Ed

Ed Stevens is fired from his high paying law firm New York City for misplacing a comma, and comes home to find his wife sleeping with a mailman. Feeling understandably down he decides to move back to his hometown of Stuckeyville, Ohio. He moves in with his best friend Mike Burton and his wife Nancy. Ed attempts to get his high school crush, Carol Vessey to fall in love with him. In the process he takes her to the local bowling alley, Stuckeybowl, and Carol mentions she likes the bowling alley, and Ed consequently buys it and turns the pro shop into his own law firm.

An evil Masked Magician (John Cariani) begins revealing the trade secrets of the town’s beloved magician, Stuckeyville Stan (Eddie Bracken). Ed is hired to defend the aging trickster’s honor, making Stuckeyville Stan his first client. Ed comes to find the one piece of evidence that could save Stuckeyville Stan’s reputation is Carol’s childhood diary, and uncovers her schoolgirl crush. Meanwhile, Phil has taken charge for the grand re-opening of Stuckeybowl.

With less than normal lawyers by his side, Ed goes to court over a contract written on a bar napkin by four high school friends. When one of the friends strikes it rich and denies the contract, he hires a big-city law firm as his counsel, which just happens to be the same firm that fired Ed. Meanwhile, Ed has the daunting task of finding a manager for Stuckeybowl and realizes his only choices are Phil, Kenny or Shirley.

When Carol realizes that her longtime boyfriend (Gregory Harrison) just isn’t fun enough for her, she decides to break up with him. Meanwhile, Ed represents an attractive woman (Joanna Going), whose employer, a fast-talking used-car salesman (Peter Gerety), has been slipping extra money in her paychecks and now sues her to get back for almost $5,000.

Ed makes another attempt to win over Carol’s newly broken heart, and later finds himself commiserating with Nick. Since attendance at Stuckeybowl hasn’t been good, Ed goes with Phil’s idea for a commercial...directed by Phil. Meanwhile, Nancy tries to plan some mind-expanding activities with Mike.

Carol announces that she will leave Stuckeyville to pursue her dream of being a writer. Ed gets caught up in the town’s heated mayor’s race, while Phil takes a young Stuckeybowler (Samm Levine) as his ’apprentice.

Ed gives a Thanksgiving feast at Stuckeybowl. He misses his soon-to-be-ex Liz, while Carol feels the same about ex-boyfriend Nick. Ed urges Carol to spend Turkey Day at the bowling alley with him and his pals to cheer her up. Ed’s client du jour is a Halloween prankster injured by his crotchety target. And Phil’s cooking up a cash-gobbling scam to sell "fine Corinthian turkeys."

Molly’s grandfather (Edmund Lyndeck) hires Ed to write his will and reveals a shocking secret about his past; Mike faces off at the office and Phil hosts an open-mike night at Stuckeybowl.

Carol can’t help but feel a tad insecure when she comes face to face with Troy, the star quarterback who dumped her and grew up to have a "perfect" life. Ed offers advice to kindred spirit Warren (Justin Long), whose nerd vs. jock conflict mirrors his own with Troy.

Ed’s parents make a surprise visit to Stuckeyville and openly show disappointment that he left his successful life in Manhattan to practice law in Stuckeyville. Meanwhile, Carol volunteers as coach of the failing girl’s JV basketball team at the high school despite the fact that she’s never played the game before. Ed defends three men who tricked their friend into believing he won $20 million in the lottery.

Sparks fly when Ed goes head-to-head with a district attorney (Rena Sofer). Molly chides Carol for taking Ed for granted. Phil searches for his personal catch phrase.

The district attorney (guest star Rena Sofer, "Melrose Place") Ed butted head with in the last episode drops her case and asks him out, which irritates Carol (Julie Bowen) because she thinks Ed automatically assumed she would be jealous. Mike is convinced his babysitter has a crush on him. Phil invites the cast of Happy Days to Stuckeybowl.

Ed is torn between Carol and his romance with the assistant district attorney Bonnie but his relationships really get awkward when he tries to retrieve Carol’s expensive stolen music box by pushing Bonnie to get involved -- allowing the two women to finally meet and size each other up. Warren tries to join a bowling league team with a pretty classmate and instead is forced to sign up with a team of older, unkempt members.

Although she awakens in Ed’s bed, frosty Bonnie hurts the bowling-alley lawyer’s feelings when she doesn’t act much like a lover. To complicate matters, Ed shares the intimate details with long-time crush Carol. Ed also agrees to represent a dedicated reverend whose church president wants to terminate him after 30 years because he feels the clergyman’s preaching style is outdated. Elsewhere in Stuckeyville, Phil launches a speed-dating club for love-starved local yokels.

Ed senses trouble when Big Rudy (guest star John Goodman), former owner of Stuckeybowl wanting to buy back Stuckeybowl. Ed’s fast-track romance with Bonnie takes a detour when she’s offered an exciting job in Washington, D.C.; Carol reluctantly ends up "dating" a handsome young man whom Molly has been eyeing; in court, Ed represents a female rocker (guest star Paige Price) who was kicked out of her band.

Ed is obsessed with matching any deed or athletic achievement from his teenaged years, Warren tries to impress Jessica with his studious knowledge of Henry David Thoreau’s simplified lifestyle. In addition, the ever-enterprising Phil urges Ed to cut him in on a percentage of Stuckeybowl’s profits.

Carol recruits Ed to argue on behalf of her prized student (Martin Starr), Mike’s professional skills as a doctor are challenged when he is humiliated by his older, more sadistic colleague, Dr. Jerome, and Shirley coaxes a skeptical Ed to give her a tryout as his official legal assistant.

Ed represents his former high school girlfriend. Carol launches a campaign to win back school funding for the high school’s music program and its veteran teacher when budget cuts make it expendable; an uneasy Nancy suspects that nanny Carmella isn’t qualified to take care of her baby and intends to find out more about her.

Ed urges Carol to help him convince a young couple from tying the knot in his bowling alley on a whim because he fears they haven’t taken the time to properly know each other for the long run. Meanwhile, Ed goes to court on behalf of an excessively overweight man who seeks a restraining order against his well-intentioned brother who resorts to outright bullying to prevent his sibling from eating himself into an early grave. In addition, moony Warren asks out Donna Tuzzi.

Ed wants the bowling alley designated as a landmark, Molly chills her promising new relationship with a hunk when she learns that her beau had first asked out Carol, while Ed welcomes a group of old-timers who annually rent out the lanes for a reunion.

Phil puts his latest scheme into motion with "Vegas Night" at the bowling alley, Carol disputes Ed’s well-intended advice to nerdy Warren urging him to abandon caution and ask out the girl of his dreams to the school prom. Ed represents a teed-off golfer who blew a match’s prize money on the last putt when a nearby fan heckled him. In addition, Mike is reluctantly drafted into arranging a tribute banquet to honor Dr. Jerome.

In the first season finale, Ed continues to draw closer to Carol when he agrees to help her chaperone at the high school prom. A dateless Warren considers hiring a hooker to accompany him to the prom and Phil believes he’s found his true calling as a TV host of a hidden camera show.