About this season
Roger 'Raj' Thomas has graduated from the University of Southern California, and become a fledgling writer. He and his wife Nadine, a social worker, move in to his old home in Watts (given to him by his mother, Mabel, now remarried and living in Phoenix, Arizona). His sister Dee is away at college. Childhood friend Dwayne Nelson has become a computer programmer, while Freddie 'Rerun' Stubbs is a used-car salesman. The old soda shop hangout, Rob's Place, has gone out of business and left abandoned. Reminded of his youth, and seeing an opportunity, Raj and Shirley Wilson, who used to wait tables there, decide to buy the business together, renaming it Rob's.
Episodes (22)
1. Nadine's Surprise
Aired 27 September 1986 • 22 min
While eavesdropping, Raj mistakenly believes he's soon to become a father, while Nadine has instead planned a different surprise for him: dinner with his long-lost father who has come to make amends with his estranged son.
2. Shirley's Landlord
Aired 4 October 1986 • 22 min
A new management company is raising rents in her apartment building, so Shirley gathers her friends and fellow tenants together to confront the evil landlord -- who is in for the fight of his life.
3. The Movie Deal
Aired 11 October 1986 • 22 min
Raj is elated when his agent informs him that he may have a movie deal for Raj's latest screenplay — until it's discovered that it is in fact Nadine's case study on homeless women that the producer wants to turn into a blockbuster.
4. Picture Perfect
Aired 18 October 1986 • 22 min
Raj is quickly exposed to modern art when he discovers that a nude painting Nadine posed for years earlier is now part of a prominent art exhibit.
5. Raj's Nightmare
Aired 25 October 1986 • 22 min
Raj's dream of going on a fishing trip with Dwayne becomes a real-life nightmare when his mother-in-law sinks her hooks into him.
6. Party Animal
Aired 8 November 1986 • 22 min
Raj makes a spectacle of himself at Dwayne's party when he drinks too much, dances too much and wakes up with a strange woman.
7. Shirley's Little Sister
Aired 15 November 1986 • 22 min
Shirley realizes that the buddy system works both ways when she volunteers to be a big sister to a teenage girl.
8. Raj's Big Break
Aired 22 November 1986 • 22 min
Raj is approached by a woman from a publishing company who offers him $50,000 to publish his new book. However, everyone soon realizes that the woman is not whom she appears to be.
9. Thy Boss's Daughter
Aired 6 December 1986 • 22 min
Dwayne finds that there are many perks when he begins dating the boss's daughter. However, he quickly wants out when she becomes controlling.
10. Cabin Fever
Aired 13 December 1986 • 22 min
Nadine, Shirley and Dee are in a tight squeeze when their car breaks down, leaving them stranded in a secluded mountain cabin while an escaped convict prowls outside.
11. Instant Family
Aired 20 December 1986 • 22 min
In an effort to impress an old schoolmate, Shirley pretends to be Raj's wife and the mother of two children whom they have 'rented' to support the lie.
12. Old Army Daze
Aired 10 January 1987 • 22 min
Dwayne's old army buddy visits and challenges Raj to a poker game, which almost costs him his car and his half interest in the diner.
13. The Yard Sale
Aired 17 January 1987 • 22 min
Raj and Nadine's plan to have a yard sale has trouble getting off the ground when the gang realize that many of the items have sentimental value.
14. Dwayne's Amiga
Aired 24 January 1987 • 22 min
Dwayne is smitten with a new girl in town from El Salvador. However, their romance becomes complicated when she must choose between Dwayne and her duty to her war-torn country.
15. Sorority Sisters
Aired 31 January 1987 • 22 min
After getting verbally berated by Raj at the diner, Dee's visiting sorority sisters devise a scheme to get revenge on him.
16. Mad Money
Aired 7 February 1987 • 22 min
Raj convinces himself Nadine is having an affair when he uncovers secret plans for a cruise she has been saving up for to surprise him.
17. Dee's Suitor
Aired 14 February 1987 • 22 min
When Dee visits from college, she is aggressively pursued by a nerdy guy who will not take no for an answer.
18. I'll Be Homeless for Christmas
Aired 21 February 1987 • 22 min
After Raj kicks a homeless man out of the diner, he has a nightmare that he's homeless during Christmas and awakens to realize that it can happen to anyone.
19. Taking the Rap
Aired 28 February 1987 • 22 min
When Jolly Cholly opens down the street, Rob's starts losing customers until the gang persuade a hot rap group to record a radio ad for their sinking business.
20. Opening Day
Aired 7 March 1987 • 22 min
After learning that the Little League team sponsored by Rob's will be facing off against their longtime rival, Raj and Dwayne begin to focus the team more on winning at all costs and less on having fun.
21. Raj on the Double
Aired 14 March 1987 • 22 min
When Raj's doppelgänger cousin Willie escapes from prison, he heads straight to Raj and Nadine's to avoid detection. Plenty of confusion is abound when even Nadine cannot tell them apart.
22. The Housekeeper
Aired 28 March 1987 • 22 min
Feeling sorry for an Arctic woman jilted by her beau, Raj and Nadine hire her as their housekeeper. They soon realize that she is not cut out to be a maid and try to reunite her with her beloved.