

  • Odd Man Out
    7.8/10329 votes
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    #17 - Odd Man Out

    Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 11/14/1989

    When Kevin and Paul get on each other's nerves, they try to become best friends with two other boys.

    Director: Peter Baldwin

    Writer: David M. Stern

  • Rock 'n Roll
    7.8/10341 votes
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    #18 - Rock 'n Roll

    Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 1/2/1990

    Kevin joins a band, The Electric Shoes, when he is inspired by The Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan show.

    Director: Michael Dinner

    Writer: Bob Stevens

  • The Candidate
    7.8/10302 votes
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    #19 - The Candidate

    Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 1/9/1991

    Kevin enters the race for student-council president, head-to-head with nemesis Becky Slater.

    Director: Neal Israel

    Writer: Eric Gilliland

  • Christmas Party
    7.8/10311 votes
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    #20 - Christmas Party

    Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 12/11/1991

    Kevin doesn't want to attend his family's annual Christmas party for the neighborhood because it will only be his parent's friends - all his friends will be away. Jack is busy at work and Norma is busy at college and when several other problems crop up during the party, Norma and Jack argue. When Jack sends Kevin and Wayne to the store, they expect to return home to the worst.

    Director: Jim McBride

    Writer: Denise Moss, Sy Dukane

  • Lunch Stories
    7.8/10292 votes
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    #21 - Lunch Stories

    Season 5 Episode 18 - Aired 3/18/1992

    It's lunchtime at McKinley High and the cafeteria is full of life. Chuck spies a potential date. Ricky worries about an assignment he is yet to finish. Wayne tries to win $20 by finding out Maniac's first name. And Kevin is convinced by Winnie to donate blood.

    Director: Ken Topolsky

    Writer: Sy Dukane, Denise Moss

  • Sex and Economics
    7.8/10307 votes
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    #22 - Sex and Economics

    Season 6 Episode 4 - Aired 10/14/1992

    Kevin wants to earn some money to take Winnie out for dinner, so he jumps at the opportunity to paint his sociology teacher's house. When he tries to con some younger students into helping him out, things start to go wrong.

    Director: Ken Topolsky

    Writer: Jon Harmon Feldman

  • Ladies and Gentlemen... The Rolling Stones
    7.8/10284 votes
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    #23 - Ladies and Gentlemen... The Rolling Stones

    Season 6 Episode 13 - Aired 1/27/1993

    Kevin wants a story that he and Winnie can tell their kids. So, when he is grounded after receiving a speeding ticket, he sneaks out of the house anyway. Kevin, Winnie and friends are off to see The Rolling Stones, who are rumored to be playing at Joe's place, which is out of town. But when they arrive, Joe says he doesn't know who the Rolling Stones are.

    Director: Peter Baldwin

    Writer: Kim Friese

  • Poker
    7.8/10297 votes
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    #24 - Poker

    Season 6 Episode 18 - Aired 3/24/1993

    Over a game of poker we learn some truths about Kevin's friends, including that Chuck thinks he's gotten Alice pregnant, that Randy is worried about failing trigonometry and that Paul and Kevin are drifting apart.

    Director: David Greenwalt

    Writer: Jon Harmon Feldman

  • Fate
    7.9/10358 votes
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    #25 - Fate

    Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 3/28/1989

    When Kevin confronts the school bully, he's driven by his love for Winnie.

    Director: Steve Miner

    Writer: Bob Brush