Ben Harper is a moderately successful family man and dentist. He is also undergoing a mid-life crisis and trying to cope with the bizarre reality of raising teenage children. His wife Susan seems quite happy, enjoys her job as a London tour guide, however at home her ability to find her way around a cookbook or pantry is less successful. Their three children Nick, Janey, and Michael are as different as chalk and cheese. Nick (19) is on his gap year, but doesn't get much further than the sofa or job centre, Janey is as sharp as a tack and 16 going on 25, while Michael is a very bright, computer-nerdish 12 year old who is just discovering girls.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
When Susan finds that Janey doesn't trust her, she lets her have a teenage party alone while she is in Oxford with Ben. However the two lose confidence and return, only to be trapped in their bedroom when the guests arrive. When Ben needs to use the toilet, and the one in their bedroom is broken, things only get worse!
It's Christmas at the Harpers, Janey comes home with a gift for the holidays, and Nick has an idea for a holiday business.
When Aunt Margaret dies, Ben has to travel to Leeds for the funeral with Nick. However, things descend into chaos as the two have to share a bed in a hotel! Worse still, Susan has acquired some "flu medicine" from one of Janey's friends.
Ben and Susan go off to a couples' retreat for a weekend - at which they prove to be less than ideal guests - leaving Janey and Michael vying for the affections of Michael's new boyfriend. However, the triangle proves to be more Bermuda than eternal.
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.
One point per season. Smooths out the episode-to-episode noise to reveal the bigger arc.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
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