Ed Stevens, a New York lawyer , gets fired and catches his wife cheating on him. He decides to return to his hometown of Stuckeyville, Ohio. Ed tries to recapture his past. He tries to win the heart of Carol Vessey, the prom queen and most popular girl from high school class. He also moves in with his best friend Mike Burton, a doctor whose wife Nancy is trying to balance work and parenting. Ed buys the local bowling alley and turns it into his law office/bowling alley. Stuckeybowl becomes the main center of activity.
Ed gets hired to defend Stuckeyville Stan, the town's beloved magician. Stan needs Ed's help because the Masked Magician is revealing all of his secrets. Ed finds a piece of evidence in Carol's high school diary. He also finds out who she had a crush on. Also, Phil is planning an even for the grand re-opening of Stuckeybowl.
Ed goes to court over a contract that was written on a bar napkin by four high school buddies. One of the friends gets rich and denies the contract. He hires a big-city lawyer from the same law firm that fired Ed. Also, Ed has to find a manager for Stuckeybowl. He realizes his only choices are Phil, Kenny or Shirley.
Carol finally comes to the conclusion that her boyfriend, Nick, isn't spontaneous or fun enough for her. She breaks up with him, which makes Ed's excited.
Ed has a case where he represents an attractive woman who works for a used car salesman. Her boss has been putting extra money in her paychecks and is now going to sue her to get $5,000.
Even though his friends advise him not to, Ed makes another attempt to win over Carol, and her newly broken heart. This leads to Ed commiserating with Nick.
Stuckeybowl business has been low, so Ed gives in and lets Phil create the first ever Stuckeybowl tv commercial. Also, Nancy tries to make the little time that she and Mike have together special.
Carol informs Ed that she is leaving Stuckeyville to pursue a writing career. Ed gets caught up in the heated race for Stuckeyville mayor. Phil takes a young bowler under his wing.
Ed is feeling down as Thanksgiving approaches. He is soon to be divorced and not looking forward to it. He decides to throw a Thanksgiving feast at Stuckeybowl.
Ed misses his ex-wife Liz, while Carol is missing her ex-boyfriend Nick. Ed sees that his crush is down on her luck and invites her to spend Thanksgiving with him and his friends. "We'll keep an eye on each other in case one of us starts to lose it---like an emotional buddy system."
Ed takes on a Halloween prankster client who was injured by his target. Phil tries a new cash scam by selling "fine Corinthian turkeys".
Molly's grandfather hires Ed to write his will. He reveals a shocking secret about his past.
Mike has a new rival doctor to deal with at the office.
Phil hosts open-mic night at Stuckeybowl.
Carol starts to feel insecure when she comes face to face with Troy, the star quarterback who dumped her. He also went on to have a "perfect" life.
Ed recalls a time when Troy and his buddies made him eat dog food. Ed masters up a prank to get back at the ex-quarterback, then turns his eye toward getting revenge on a refrigerator salesman that ignored him.
Ed sees remnants of his youth in Warren's nerd vs. jock conflict, so he offers him advice.
Ed's parents, Alan and Natalie Stevens, make a surprise visit to Stuckeyville and let Ed know that they are disappointed that he left his successful Manhattan life behind.
Carol volunteers to coach the girls' JV basketball team even though she's never played basketball before. She turns to Ed, Mike and Nancy for some much-needed lessons.
Ed defends three men who tricked their friend into believing he won $20 million in the lottery.
When a Good Samaritan gets in trouble for putting quarters into others' expired parking meters, Ed faces off against a pretty district attorney. Molly questions Carol for taking Ed for granted. Phil desperately tries to come up with a personal catch phrase.
Ed gets ready for an appeal of his parking meter case, until Assistant D.A. Bonnie Hane drops the case...and asks him out. Carol gets irritated because she thinks Ed automatically assumed that she would get jealous.
Ed represents a life insurance salesman whose new boss fired him because of what a talking-bass novelty toy told him.
Mike is convinces that the babysitter has the hots for him. Phil comes up with a plan to invite the cast of "Happy Days" to Stuckeybowl to bring business up.
Ed is torn between his long-time feelings for Carol and his new romance with Bonnie. Things get weird when Ed tries to find Carol's expensive stolen music box by enlisting Bonnie to help. The two women finally meet.
Warren is disappointed when he is rejected from joing the bowling leage team that has a pretty classmate on it. He is instead forced to join another team.
Ed is in no mood for love when he feels disrepceted by Bonnie in "the morning after". Bonnie does not act like much of a lover while sharing Ed's bed. Ed shares his feelings with Carol, who feels jealousy among other emotions. Ed and Carol even drag Molly into the problem, who is getting very tired of hearing these stories.Ed represents a priest who is being fired after 30 years because the church president feels his style is outdated. Phill also tries out his newest business venture: speed dating.
The final episode of the sitcom sees Carol and Ed preparing to have a circus-themed wedding. Warren plans an ambitious video of the big day and Phil is determined to perform the ceremony himself.