Season 1

#1 Pilot Episode (Sep 21, 1999)
After a chance meeting at their children's school, single parents Lily Manning and Rick Sammler decide to test the waters of the dating pool, but Lily's angst-ridden daughter Grace has misgivings about her mother's new "boyfriend." Also, Rick draws flak from his ex-wife about their son's failing grades.

#2 Let's Spend the Night Together (Sep 28, 1999)
Lily is fraught with ambiguity about her budding relationship with Rick, especially when she meets a much younger woman he used to date. Meanwhile, Rick's man-to-man chat with Eli about the birds and the bees may mean more to him than it does to his son.

#3 Scarlett Letter Jacket (Oct 5, 1999)
The potential for disaster looms large when Lily's and Rick's families (including their exes) converge for a carnival fund-raiser at school.

#4 Liars and Other Strangers (Oct 12, 1999)
The playful discretion with which Rick and Lily carry out their increasingly regular rendezvous turns into neglect for their families, as Eli's grades continue to plummet and Grace distressfully navigates the insecure waters of adolescence.

#5 There Be Dragons (Oct 19, 1999)
Rick's little girl, Jessie, tries to cope with the physical changes that accompany oncoming adolescence, and meeting her father's new girlfriend doesn't make things any easier. Meanwhile, Jake hints that he and Lily should give their marriage another try.

#6 A Dream Deferred (Oct 26, 1999)
Financial woes plague Lily when she and her sister ponder an addition to their bookshop, and Jake is inexplicably late on the mortgage payment.

#7 Ex-Files (Nov 2, 1999)
Rick and Karen spend an awkward weekend together at Eli's basketball tournament; Grace and Zoe are divided over their father's girlfriend.

#8 The Past Is Prologue (Nov 9, 1999)
Lily uncovers a disturbing trend with the men in her life when Rick becomes preoccupied with an important proposal at work. Meanwhile, Eli's frustration with his schoolwork reaches new depths.

#9 Outside Hearts (Nov 16, 1999)
Grace and Eli attend a "birthday" party where there's no cake, candles or presents — but plenty of illicit behavior — leading their parents to wonder where they went wrong. Meanwhile, Judy incurs a traveling Lily's wrath for her attitude towards child-rearing.

#10 Thanksgiving (Nov 23, 1999)
Thanksgiving is anything but happy for Lily when her visiting parents extend an invitation to Jake; Eli and Jessie must face dinner with their mother and her new "friend."

#11 The Gingerbread House (Dec 21, 1999)
Stumbling toward Christmas and plagued by inner turmoil, Lily is forced to make painful — yet necessary — revelations about the fate of her marriage and the future of her relationship with Rick.

#12 Mediation (Jan 24, 2000)
Lily and Jake need more than a mediator to facilitate their divorce; Rick and David try to satisfy a peculiar client. Meanwhile, Grace "volunteers" as Eli's tutor so he doesn't lose his sports eligibility.

#13 Sneaky Feelings (Jan 31, 2000)
To the disgust of his little sister, Eli's eye begins to wander when he feels his girlfriend is a bit too demanding. Elsewhere, a brash young doctor has eyes for Karen while working together on a legal matter.

#14 Mystery Dance (Feb 7, 2000)
A cynical Judy is smitten by an enigmatic sculptor, who happens to be working on Rick's project for Miles Drentell. Meanwhile, Rick and Lily continue to alter their relationship.

#15 Unfinished Business (Mar 6, 2000)
Fearing for her financial security, Lily seeks to rejoin the rat race, but her job search takes a back seat when her father is injured in a car accident. Part 1 of two.

#16 Strangers and Brothers (Mar 13, 2000)
The grim reality of the death of Lily's father settles uncomfortably over the family as his intentions for the future of the restaurant are made clear. Also, the reappearance of Lily's brother proves difficult for their mother.

#17 Cat-in-Hat (Apr 3, 2000)
Complications ensue from Karen's secretive affair with a younger man, Eli's clandestine misbehavior and Jessie's troubling experience in martial-arts class.

#18 My Brilliant Career (Apr 10, 2000)
Troubling revelations await Lily, who now reports to a younger boss; and her daughter Grace, whose divorced dad is seeing a much younger woman.

#19 Letting Go (Apr 17, 2000)
Revelations of Judy's trysts with a married artist disturb her sister Lily, whose daughter Grace still has trouble dealing with her dad's extramarital affair.

#20 A Door, About to Open (Apr 24, 2000)
Plans for Lily's and Rick's kids to meet are complicated by conflicts among the youths and tense situations involving their parents.

Season 2

#21 Wake Up, Little Susie (Oct 24, 2000)
This episode focuses on the teenage anxieties of Grace and Jessie.

#22 BookLovers (Oct 31, 2000)
Romantic hopefuls are drawn to the bookstore owned by Lily's sister, Judy, who's turned the place into a matchmaking parlor that's attracted Lily's boss, Christie, and Lily's ex, Jake.

#23 I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down (Nov 14, 2000)
Parental pressure bears down on Eli to get his act together for college. But the teen is marching to a different drummer: he wants to form a music group.

#24 Feast or Famine (Nov 21, 2000)
Thanksgiving at Lily's house is celebrated by members of her family and Rick's amid generous helpings of guilt and recrimination.

#25 Ozymandias 2.0 (Nov 28, 2000)
A fancy dinner party with preeminent clients lures Rick — and a reluctant Lily — deeper into the collusive domain of the manipulative Miles Drentell.

#26 Food for Thought (Dec 5, 2000)
The anguish of anorexia afflicts Jessie, whose treatment by an understanding therapist involves consultations with her embattled parents.

#27 Learner's Permit (Dec 19, 2000)
A learner's permit allows Grace to take driving lessons from her dad, but they're just a prelude to lessons in life — and love — from a relationship with a new beau.

#28 Life Out of Balance (Jan 10, 2001)
Lily's possible pregnancy causes a rift with Rick, whose recalcitrant son, Eli, falls for Grace's rebellious friend, Carla.

#29 Scribbling Rivalry (Jan 17, 2001)
Workplace politics pit Christie against a slick consultant, who curries favor with Lily — who's got her hands full at home with her squabbling daughters.

#30 Loves Laborer's Lost (Jan 24, 2001)
Torn between two lovers and feelin' like a fool, Judy is enamored of an articulate charmer, yet still drawn to the intriguing handyman who reenters her life.

#31 Thieves like Us (Jan 31, 2001)
Deception, guilt and jealousy figure in plots entangling Eli, Carla, Jessie and Grace, whose thievery complicates relationships. Producer Edward Zwick is Jessie's therapist.

#32 Suspicion (Feb 7, 2001)
A come-on from Graham at the workplace startles and discomforts Lily; committment concerns affect the relationship between Karen and her younger lover, Leo

#33 Edifice Wrecked (Feb 14, 2001)
Controversy swirls around the Atlantor project, which is picketed by Grace and denounced by David, whose firm stand sparks a feud with his partner, Rick.

#34 The Other End of the Telescope (Mar 7, 2001)
A crisis unfolds at Phil's Restaurant when a run-in between the chef and a troubled busboy spurs the latter to take hostages — Grace and Jake among them.

#35 Standing Room Only (Mar 14, 2001)
Disruptions spark tensions between families when Rick and his two kids move into Lily's house; expectant Tiffany ruffles Jake, the father of her unborn child.

#36 Aaron's Getting Better (Mar 21, 2001)
Mental illness is treated with compassion in an episode that brings back Patrick Dempsey as Lily and Judy's psychologically disturbed brother, who comes for a stay at Lily's house.

#37 Forgive Us Our Trespasses (Mar 28, 2001)
Adverse relationships spawn true confessions in storylines in which Lily partners on a project with Randy Graham and jilted Will reenters Judy's life.

#38 Best of Enemies (Apr 4, 2001)
Conflict is kindled by Judy, who irks Lily over her feelings toward Rick and spills the beans about Jessie's anorexia-induced fainting.

#39 Armageddon, Part 1 (Apr 11, 2001)
Suspicions of Atlantor illegalities foreshadow Rick's appearance before a grand jury, where he's grilled by a lawyer who's gotten to his ex-wife, Karen.

#40 Won't Someone Please Help George Bailey Tonight (Apr 18, 2001)
Anxieties in the wake of the Atlantor investigation take a toll on Rick, who has an emotional clash with Lily and an angry showdown with Miles.

#41 Moving On (Apr 25, 2001)
The Sammlers' move to the Mannings' place is complicated by Lily's unexpected teen houseguest: the troubled and volatile Carla, who infatuates Eli.

#42 The Second Time Around (May 2, 2001)
Tensions escalate as the wedding day nears for Lily and Rick, who are preoccupied by money worries. Paul Mazursky reappears as Lily's late father in bittersweet, dreamlike scenes.

Season 3

#45 Busted (Sept 28, 2001)
The insightful third-season opener finds newlyweds Rick and Lily coping with the angst of his beleaguered 18-year-old son Eli, who's busted for marijuana possession. The pot's not his, but Eli's arrest nonetheless raises a red flag for Rick's ex-wife, Karen, who determines that the teen needs "structure in [his] life." And that means employment. Thanks to a twist of fate — and Lily's persuasiveness — Eli lands a job at a recording studio. But the prospect of a son in the music biz doesn't sit well with Karen, whose intervention sets the stage for telling confrontations.

#46 The Awful Truth (Oct 5, 2001)
Grace questions her self worth when her new teacher pushes her to the limit.

#47 Kind of Blue (Oct 12, 2001)
The return of the enigmatic artist Sam Blue has professional ramifications for Rick and personal repercussions for Judy, who has bittersweet memories of their affair.

#48 Acting Out (Oct 19, 2001)
Competition for a major role in a school play pits Grace against Jessie; concern over the blossoming affair between Judy and Sam preoccupies Rick and Lily.

#49 Destiny Turns On the Radio (Nov 2, 2001)
An unexpected, on-air role at the radio station exhilarates Lily and disquiets her family; the prospect of a first date flusters Jessie and worries her mom and dad.

#50 Jake and the Women (Nov 9, 2001)
Tiffany's pregnancy vexes Jake, who's beset by Zoe to participate in a baby shower that's being organized by Lily to cheer up the dispirited mother-to-be.