Ben Donovan is a self-involved manager of a second-rate San Diego sports arena who begins to re-evaluate his life on his 40th birthday. Working alongside him is his boss and arena owner, Crystal--attractive, powerful and highly erratic; Alice--the cute, tomboyish marketing director and Ben's friend with benefits; Alonzo--a former basketball player, handsome and unbelievably happy; Ben's assistant, Heather--pretty, sweet, but terrifying because she once lit a boyfriend on fire; Crystal's son, Roman--sweet-faced, clueless and Ben's newest employee; and a hapless operations crew whom Ben refers to collectively as the "Steves."
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
As the Sunshine Center prepares for the wedding of its organist Howard and kettle corn maker Maggie (guest star Michael Learned), Crystal (Allison Janney) becomes a little too involved in her son Roman's (Nate Torrence) love life. After the bride's cold feet nearly derail the ceremony, notorious playboy Ben (Matthew Perry) realizes that he wants to be with Alice (Andrea Anders) after all.
Ben is in for a surprise when his one-night-stand turns out to be Crystal's new assistant, Vivian. When Ben and Vivian try to continue their "no strings attached" relationship, Ben discovers something about himself. Meanwhile, Crystal's efforts to be a responsible mom to Roman are derailed, and the mascot sends Alonzo over the edge.
It's a dream come true for Ben when he teams with Alonzo to play doubles against tennis legend Jimmy Connors and actor Fred Savage in a celebrity tennis tournament. Meanwhile, Ben feels the need to reveal to Alonzo his past with Alice, and a careless act on Crystal's part brings her closer to son, Roman.
Ben discovers Roman has no place to stay and reluctantly takes him in, Crystal harbors animosity for a certain ice dancing group, and Alice feels guilty when she fails to keep up with her "perfect man."
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
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