In the series opener, unemployed Mark Cooper gets a job as a substitute teacher at his old high school. He also shares his house with two beautiful women: Robin, a music teacher who also works at the school, and Vanessa, a rich girl whom Mark is attracted to. On his first day of school, Mark has to deal with unruly students who give him a hard time. But Mark soon finds a solution to impress his class.

Mark's former girlfriend, Paula, moves back into town and wants to get reacquainted with him.

Vanessa's car does not start. Mark, ""Man of the house"", can not fix it either. Robin says that it is an engine problem and convinces Vanessa that she can fix it free of charge. Unfortuntly, Robin takes apart the engine but can not put it back together again. Vanessa finds out and wants Robin to fix it by the weekend. Robin puts back the engine together and the car still does not start. Vanessa is still mad at Robin and Robin doubts her own judgement. It was all over, until Robin bangs the dashboard and the gasoline indicator goes from Full to Empty! Vanessa has been driving the car, without refueling, for 2 weeks! Mark substitutes his first P.E. class in Oakland High and coaches the Girl's Cheeleading Class. Mark finds out that the Division 3 competiton is in 3 days at their school and Oakland High is not a very good squad. The competition (Oakland Prep High School) shows up and does stunts 12 feet high! The only cheer for Mark's team is ""Go Penguins Go! Waddle! Waddle! Waddle!"" The te

Mark is trying to kill the ""super"" fly flying around the house. Vanessa is watching a stock that is making a lot of money. Vanessa wants to put her money in but is afraid of losing money. After substituting a wrestling class, Mark asks the coach for a job as a permanent coach. The coach wrestles Mark for the job and though he lost, he was given the job. Robin gives Vanessa money so that Vanessa can invest her money in another stock. Mark gets a call from the Golden State Warriors! They ask Mark to try out for a new position after hearing about him from training camps. Also, his old high school friend, Guy Beal, who just came from training camp, is more than ready to play. Mark has to choose between his new job or playing with the Warriors. Mark decides to take the Warriors offer, but Mark can't make any of his shots go in the basket. With Robin's motivation, Mark sets foot in the Oakland Arena to tryout in front of the team and coach. Robin finds out that the stock Vanessa invested in

In the beginning of the show, Mark shows the audience how in the last episode he was dunking during practice. He also showed how he was able to get the position on the Golden State Warriors team. The story begins from the last episode when he recieved the call from the team. Vanessa finds out that Mark quits his job from the school. Mark is signed to a 10-day contract where he has to prove to be on the team. He will play against the Phoenix Suns two times. Robin shows all the respect and believes that Mark can make the team. Robin also doubts that he will make the team and pleads with the high school coach to keep Mark's old job, if in case he does not make the team. Robin not only was able to keep Mark job open, she herself was qualified to teach the self-defence class. Robin did not want to tell Mark that she got the position. Robin also had to hide from Mark later in the episode. Also, Vanessa gets injured after Robin made some ""defence"" practice moves on her. Mark goes back to the

Andre can't choose between his music and basket-ball. Robin wants him to go for his piano-playing but Mark wants him to go for BasketBall.

It's Christmas time in Oakland! Vanessa finds out that she won't be able to go to her family for Christmas because she is working. Robin and Mark agrees that Vanessa will have her Christmas at their house and Vanessa can celebrate the Christmas her way, ""The Russel Family Way"". Mark agrees to be Santa Claus at the school fair that Robin is running. Robin finds out that the son (Noel) of the Guidance Counselor does not believe in Santa Claus. Mark convinces Noel that Santa will be there that night. Vanessa is Mrs. Claus and Earvin is a Rudolph. The principal is a snowman and the students are elves. Also, coach Rickets is running a military booth (!). ""Santa"" has some problems and the worst one of all is that Noel wants his dad to come home for Christmas. One problem, Noel's dad is stuck in the Navy and can not come home for Christmas. Mark tries to get the father home by using numerous ways. Still, it does not work. Mark tries everything from asking coach Rickets, to asking the kids

Vanessa speaks French to her fashion photographer boyfriend and Mark tries to find out what she is trying to say. Vanessa broke up her realtionship. Robin's father (a jazz musician), Chip Dumars, is coming over and everyone meets him at the Jazz club/restaurant. Vanessa is trying to get a date with a saxophone player. Chip sings some songs that impress the crowd. Robin does not want to be called ""baby girl"" by her father. The father and Robin do a song on the stage also. The father wants Robin to become a jazz singer. Mark convinces her father to go to Robin's music class, as long as Robin can sing with Chip at the club the next day. The class does not sing very well. Mark and Chip try not to disrupt the class, but soon Mark and Chip interfere Robin's class and the class learns that Rap has it's roots in jazz. Robin feels that her dad is interfering with her life. Vanessa's date has a child and the child adores Vanessa. But, she asks lots questions like, ""How old are you?"" and ""W

Mark has a date with a new teacher's assistant--Coach Ricketts' daughter.

In the beginning of the episode, Robin is trying to convince the teachers to unite as a strike group, and reject a new contract with the school district that is unfair. Mark decides that the teachers should strike. The next day, the teachers and students make signs and strike. Mark is seen on television advertising the strike and telling the camera what they want. Tyler comes over to collect the rent money and Mark could not pay the rent. Mark decides to become a mail deliverer at Vanessa's office. Mark storms into Vanessa's office, interupts her meeting, and makes jokes. After that Mark does not follow Vanessa's orders, and Vanessa does not have the will power to fire him. Mark delviers coffee to the boss and also impresses a client. Vanessa finds out that Mark became friends with the boss and he becomes the assistant to the manager of Sales. Mark gets a higher position and a larger salary than Vanessa. He also gets a secretary. Vanessa finds out that she is the secretary to both

Robin and Mark are getting ready for a ""Wilderness Training-Camping Trip"" with the students. In this episode, Mark starts out by wearing his camping equipment and Mark even packs his own life-raft. Vanessa can't go with them at first, but they convinces her to go with them. Then, Tyler tries to get in on the trip but Mark does not let him come. Coach gives Mark some tips on survival. All the students (girls and boys) meet at Mark's house and they're ready to go. Earvin and Andre bet on which one could get a date with the other campers. Tyler tries to sneak in but gets left at home. On the road, Mark gets everone lost when he is driving. Once they get to the camping site, they're in a cottage/cabin with all the elctrical needs! Radio, TV, Nintendo, hot tub, pool, sauna, kitchen, heated waterbeds etc.. This is not camping, its a luxury relaxing cottage! The students, Vanessa and Robin, are amazed and ""like camping"". Mark tells everyone to rough it out like he d! id in high school and g

In the beginning of the episode, Mark comes in and tells the audience about the show and Mark snaps his fingers and makes everyone disappear and reappear. It all starts out in the Teacher's Lounge. Mark will teach a History class that the students are not interested in. Mark makes a bet with another teacher to see whose class is the smartest. Robin will hold the test. To encourage the students about History, Mark uses a great technique so that they can learn history. Meanwhile at home, Vanessa starts dresssing and treating Tyler's dog as a girl. During class, Andre is the only person that knows the answers and the rest of the class is not interested. Mark finds out that also Earvin is a very good student and knows everything about History and even outsmarted Issac. But, Earvin says that he won't be in the contest because he does not want everyone to know that he is smart. Mark tries to convince him that he would have a great future, but it does not work. At home, Tyler's dog chew

In the beginning of the episode, Mark is fixing Tyler's bike. Tyler asks to have dinner with them but Mark says no. Tyler asks Vanessa and Robin and they say yes. They are celebrating their eight month anniversary of living together and being roomates. We go back in time when they moved in together. Mark and his friends are playing basketball outside and Vanessa and Robin takes their basketball. Mark gets a Spanish class at the high school. Mark tries to use the bathroom so he could get their earlier but Vanessa is doing her hair. Mark gets into the bathroom through another door. Robin, Mark, and Vanessa are having a hard time using the only bathroom. Mark goes to class late and meets the principal. The principal remembers Mark and gets a headache. Mark tries to read the lesson plan but he can't because it's in Spanish. Robin asks Mark to get home and sign for the new chairs arriving at home. Mark gets locked out of the class by Earvin. At home, Mark tries to get used to the new fu

Mark, Robin, and there friends are playing dominos. Vanessa and Tyler want to play. Earvin has to ask Mark a question. The coach wins the game and breaks the table. Earvin has trouble in maths and if he does not pass he will have to repeat the grade. Mark decides to help him. The next day, Mark tries to teach Earvin but both of them get distracted. Mark finds out that his friend needs a new roomate at his new apartment. Mark tells Vanessa and Robin and they wonder what to do with Mark's room. Mark moves into the new apartment. Mark tries to tutor Earvin but does not have time because of the new parties around the building. One night, Earvin comes over and Mark tries to tutor but Mark gets distracted because of another party going on at their apartment. Earvin feels left out and also feels that he will flunk the math class. That night at home, Vanessa and Robin miss Mark. Mark comes back home to visit and do his laundry. Robin also notices at school and at home that he is falling

Geneva has got a job as a music teacher at the High School. Mark tries to show her the ways around the school. They are getting a new principal and the rumour tells that she loves to fire people. It turns out to be Mark's sister's best friend, P.J. Moore. She says that Mark is the kind of teacher she hates. Mark's schedule includes Driver's Ed. and he's not very happy about that. Mark drives the Driver's Ed. car home. Darnell takes it for a ride without Mark's promission. He accidentally hit a lawn mower and gives the owner Mark's name. The owner is going after the school. Mark dresses up as a woman to play the role as the principal when they man is coming to the school. He wants a date with ""P.J."" (who Mark is pretending to be) at a karaokee bar. When they meet there, Mark gets him to sign the settlement. Then the real P.J. shows up. Mark tries to hide from her, but after a while she sees him. She realises that Mark really loves teaching and doesn't fire him.

Nicole and Vanessa watches ""Lester the Lizard and the Crocodile Kids"", a kids' show on TV. They are searching for a new crocodile kid and Nicole wants to try out. Geneva won't let her. Vanessa wants to meet Lester since he owns a piece of his business and she wants to try to get his account to her company. Mark is teaching Driver's Ed. Earvin and André has got hold of a piece of Lester the Lizard's tail. They got it when they nearly ran over Lester during one of Mark's classes. Mark wants P.J. to get him another class. Driver's Ed is too dangerous. Tyler provokes Geneva to let Nicole audition. P.J. gives Mark a new class. He becomes the school's new Home Ec. teacher. It turns out to be even more dangerous. His eyebrows get burned. Mark takes Nicole to the audition and Vanessa joins them. It turns out that Lester is a woman who smokes and is hated by everybody on the show. She finds Mark attractive and she thinks she has seen him before. Vanessa doesn't get Lester's account. Nicole

It's Halloween time! P.J. orders Geneva and Mark to go chaperone the Halloween party at the high school. Mark teaches a science class and finds out that Earvin is mad at his father for leaving him when he was born. Mark decides to fly in his father from New York. Meanwhile, Geneva has to sew a costume for Tyler, Vanessa, Nicole, and herself. Geneva sews a horse costume and Nicole and Tyler can't decide who to wear the head. Can Geneva satisfy them all? The father comes in but he is White. Earvin does not care if his father is a different race but is still mad at him for leaving him when he was born. Mark dresses up as a doctor and Earvin's father dresses up as a grape. Mark invites Earvin's father to go to the dance and try to patch things up with Earvin. Can Earvin forgive his father for leaving him?

Mark gets to be head coach of the high school basketball team. He is holding a try-out for the basketball team. One of the students, Sammy, is going to try out. He is a new student from South Korea. His parents wants to have him work in the family market but the student wants to be on the basketball team. Unfortunately, Sammy does not play very well at the try-out. Sammy brings his parents over to make Mark convince his parents to let Sammy play basketball. Mark tells the parents and Sammy that he should work in the market and Mark agrees with his parents. Sammy does not respect Mark anymore. Meanwhile, Geneva is trying to build Nicole a play house and she has a hard time doing it. Vanessa is still trying to find a job. So, Geneva hires Vanessa to build the desk for $5 an hour. The next day, Mark promises P.J. that the school will win the State Championships. The opening games are a few days away when they find out that their star player is injured. Mark sees Sammy playing basket

Vannessa new boyfriend decideds to put Mark in a commerical advertsing these new shoes, since he played with the Warriors and all. If agress to do and ask P.J. if they could you the school gym for the commercial. She said that if he got her a pair of the tennis shoes then it would be a deal. On the other hand Nicole has to do a report on the person that she thinks is a hero to her and she is not allowed to do her parents so she decide to do Mark as her hero. She follows him around and then tells the kids at school that he will be staring in the commercial. Vannessa goes over to her boyfriend/the director for lunch. She finds out that Mark will be wearing the brand X shoes while a superstar actually gets to wear the other ones. They decide to tell Mark but he says that they should just go ahead. Then the director puts a banner up which says ""Those Who Can Play, Those who can't teach"" They decide to put a stop to the commercial. Well the dircector gets fired and his boss made the chang

Mark is assigned to a private school by P.J. to teach American history. The school is nothing like what Mark is used to. Everyone is properly uniformed, preppy, and all white! He ends up teaching them all about black history ""from slavery to Soul Train"".

In this episode, Geneva has a hard time at the grocery store. Nicole asks why men treat women differently than others. Nicole decides to dress and act like Vanessa and see men, or usually Tyler, will respond to a woman like Vanessa. Mark teaches a drama class at Oakland High. Mark receives a letter that his assistant coach, when he was playing high school basketball, has died. The coach's son asks Mark to give the speech at the funeral. One problem, Mark does not know who the man is. Mark's plan is to look at the body of the dead man in the coffin to see who he is. Unfortunately, he was cremated. Now Mark has to give a speech on the man he does not know. Will Mark remember the assistant coach?

Mark is dating an attorney named Denise (Lela Rochon). And when Mark tells her how he really feels about coming over to the house unannounced, she then breaks up with him. Meanwhile, the student hold a car wash to raise money for a school dance. Mark receives a court supbeona stating he damaged Thaddeus White's car on the driveway where the students held the car wash. Mark and Denise battle it out. Mark finds out why Denise wants him to meet her parents - it's not because she wants to get married, they're just big NBA fans.

During detention, Mark gets the kids to write job applications. Earvin gets a job and drops out of scool. He starts working at a hamburger restaurant (Clown Burger). Since it was Mark's idea to write the application, Earvin's mother tells Mark to go to that restaurant and talk Earvin into coming back to school. Mark brings Tyler and Nicole when he goes down there. In the hamburger restaurant, Mark argues with Earvin and tries to embarass him. Finally, he gets Earvin top come back to school. But Earvin's mother still wants Earvin to have a part-time job and Mark is going to help him get one.

Mark stands in the way of Geneva's happiness when she receives a marriage proposal from a man willing to take on being a father figure to Nicole.

Mark mother comes to visit him because she wants to start working and get out of the house but Mark dosen't want her too so he calls his father so he can try and get her back. Mark finds out that his mother is a great teacher after P.J made her subsitute his English class after he called in sick. Mark doesn't like it so he runs over to the school and finds Earvin and Andre and the rest of the class looking at dirty pictures. He takes them. Then his mother comes in he tries to hide but she sees him. When she starts teaching he realizes that she's a good teacher. At dinner Mark father comes and talks to his mother and they get back togther. Nicole writes an ad in the newspaper so she can get her mother a date for Mother's Day. Tyler comes over and gives Geneva a piece of string for Mother's Day because she been so nice to him. At the end of the show Nicole's gift (a man) comes and Geneva grabs him by his tie and rushes out the door. At the end of the episode Mark gets his Mom to cook for

During the summer, P.J. (the principal) has been calling Mark's house and leaving messages. Geneva thinks he should call him back, but Mark refuses - he doesn't want to call his boss during the summer. When he comes to school, he tries to avoid P.J., but he fails. P.J. tells him that she had been calling him to offer him the job as head coach. Mark gets very happy and excited, until P.J. tells him that since he didn't return her phone calls, she had to offer the job to someone else. If he suck up to the new head coach, maybe he can become assistant coach. After Mark's history class, coach Corley comes into the classroom and asks him for advice and offers him the job as assistant coach, but Mark declines. Later coach Corley comes by the house and he and Mark decides that Mark is just going to come by the gym on Monday.

Geneva invites P.J. to stay at their house...but Mark didn't anticipate P.J. moving in along with her new little dog, aptly named Monster.

It's Christmas. Mark accidentally leaves a window open. When they get back, they have been robbed.

Mark finally gets his dream job as the school's head basketball coach after Coach Corley leaves the position to coach college basketball.

Mark's friend, Steve, convinces Mark that his relationship with his girlfriend Denise is boring. Concluding that Denise is to blame, Mark makes plans to stop dating her, but Denise stops dating him first.

Mark and Vanessa are determined to win the lottery and enlist Geneva's help in obtaining her aunt's guaranteed winning formula.

While waiting to use the ATM, Mark witnesses a botched robbery attempt. A woman stops the thief but leaves the scene quickly. Everyone believes that Mark actually prevented the robbery and he doesn't deny it.

Mark advises Earvin to slow down his romance with his new girlfriend Lisa. However, Mark's good intentions prove ill advised when Earvin, after listening to Mark, decides to elope with Lisa.

Mark and Geneva's crazy Aunt Eunetta comes to visit, and with her quirky technique of touching people's heads, determines that Mark and Vanessa would be the perfect couple.

It looks like roommates Mark, Geneva and Vanessa may all be leaving Oakland.

Geneva recruits a new instructor for the Reserve Officer Training Corps, her former boyfriend, Master Sergeant Ken.

Everyone's plans to leave Oakland, California go awry and they all come back.

Rehired as basketball coach, Mark takes advantage of Geneva's position as principal.

Vanessa saves Mark's life after he falls and gets a concussion.

When Tyler becomes scared while watching a horror movie, Nicole and her friend, Sandy (SHEKINAH WILLIAMS), tease him and dare him to camp out in a haunted house on Halloween. Tyler does, and Mark skips a costume party to go get him. But they both stay the night in the haunted house. Meanwhile, Vanessa gets a job as an emergency medical technician and has her first ambulance assignment on Halloween night.

Nicole breaks Mark's prized mug and lets Vanessa take the blame. Later, while playing a fantasy computer game, Nicole falls asleep and has a dream that teaches her the importance of honesty.

When the ancient plumbing system breaks down in the house, Vanessa and Geneva hire a plumber. But Mark chases away the plumber and insists on fixing the problem himself.

Mark unwillingly goes to clean out Grandpa Cooper's mountain cabin.

Geneva becomes exasperated with everyone in the house treating like a servant. So, she moves out with Nicole. Mark invites his inconsiderate friends Steve and Lydell to move in, causing Vanessa to move out.

Mark allows medical trainee Vanessa to practice wrapping bandages on him. While wearing a shoulder brace, Mark meets his beautiful new neighbor, Monique. Before Mark can explain that he is not injured, Monique becomes sympathetic. Using the sitaution to his advantage, Mark asks her on a date. Meanwhile, Nicole insists on wearing hip-hop clothing to express her individuality.

Disgusted by the commercialization of Christmas, Mark persuades everyone to accompany him to a nostalgic Christmas tree farm. The adventure is ruined when they discover that the farm is just a booth with scrawny little trees. Then Mark's car becomes disabled on a deserted road. When the group finally reaches a place to stay for the night, the North Star Inn, they witness the birth of a child and remember the true meaning of Christmas.

A gang member at school harasses Earvin, and threatens him with a gun.

Mark invests in a co-worker;s invention, a robotic suit designed to imporve the wearer's golf skills.

Mark becomes a student guidance counselor and advises an egotistical football player.

Geneva assigns Mark to be in charge of the Winter Carnival at school, but everyone knows that he actually wants to perform in it himself.

Mark is upset when he is unable to attend a show put on by the professional basketball pranksters The Harlem Gobetrotters for the fifth time in his life.

Mark tries to end a rivalry with a coach from another high school basketball team.

Mark causes a lot of bad luck for himself and those around him when he buys a beautiful car that the previous owner claims is haunted.

Knuckleball Smith, one of Vanessa's patients at the retirement home, intends to sell his classic car to please his jealous elderly lover, Edna.

After Geneva introduces Vanessa to a successful, handsome man, Mark does everything he can to sabotage the developing relationship.

Mark and Vanessa announce that they are dating. But after their first fight, they decide that it would be better if they were just friends.

Despite wanting to marry Mark, Vanessa innocently has lunch with her former boyfriend. When Mark finds out, he frantically proposes marriage to her. But Vanessa rejects him, thinking he only did it out of jealousy.

After Vanessa accepts Mark's marriage proposal, Mark looks for a deal on a ring he can afford. But there's a misunderstanding about the price—after he gives it to Vanessa.

When Geneva feels she's in the way of the newlyweds-to-be and makes plans to move out, Mark enlists the help of Tyler's rambunctious young relatives to convince her to stay.

Mark meets Vanessa's extremely weathly parents for the first time, and hopes that they will pay for the wedding.

Vanessa's job working as an emergency medical technician is eliminated due to budget cuts, so she starts her own business selling African beauty supplies. Meanwhile, Mark takes an additional job at a security company.

Vanessa is very tense from planning her wedding, so her friend Florence invites her to a spa for relaxation. Mark becomes jealous when he realizes that the spa is staffed by attractive men who are eager to please their customers.

Tyler makes a date with a girl for his first school dance, but Mark gives him bad advice on how to treat women.

When Mark argues with the high school's girls' basketball coach, they decide to settle their differences with a one-on-one basketball game.

To help the school earn money for textbooks, Mark works at a carnival pretending to be a fortuneteller.

Mark and Vanessa get into an argument, but they both have conflicting viewpoints as to what really happened.

Vanessa pressures Geneva's longtime boyfriend, Ken, into asking Geneva to marry him. Geneva accepts, but Ken reconsiders after Mark inadvertently scares him about the seriousness of marriage.

Mark promises that he will introduce Tyler to his favorite rap star who happens to be an old friend of Mark's.

While Vanessa's friends give her a pre-wedding party at a strip club where her old boyfriend works, Mark's buddies host a similar party for him.

Vanessa wonders if Mark really understands her. She places an advertisement in a section of the personals and then tests Mark by telling him to determine which ad is hers.