The BEST episodes of The Wonder Years (2021)
Every episode of The Wonder Years (2021) ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Wonder Years (2021)!
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 his adult years, Dean’s hopeful and humorous recollections show how his family found their “wonder years” in a turbulent time.
#1 - Jobs and Hangouts
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/23/2022
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 co-worker and her younger brother.
#2 - The Happiest Place On Earth
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/16/2023
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.
#3 - Happy Birthday, Clisby
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/16/2023
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.
#4 - Like a Boss
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/9/2023
After Lillian's boss announces budget cuts, she is forced to make a decision and enforce boundaries between her personal and professional life; Dean and Cory's friendship hits a few speed bumps as they work together for the boxcar derby.
#5 - A Star is Born
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/2/2023
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.
#6 - Bill's New Friend
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/26/2023
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.
#7 - Takeover Spirit
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/5/2023
When Lillian joins the church choir, she discovers a new side to her mother-in-law. Later, Kim encourages a guilt-ridden Dean to have an encounter with the supernatural.
#8 - Blockbusting
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/28/2023
Bill and Lillian consider moving into the first integrated neighborhood in Montgomery. Meanwhile, Dean develops a crush on Brad’s mom during a sleepover at their house.
#9 - Football Team
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/21/2023
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.
#10 - Forbidden Fruit
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/14/2023
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.
#11 - One Small Step
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/14/2023
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.
#12 - Love, Dean
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/18/2022
It’s the end of the school year, and summer excitement is all around. When Bill and Lillian each receive major career opportunities, tension builds as they decide who will handle more of the household responsibilities. Meanwhile, Dean and Keisa take shelter together as a tornado tears through Montgomery, providing the perfect moment for Dean to tell her how he really feels.
#13 - Where No Dean Has Been Before
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/11/2022
Dean tries to impress Keisa’s cool new boyfriend, Broderick, by inviting him and his friends over for 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, and Dean is forced to admit he isn’t being true to himself.
#14 - Bill’s New Gig
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/20/2022
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. Lillian encourages Bill to write and perform solo, especially as an attractive young jazz singer approaches Bill to collaborate. Meanwhile, Bruce adjusts to living at home.
#15 - Love & War
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/13/2022
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.
#16 - Goose Grease
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/6/2022
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.
#17 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/22/2021
As the youngest in the Williams family, Dean is struggling to figure out where he fits in. Between his brother’s athleticism, sister’s popularity, mother’s intelligence and dad’s overall coolness, everyone else seems to have their lane figured out. He 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.
#18 - The Sleepover
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/16/2022
When Dean learns that Corey's dad, Coach Long, is in the doghouse, he struggles to keep this secret from his friend.
#19 - Black Teacher
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/2/2022
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.
#20 - Country Dean
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/23/2022
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.
#21 - The Valentine's Day Dance
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/2/2022
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.
#22 - I'm with the Band
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/19/2022
When Dean loses his position as first chair saxophone in the school band, Bill lays the pressure on him to earn it back. But after a talk with Lillian, Bill realizes he’s being a bit too harsh and forcing his own dreams upon Dean.
#23 - Brad Mitzvah
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/12/2022
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.
#24 - Lads and Ladies and Us
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/5/2022
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.
#25 - Home for Christmas
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/1/2021
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.