The smitten Alex is thrilled at the thought of escorting pretty, budding socialite Kimberly Blanton to her country club's dance, but Steven and Elyse are appalled that their son would set foot in a restricted club and agonize over whether to impose their values on him. Kimberly's status-conscience, snobbish ways were immediately apparent when she had dinner with the Keatons. Alex is intent on impressing her with fabricated tales of his family's heritage and wealth. Alex's "I'm not out to change the world" attitude clashed with that of his parents, who retain the ideals of the Woodstock generation. On the night of the dance, Steven shows up at the Carleton Country Club in an effort to persuade the horrified Alex to come home. Later, when father and son air their feelings at home, each is able to understand, if not accept, the other's point of view.

As head of the household while his parents are away for the weekend, an overly confident Alex throws a big bash, but when his sister Mallory leaves the party with the school Romeo, he's filled with guilt and anger. A little wary about leaving the kids alone for the first time, Steven and Elyse finally depart for a weekend with their friends, the Davis's. While the romantic holiday turns into a marathon sports competition instigated by Ron Davis and resented by Elyse, there's trouble brewing on the home front. Teenage brother and sister clash when Alex assumed the attitude of an overprotective father and lectures Mallory for arriving home late from her date with sports hero/lothario Eric Morrison. However, when Eric arrives at the Keaton doorstep with flowers to apologize, it's clear that Alex has jumped to a false conclusion. He must now restore peace and tranquility by the time his parents return home.

Peer pressure to shun the opposite sex causes 9-year-old Jennifer to give up her friendship with Justin Perkins, but thanks to her mother Elyse, the kids come together at a jitterbugging "Nifty Fifties" birthday party. Jennifer is upset by threats from little girls who say they won't be her friend as long as she associates with Justin. Finally she capitulates. In a mother-daughter talk with Jennifer, Elyse explains the importance of developing good friendships with boys. Jennifer's "Nifty Fifties" birthday party begins with the boys on one side of the room and the girls on the other, but with a little encouragement from Steven and Elyse and a ladies' choice dance, the kids get into the swing of things.

Seduced by an "older woman" of 21, the hitherto inexperienced Alex is devastated to learn that she thinks of their relationship as casual. When Alex delivers groceries to pretty college senior Stephanie Brooks, there's an immediate intellectual and physical attraction between them. Later, Stephanie phones and invites Alex to an economics lecture. However, the events following the lecture prove more instructive to the teenager. Just when he begins to fantasize about marriage, an unexpected situation brings him rudely back to reality.

Sensitive, liberal Steven and his macho, conservative father, Jake, clash as usual during the elder's annual visit until Jake's startling news leads to a first effort to bridge the gap.

Mallory is horrified and confused when a close family friend and older business associate of her father, Steven, makes a pass at her. Arthur Cantrell has been a good friend of the Keaton's since the kids were toddlers. Steven has even written an on-air tribute to his admired colleague, who is about to change jobs. However, Cantrell's mid-life transitional period goes beyond his career, and there's no mistaking his moves toward Mallory at the station's fund-raiser. When the embarrassed teenager reveals the situation, her parents must confront their friend and urge him to seek professional help.

As the new editor of his school paper, Alex uncovers a cheating scandal and to everyone's chagrin prints a list of students who were caught - including his sister Mallory. Alex aims to inaugurate a hard-hitting investigative approach in the Harding Hurray, and the hushed-up fact that 27 students were caught buying copies of the algebra final is just the story to cause a stir. The result of his expose is more than he bargained for, and he must face the wrath of his teachers, classmates and sister Mallory, whose explanation for her actions surprises the whole family.

To the dismay of the Keaton children and their equally conservative grandparents,Steven and Elyse take time out Thanksgiving Day to attend an anti-nuke rally and wind up spending the holiday in jail.

Though Alex loves working at kindly Mr. Adler's "Mom and Pop" grocery store, to the old man's dismay, he quits to "climb the corporate ladder" at an ultramodern supermarket. Alex is indispensable to Sy Adler and they enjoy a close relationship. But when the budding teenage entrepreneur hears of a better opportunity he grabs it.

The Keatons are burglarized, and a terrified Steven and Elyse wrestle with the previously unthinkable notion of buying a gun for protection. As pacifists, Steven and Elyse have always hated guns. However, the burglary and a discouraging neighborhood-watch meeting make them begin to see things in a different light. After a reluctant trip to the the sporting goods store, they emerge with a weapon they hope to put out of sight forever. That evening though, a bump in the nite and the sound of breaking glass force them to face the threat - one way or another.

When a blizzard forces the Keatons to spend Christmas at home, Elyse's gift to Steven, an album filled with fascinating old photos, sparks flashbacks to the birth of their three children.

Unable to face her own mother, Mallory's pregnant friend Cindy Sullivan confides in Elyse, whose advice to the teenager seems to backfire - and causes a rift between Mallory and Elyse. Mallory urges the distraught Cindy to discuss her condition with Elyse, who lends a sympathetic ear and then, to her daughter's dismay, advices the girl to go home and be forthright and honest with her mother. When the overly strict Mrs. Sullivan can't cope with her daughter's revelation , Cindy runs away and finally turns up on the Keaton doorstep again. There, an emotional mother-daughter confrontation leads to a better understanding.

When popular sorority girl Sherry Marshall befriends Mallory to get close to Alex, Mallory brings them together in hopes of joining Pi Nu but her plan backfires. Mallory's thrilled when Sherry chooses her for a science project partner, though the snobbish girl's ulterior motive soon surfaces. Eager to join the sorority, Mallory persuades Alex to escort Sherry to the Pi Nu dance. She even agrees to his condition that she attend the dance with the adoring, nerdy Skippy Handleman.

Elyse's younger brother, Ned, a go-getting corporate executive who is Alex's idol, pays a surprise visit and puzzles everyone with his cloak-and-dagger behavior. Ned claims to be on vacation and insists that no one be told of his whereabouts. Several mysterious phone calls, replete with code words, arouse the family's suspicions. Finally, an FBI agent turns up at the Keaton's doorstep with astounding news after Ned's quick exit.

With the FBI hot on Ned's heels for embezzling $4-1/2 million in corporate funds, Elyse's ethical brother and Alex's idol tells the family why and where he hid the money and flees with Alex, leaving Elyse and Steven in a quandry. Ned explains that to stop a merger that would result in firing of 1800 people, he hid a portfolio of corporate records and assets in a company computer. The top-level junior mogul confides that he couldn't deal with a company structure that puts profits above the public good. Alex is shattered by his idol's rejection of the exciting business world but agrees to drive Ned to the airport, where they're spotted by FBI agent Carlyle. After a wild and crazy charade, Ned flees again and winds up back at the Keatons' where Carlyle and Ned's boss awaits him.

Alex amasses a bundle by playing the stock market on paper for his economics class, and courts disaster by secretly investing his father's money. Even broker Dan Matthews, who takes Alex's class on a tour of his company is so impressed by the teenager's acumen that he advises clients to buy his choices. Sure of himself and frustrated by his parents' insistence of holding onto their AT&T stock, Alex impersonates his father in a telephone call to Matthews and reopens Steven's account. However, when a typhoon causes the stock of his choice to plummet, Alex must scramble to get out of a gigantic jam.

Mallory's handsome but shy French tutor, Jeff, finally musters up the nerve to ask her out and then courts disaster by enlistening Alex's advice on how to behave on the date.

As "Big Brother" to a 10-year-old Vietnamese boy, Alex tries to mold Ming into his own image, and he learns an unforgettable lesson when he breaks a promise to the adoring child.

Soon after free lance architect Elyse Keaton hires her friend Suzanne Davis to handle clerical chores, she wants to fire the under-qualified, overly aggressive secretary, but Suzanne's marriage breaks up, making the new job her only salvation. After 20 years as a housewife, Suzanne feels she lacks an identity outside the home. Swamped with paperwork, Elyse decides to solve that problem while easing her friend's mid-life crisis. Unfortunately Suzanne's take-charge approach to business throws a wrench into Elyse's client dealings and threatens to ruin the women's friendship. On the brink of firing Suzanne, the frustrated Elyse faces a terrible dilemma when Ron Davis decides he "needs space" and leaves his wife.

Alex gets stuck babysitting for his little sister Jennifer, who is fed up with feeling in the way at his poker game and decides to disappear.

While gearing up to face the TV cameras as captain of his high school's team on "Quiz Off," Alex panics at first when a teammate drops out. He then launches a major tutoring program for his sister Mallory.

In her zeal for good causes Elyse devotes so much energy to committee work that a neglected Steven feels shortchanged. Ecstatic to have won an award for his public television documentary, Steven arrives home eager to celebrate, but every effort is foiled by Elyse's obligations to her various projects. Finally, the over-extended wife-mother-architect-committee volunteer begins to realize she's neglecting her most important committee.