Ed Stevens has just been fired for misplacing a comma in a 500 page contract, which cost his law firm employer millions of dollars. When he arrives home to give his wife the bad news, he finds her in bed with the mailman. He decides to pack it all in and head back to his hometown of Stuckeyville, Ohio. When he runs into Carol Vessey, the girl of his high school dreams who is now an English teacher at Stuckeyville High School, he decides to stick around and purchase the local bowling alley, where he sets up a law practice.

Ed moves in with his best friend Mike and Mike's wife Nancy who are adjusting to life with a new baby. Still intent upon winning over Carol, Ed dons a suit of armor and enters her classroom carrying flowers and seeking a date. Although she is dating another faculty member, Carol agrees.

Carol's childhood diaries prove useful when the town's premier magician, Stuckeyville Stan, sues a competitor for revealing his secrets; Nancy becomes threatened by the baby's nanny.

Ed defends a secretary being sued over a payroll error; Carol decides that she and Nick have to end their relationship; Mike is reviewed by his superior; Molly selects talent over beauty in casting the school play.

Carol drowns her sorrows over breaking up with Nick with a ""Xanadu"" marathon; Ed represents a jittery bride-to-be who sues her hairdresser over a bad pre-wedding haircut; feeling that her relationship with Mike is in a rut, Nancy decides to spice things up by starting a book club; Ed steps forward and makes yet another bold move to win over Carol's affections, which runs into a snag and causes some misunderstandings.

On his first Thanksgiving without his wife, Ed decides to start a new tradition and arranges an unconventional Thanksgiving feast at Stuckeybowl for his friends; Phil schemes to resell store bought turkeys as marked up Corinthian birds; Mike dreads spending the holiday with his father-in-law; Ed represents a young man who was hurt while breaking into a man's cabin (on a dare) and is suing the owner.

The return of former high football star, Troy McCallum, brings out feelings of resentment in both Ed and Carol. Meanwhile Ed tries to help high school student Warren, whose nerd vs. jock conflict mirrors his own.

Ed locks horns with a sassy new D.A. while defending a man charged with breaking the law by putting dimes in parking meters; Molly chides Carol for taking Ed's attention for granted; Phil searches for his own personal catch phrase; Nancy must decide whether she wants to accept a promotion at work.

Ed handles a case involving a man being fired if he doesn't make a fish ""sing""; Mike believes the Burton's new nanny has a crush on him; the Stuckeybowl staff tries to come up with ideas to drum up business.

When Carol's music box is stolen from her car, Ed tries to help in apprehending the thief. Though the music box is valuable, Carol really wants it returned for sentimental reasons (her grandfather gave it to her). During the investigation, Carol lets her jealousy of Bonnie get the best of her and the two butt heads. Finally the culprit is found and with Ed's detective work the man is brought in for questioning. Unfortunately the man has an alibi. Ed investigates the alibi and learns that the man lied. Confronted by Ed, the thief admits that he stole the music box because he was desperate for money because he lost everything while supporting his sick mother. He refuses to admit that in court however until Ed promises to talk the DA into waiving jailtime and putting him on probation. When Bonnie learns about the deal, she becomes furious that Ed used their relationship to his advantage, but she does end up waiving jailtime anyway, to Carol's dismay. Later that night, Ed and Bonnie

Ed represents a priest who is being fired for not increasing the church's congregation; Phil turns love-doctor and tries to make an ordinary man into a ""love machine""

As Ed and Bonnie grow more comfortable in their relationship, Carol grows more uncomfortable so Ed suggests that they all go out for dinner. Not wanting to be a third wheel, Carol brings an escort along. But dinner is a disaster for everyone when a misundering with her escort forces Carol to betray Molly's confindence and Bonnie drops a bombshell on Ed: she's accepted a job in Washington, DC; Big Rudy, the former owner of Stuckeybowl decides he wants the bowling alley back and resorts to dirty tricks to get what he wants-even enlisting Phil's help.

In court Ed represents a singer/songwriter suing her band for the rights to her songs after she was kicked out.

A brush with death inspires a local man to change his life and do things he's never done before such as scale a wall, bowl naked, and go out with Molly. Meanwhile, Ed tries to recapture his youth by doing things he did when he was 18, and Warren becomes inspired by Thoreau's call to ""simplify"".

Ed and Carol finds themselves on opposite sides when he represents a gym coach who is flunking one of her best students; Dr. Jerome continues to humiliate Mike; Shirley starts working as Ed's legal clerk.

Ed's old high school girlfriend, Kara, tests her husband's fidelity by hiring a friend to come on to him, When the husband fails the test by sleeping with the woman, Ed helps Kara in the divorce settlement. Meanwhile Carol tries to stop the forced retirement of the school's music teacher due to budget reasons. Also Nancy tests the nanny to determine if she's trustworthy.

Ed is dismayed when a couple decides to marry at Stuckeybowl simply because the man bowled a strike. In court he helps a man get a restraining order against his overzealous brother who is trying to help him stick to his diet; Warren fears that he's missed his chance with Donna.

To ensure that Stuckeybowl outlasts him, Ed seeks to have it declared an historical landmark. Meanwhile in court, he reprresents a man overcharged for a placebo pill; Jeff causes friction between Molly and Carol.

Ed represents a golfer suing a fan who shouted out while he was making an easy putt-thus costing him the win; Warren can't decide whether to ask reliable Donna or dream-girl Jessica to the prom.

At the same time Ed receives a visit and a job offer from his old collegue, Carol invites him to the Stuckeyville HS junior prom; To avoid the embarrassement of not having a date, Warren seeks out an escort service; Phil attempts a string of comical practical jokes to get on a TV show.

Ed and Carol's close encounter is interrupted by Bonnie Hane; Ed defends Warren on a charge of criminal negligence after Warren brings a keg of beer to a party and an underage drinker has an bicycle accident on his way home; Nancy quits her job to be a full-time mother.

When a client changes his name and his image, Ed decides to follow his lead; Molly tries to catch the eye of a bowling alley equipment salesman; Mike takes drastic measures to find ""the last straw"" which will end the impasse with Dr. Jerome.

Ed's on the case after a bitter kid's show host talks a young boy into running away; Molly gives up on wooing Jim; Warren comes up with the worst idea ever on how to impress his classmates.

Carol is infuriated when Dennis cancels the annual budget meeting for all faculty. The entire faculty bands together to get rid of Dennis, including writing his end of the first semester review. Carol convinces the faculty to give Dennis a chance to prove himself. When he later takes Carol to task for her actions, she investigates further, discovering he was fired. Carol writes him a positive evaluation, which Dennis tears up and returns. Frustrated by his continued rebuffs, she kisses him.

A young lawyer, Joe Baxter, fresh out of the corporate world and full of energy, requests to join Ed's ""firm"". He observes Ed for a while, and launches his own ""bowling alley practice"" complete with Kenny, Shirley, and Phil-esque characters in his employ, and going so far as to steal Ed's clients. He advertises himself as the world's first bowling alley lawyer. When push comes to shove, Joe cannot deliver in the court room, and Ed happily regains his status.

Ed gets involved in the Carol-Dennis tiff

Ed represents a teacher who admits to refusing to cast a talented African American in a play--as Abraham Lincoln; Warren gets an image makeover; Molly resists her boyfriend's efforts to get her a new car.

Hoping to turn the case into a First Amendment issue to be heard by the Supreme Court, a celebrity lawyer offers to help Ed defend an ex-classmate being sued by a woman for embarrassing her on the Internet.

Mike resorts to extreme measures after Dr. Jerome decides to postpone his retirement.

Warren finds that the class clown who laughs first is the one who get the most laughs.

Carol breaks Ed's heart with a lie about her relationship with Dennis, who gives Miss Vessey cause to reconsider romance with him. Meanwhile, a Stuckeyville woman hires Ed to watch over her husband during his very unusual birthday celebration; Phil and Kenny set out to invent a new food; and Warren's first date with Jessica hits a snag.

Ed and Carol disagree about the propriety of reuniting Ed's high school garage band to play at the funeral of the band's songwriter; Warren spends a blissfull week dating Jessica and immortalizes the event with an infinity tattoo; Molly tutors Phil in chemistry so that he can pass his G.E.D. exam.

A beautiful, off-beat woman blows into town and sweeps Ed off his feet, while encouraging him to face his fears and live life to the fullest; everyone gets more than they bargained for when Carol gives her students a journalism assignment to videotape and report a news-breaking story at Stuckeyville High; Ed discovers an unpleasant truth about Jim and forces him to tell Molly, who is devastated by the revelation.

Ed winds up behind bars and in over his head after his favorite judge displays some outlandish courtroom behavior; Phil runs a boot camp for clowns to find the perfect one for a Stuckeybowl celebration; Mike becomes the object of derision after a marketer takes over the ads for his new private practice.

Ed's fast-talking big brother blows into town and ropes Ed into a risky plan to glam up Stuckeybowl; Nancy's Internet chat buddy turns out to be a little younger, but a lot older-acting than she expected; and Warren finally sees Diane in a new light after he fails to make headway with a college girl.

On the 15th anniversary of his missing the foul shot that led to Stuckeyville High's losing the championship, Ed looks to rewrite history by reenacting the moment and making the shot this time around; Molly is torn when Jim offers to leave his wife for her; Phil teaches Shirley how to flirt with a shy delivery guy.

Ed agrees to coach the Stuckeyville High ""Quiz Bowl"" team and clashes with Dennis over a team member who's scholastically challenged; Dennis falls off the wagon; Phil tries to promote a boxing match; Warren sets out on a religious search to find the courage to transform his life.

The news that Dennis and Carol have moved in together has Ed scrambling to find the perfect way to revisit the past and win her back; Dennis decides to run for president of the senior class after disapproving of the frontrunner; Warren embarks on his first real date with Diane, only to find that the feelings they have aren't exactly romantic.

Ed wrestles with his nervousness about taking what he believes to be his last chance to tell Carol exactly how he feels after he discovers that she and Dennis are going away for the summer together and that Dennis plans to propose during the trip; Warren and Mark compete for Diane's affection; Stuckeyvillians vie for the title of ""The Most Talented Person in Stuckeyville"".

Ed is forced to defend the scam artist who manipulated Mike into betting and losing $3,000 on a baseball game; Carol, still furious at Ed for kissing her before she left on her trip with Dennis, finally makes a decision about her romantic future; Kenny bowls a perfect game, then bids adieu to Stuckeyville to pursue new adventures; and Ed hires a new supervising manager for Stuckeybowl.

Ed is shocked when Carol announces her engagement to Dennis; Mark agrees to go on a diet if Diane enters the Miss Stuckeybowl pageant; Diane's participation in the pageant pits Carol against Ed; Phil and Eli continue to clash.

Carol's father returns from Florida in time for his birthday party, unaware that she's engaged. When she finally springs the news on him, he's hurt that she's marrying someone he's never even met. At his birthday party, he gives Carol and Dennis the cold shoulder and refuses to speak to her or accept her apology. When she goes to his house to explain, she is shocked to discover that her father remarried a year earlier without telling her. Carol goes ballistic until she finds out that her father may be sick. When she asks him, he denies it. Finally, he visits her and they talk about how they have tried to protect each other ever since her mother died. He finally admits that he's scared and asks Carol to come with him to his doctor's appointment, where they get good news.

Warren freaks out about the unfairness of the SAT system and mounts a one-man protest he calls ""Pencils Down!"". After several fruitless attempts to be taken seriously and enroll anyone else in his boycott, he finally fa

The families converge for the wedding, and Carol begins to have second thoughts after talking to her father about her parents' courtship; Warren enlists the help of Carol's sister Stella in writing a song for the bride, and the two hit it off better than Warren could have dreamed, leading him to seek out Eli for advice about women; Ed decides not to attend the wedding, but Carol begs him to reconsider; Jennifer encourages Ed to break up the wedding and he decides to go for it and ride up to the church on a white steed, but the horse he ends up with has other ideas; Dennis makes a painful decision to tell the truth at a crucial moment.

Tired of the continuing Carol/Ed saga, the pair's friends trap them in Stuckeybowl until they finally work things out, one way or another.

Lloyd returns to Stuckeyville, and his new scheme is selling makeup for men. When he's prosecuted for being part of a pyramid scheme, Ed doubts Lloyd's claims that he knew nothing about it, creating friction between the brothers. After Mark's father has a heart attack and Mark gets bad news about his own health at his annual checkup, Mike and Warren convince him to have gastric bypass surgery. Ed and Carol smooth over the rough patch in their relationship and become friendly again.

Ed becomes concerned about his legacy after taking a longevity test and learning that his life expectancy is ""only"" 83 years; Stella returns to Stuckeyville after breaking up with her boyfriend, who follows her there; hoping to cash in on the royalty market, Phil and Eli compete to create a new birthday song; Frankie and Leon come to a parting of the ways; Warren's high-flying approach to playing Cupid for Stella on Valentine's Day gets him the thank-you of his dreams.

Ed tries lucid dreaming to figure out if he should pursue a relationship with Frankie.

Frankie becomes upset when she learns that Ed has not been entirely forthcoming about his past with Carol; when the gang helps him save his former restaurant from going bankrupt, Eli sadly reflects how his life has changed since his accident; Carol dates the handsome new teacher in town, and finally realizes that it's Ed that she wants; to Nancy's delight, Mike picks up some slick moves from a video about becoming a better lover, but he's not so sure he's ready for the increased responsibilies his new-found skills have brought him; Frankie and Carol each make a romantic gesture to win Ed's heart.

When Carol is discouraged after Ed spurns her feelings as ""not real"", Molly becomes the catalyst in helping Ed to rethink his position; Ed helps an old friend achieve his dream of making a movie; Nancy and Mike dip their toes into show business as Mike and Phil pester the star of the movie; claiming that it's never over between Ed and Carol, Frankie flees to Houston to visit Leon; Warren is heartbroken when Stella decides to return to Boston to finish school.

Eli, Phil and Shirley take over preparations for Stuckeybowl's 75th birthday party; Carol completely freaks out when Ed tells her that Molly stole her journal and read parts of it to him, but she can't resist asking Molly about his reaction; bored with their friends' dinner parties, Mike and Nancy accept an invitation to a kegger from Stacie and Jenny, coeds they find stranded by the side of the road with a flat tire; over his better judgment, Eli takes Phil's advice to invite Vivian to the party, and gets turned down; while one college party and its hangover are enough for Nancy, Mike decides to take the plunge again by attending ""Luau Night"" after helping Stacie and Jenny study for their chemistry exam, but gets more than he bargained for when he's forced to turn down Stacie's proposition; Shirley comes up with the right person and the right motivation, and Eli finally gets up the courage to approach a pretty woman at the party; Warren's band gets booked to play at the festivities an

Ed and Carol stumble through the first days of their changed relationship; Mike and Nancy have their hands full with a new puppy and its dishonest breeder; Eli is bewitched by an attractive and talented pie maker.

The first weeks of the new relationship between Ed and Carol are seen through the lens of his cousin Benny, who's filming a documentary for his final film school project; when Carol's lease is up, she and Ed decide to move in together; while mugging for the camera, their friends comment on Ed and Carol, and the nature of romantic relationships in general; as time goes on, and familiarity begins to breed indifference and conflict, Ed learns an important lesson about relationships from his high school driver's ed teacher and Carol gets a crucial insight into Ed from Mike; Molly teaches Warren a lesson about punking one-upmanship.

Several Stuckeyville stalwarts seek a sympathetic ear to help them resolve relationship roadblocks: Ed sees out a therapist with a unique background to help him deal with his new long-distance relationship; Eli uses his physical therapist as a sounding board about the possibility of a future romance with Jennifer; Molly gets some expert guidance counseling from Nancy about her flirtation with an unlikely suitor.

Eli takes pity on Phil's latest get-rich-quick scheme; Warren, Mark and Jimmy create a hilarious Ed and Carol tribute video for the rehearsal dinner, but Shirley is the one who really brings down the house with a special song; Mike feels a little lost as the best man in the face of the extensive groomsman experience and contacts displayed by Ed's cousin Mitch; Molly opens the door when a possible opportunity comes knocking; Ed gets a behind-the-scenes inspiration for a wedding day $10 bet from a surprising source; Ed and Carol hatch some truly hairbrained ideas in their quest for the appropriate theme for their wedding until Ed's inspiration leads them to the perfect place to start the next phase of their lives.