Michael has the chance to be bused to a better school in a white neighborhood but he is determined to get out of it. Florida and James first hear about the opportunity when his principal arrives to question them about their responses on a busing questionnaire that Michael responded to and forged his parents names.

The kids feel Florida has been spending too much time alone and they decide to cancel their plans and spend an evening with her. But Florida surprises them all and goes out with Willona. Willona takes her to a local night spot where they have an exciting evening.

When a young girl, Penny Gordon follows J.J. home, she quickly insinuates herself into the Evans household and makes up stories about her life, including forgetting to mention she has an abusive mother.

An elderly resident of the projects appears to be living on pet food after Michael takes out her garbage. The Evans family's attempt to do something for her is complicated when she brings a meat loaf to dinner and the kids suspect it is made from dog food.

J.J.'s painting of a Black Jesus, becomes the family's good luck charm after a string of success hits each family member. However, Florida refuses to entertain the notion that the painting had anything to do with the recent string of ""good times"".

A woman aks J.J. to paint a nude portrait of her as a birthday gift for her husband. However, Florida has a hard time understanding why a woman would pose in the nude and why she has to pose in the Evans' apartment.

J.J. has been commissioned by a number's runner, Sweet Daddy Williams, to paint the portrait of his girlfriend, Savannah. In return, J.J. will get his own art display.

When J.J. brings home Walter, a man from his art class, he hits it off with Willona. Despite the fact that he's deaf, him and Willona begin a relationship one that Willona thinks is headed for the alter.

When the children are left at home for the weekend, J.J. receives bad news that he has given VD to an ex-girlfriend. This leads an embarrassed J.J. to debate on whether or not to visit a free clinic for treatment.

The family is getting ready to move to Mississippi which is where James has gotten a promising new job. However, the family is waiting for the right time to tell Bookman the news. Later, Willona throws a going-away party but the happiness is interrupted by heartbreaking news that James has been killed in a car accident.

This final episode brings all too good news for the Evans family. J.J. gets an offer to a comic company, Keith's bad knee is miraculously healed and is offered another football contract, and Florida is asked if she wants to move in with Keith and Thelma in the fancy apartment building across town where Willona happens to be moving and just so happens to be her future next door neighbor.

Michael comes home from school early one day with the announcement that he has been suspended. This, after telling his teacher that George Washington was a racist. James and Florida become determined to prove to Michael that he's wrong.

Some good luck strikes the family when J.J. wins a lottery. However, the luck doesn't last long, that is until, Thelma's friend Edna shows up with her sister both wielding pistols and demanding the winning money.

Widespread violence has been running rampant in the neighborhood and a large part of it is due to the street gang, the Warlords. While Florida and some concerned citizens discuss the problem, Michael does his best to conceal a secret from his mother, he himself is a member of the gang.

James brings a gun home to protect his family.

Willona and the Evans children are convinced that Penny is being abused, but when Willona takes Penny to see a doctor about a broken arm, he refuses to believe she's being abused.

After a morning of being take granted for by her children and her husband, Florida decides to take her boss up on a lunch invitation. This eventually leads to a confrontation with a jealous James.

On the night of her senior prom, Diana decides to run off to Indiana and elope with J.J. Meanwhile, back in Chicago, switched purses leads the Evans family to discover Diana's drug problem and her supplier.

Thelma researches her family tree for a school project and discovers James's father is very much alive and living in the Chicago area. However, when James learns that Thelma has invited him as a surprise for his birthday, he refuses to see him.

Florida and the kids become concerned about James's health after reading an article in a magazine about hypertension. When he learns about their concerns, he goes through the roof and refuses to go in for a check up.

J.J. could pay dearly for witnessing an auto accident.

When Florida's away for the weekend, J.J., Thelma and Michael throw a wild party. However, it gets even wilder than they had dreamed of when one of the guests takes an overdose of pills and J.J. has to save his life.

Willona gets a surprise for her birthday, a visit from her womanizing ex-husband, Ray. Ray does his best at convincing Willona that he's changed and she decides to try to start over with him. However, quickly his old ways surface and he begins making passes at Thelma.

Florida has had a pain in her side for the last two weeks but doesn't want to see a doctor out of fear of the cost. However, when James learns of her dilemma he decides to pay any cost for Florida's treatment, even after he learns she has to have a gallbladder operation.

J.J. and his girlfriend, Diana, are getting serious and the topic of marriage comes up, something which both J.J. and Diana both want. However, both of their parents are totally against the notion. Meanwhile, Diana is secretly hiding a drug problem.

Florida and James become outraged when the kids get a touch of food poisoning after eating meat from the local supermarket. She organizes a group of concerned citizens and they boycott the market. The protest gets effective results, but not before Florida experiences her first trip to jail.

An old friend of James, who is now a shady televangilist, stops by the Evans apartment and offers James a job that would pay $100 a day. James is set to take it, however, Florida is dead set against James accepting the job, believeing the job goes against his morals and values.

Florida and the kids throw a baby shower for a friend, Loretta. However, the joyous occasion is dampened when Loretta announces her plans of giving the baby up for adoption.

Willona and the Evans kids are stunned to discover that Penny and her mother have moved. They are equally stunned when they discover Penny hiding the Evans apartment. Later, Penny's abusive mother abandons her leaving Willona to ponder adopting the battered youth.

A friend of James' gives him permission to use his cabin to celebrate his and Florida's 20th wedding anniversary. However, the trick is trying to get Florida to stop worrying about the kids.

J.J. borrows money from a loan shark to back his talented new comedian. However, within days, two thugs come to collect their money, money that J.J. doesn't have.

A feud erupts in the Evans' household when James and J.J. take the side of Alderman Fred Davis during his attempt at a re-election while Florida, Thelma and Willona take the side of his young opponent.

Florida's strange behavior has the family and Willona wondering what's wrong with her. Michael thinks she's beginning menopause while Willona believes she's fed up with the boredom that comes with being a housewife.

J.J. is commissioned by a bank to paint a mural and in return will receive $250 needed for Thelma's college education whom recently won a scholarship and found herself $200 short. However, the bank is reluctant to pay after seeing the finished product.

An encyclopedia salesman is the last person James wants to see when he comes home from work. However, he softens when he learns the man is blind. This leads James to sign a contract and reads the fine print only after the man leaves.

After loosing his job, J.J. tries his best to find a job. However, when Bookman serves the Evans' family with an eviction notice due to late rent, J.J. decides to take a job offer from a couple of his shady friends. Meanwhile, Thelma contemplates dropping out of college to get a full time job and help the family out.

After getting her wallet stolen, Penny steals a necklace from a department store in a desperate attempt to try to get Willona a Christmas gift. However, Penny's attempts may lead to Willona losing custody of her.

J.J. wants a promotion at work but a co-worker convinces him that the promotion will only go to a white man. This leads J.J. to have a crazy dream where he gets to experience being white.

Florida and Carl's relationship has gotten quite serious and Carl breaks the news to J.J., Thelma and Michael that he's planning on proposing marriage to Florida. However, after a visit to his doctor, Carl decides to break off the relationship, since he's been diagnosed with lung cancer.

A snowstorm hits Chicago and Florida gets stuck in it with her school bus. This leads her and the kids on the bus to take refuge in an abandoned building to keep warm.

Bookman's strange behavior leads his wife, Violet to become convinced that he's seeing another woman. However, appearances can be deceiving especially when Violet catches Willona and Bookman in a compromising situation.

Willona adamently refuses to discuss the birds and the bees with Penny especially after Willona learns a 13-year old friend of Penny's is pregnant. This leads Willona to tell Penny, that her friend has stomach mumps and not to go near her.

With the art contest approaching, J.J. believes that he is shoo-in to win. However things don't go as planned after he trusts a distracted Bookman to deliver his painting to the judges.

Florida finds what she believes to be a dirty story called, ""Sexual Behavior in the Ghetto"". Assuming it to be J.J.'s, Florida confronts him, but she's in for a surprise when Thelma claims it and has an even bigger surprise when she learns it belongs to Thelma's latest boyfriend.

Florida comes home from the supermarket with great news, she's been offered a role in a TV commercial. What's even better is the pay she will get, $5,000. However, once she reads the script and tests the product, Florida has second thoughts.

JJ has another money-making idea. He starts a greeting card business and has the whole family involved in making up messages. He has the business plans are laid out, but does not have the financing.

Thelma's been seeing the same man for two months and hasn't introduced him to the family yet. However, when she comes home with an engagement ring, Florida and James demand that they meet him and they are in for a surprise when they finally do.

Fed up with having no privacy and being burdened by two brothers, Thelma decides to move out and into an apartment that is shared by three other roommates.

J.J. is given a sexy assistant, one whom he makes a play for immediately. However, later when he learns that she's the boss's daughter, he continues to go out with her thinking that it will give him special privileges with his boss.

J.J.'s latest relationship with a woman, Barbara, who's currently married but plans on divorcing her husband, results with him coming down with an ulcer. The situation is compounded when J.J. learns that her husband and her still share an apartment.

A tomboy who's been helping out Bookman, wants J.J. to ask her to a dance. However, J.J. thinks of her as just one of the guys, that is until he has an encounter with her at a seedy pick-up bar.

A child-care center in the neighborhood is scheduled to close due to lack of funds. To keep it open, the Evan's plan a show to raise money from the neighbors.

J.J. is recovering after being shot by Mad Dog, which only turned out to be a flesh wound. Meanwhile, a vengeful James presses charges against Mad Dog but a worried Florida is afraid James's anger will take over before the law does.

After a near fatal accident, Larry's mother finally realizes that Larry has a hearing problem. Unable to take him to the doctor because she has to work, Mrs. Baker allows Florida to take him to the doctor, which is where Larry makes the announcement that he plans on running away from home.

Florida discovers she must take and pass a physical examination to keep her bus driving job. However, the night before her physical is utter chaos ending with Michael landing in jail.

Cousin Naomi is visiting the Evans' for the Christmas season. However, her visit is not a happy one for Thelma, who discovers that Naomi is hiding a serious drinking problem.

When James is out of town, Florida and her brother Wilbert are left to deal with a troubled Michael. His cutting classes, getting into fights at school and low grades are all warning signs that lead Florida to make an appointment to see Michael's teacher.

A furious J.J. confronts Carl, who makes up an excuse that a war injury in the groin is the reason why he's breaking up with Florida. However, later Carl reveals the truth to Florida and he proposes marriage and she readily accepts.

The cafeteria at Thelma's college is in disrepair. Thelma and her friends picket the college. She meets Ibe, an African exchange student. They date, and he asks her to move in with him. Thelma is suspended from college because of the picket.

Florida plans on borrowing money from her cousin to help pay some unexpected bills. James's pride stands in the way causing him to storm out to a bar, leaving Florida to learn about the shocking news about her seemingly wealthy cousin by herself.

Sweet Daddy Williams sends his hoods to snatch J.J. from his home and bring him to the hospital. His reasons: J.J. is the only person they could find that match's Sweet Daddy's blood type and Sweet Daddy is in dire need of a blood transfusion.

Florida arrives home after hearing the news of Thelma's engagement. However, Thelma's impending wedding may never take place, that is if she lets her pre-wedding jitters get the best of her. Meanwhile, J.J. loses his job.

James finds a bag of robbery loot adding up to $27,000. After some coaxing from Florida, James decides to turn it in. However, what Florida doesn't know is that there was $29,000 in the bag and James kept the other $2000.

The conditions in the building become to much for Willona, Penny and the Evans kids to bare so they decide to circulate a petition that would terminate Bookman as the superintendet. However, Bookman and his wife, hatch a plan to save his job.

Willona's old boyfriend arrives back in town and asks Willona her hand in marraige. However, Willona turns him down since his job would have her and Penny constantly moving. Meanwhile, Penny, feeling like she's holding Willona back, decides to run away.

A student whom Florida drives to school on her bus, becomes the center of attention when Florida discovers he has a hearing problem and his mother refuses to believe Florida's suspicions.

The Evans children and Willona are pleasantly shocked to learn that Thelma has been dating the nationally renowned football player Keith Anderson, a Heisman Trophy candidate currently negotiating a 1,000,000 dollar professional contract with the Chicago Bears. When Keith proposes it only remains for Thelma to phone her mother in Arizona to ask her blessing.

Willona's boyfriend, Frank, continues his efforts to try to get her to marry him. Meanwhile, down at the boutique, Willona gets a promotion but Frank is determined to get her to turn down the offer.

Florida and the children are excitedly anticipating the arrival of Grandpa Evans. However, he arrives with a loud companion in tow.

Keith's search for a job results in strange behavior that everyone plainly points out is not just frustration, but rather a bigger problem. Little does anyone know, Keith has developed a serious drinking problem.

Michael submits a angry letter about the conditions in the Evans' apartment to a newspaper and gets an immediate response from a housing commission official who quickly finds himself stranded in the ghetto and experiences the conditions first hand.

A wedding has Florida realizing that Willona is the only friend of hers left that isn't married. So this leads Florida to try her hand at matchmaking, and matches her with a friend of James'.

J.J.'s 18th birthday has James and Florida in a fit when they find out they won't be able to give J.J. the art supplies he wanted because James' credit has been reduced to 0. After the birthday party, news hits the Evans family that J.J. has been arrested for robbing a liquor store.

A hole has been burned into one of the couch cushions and J.J., Thelma and Michael each have their own versions of how it got there. However, Penny is the only person who knows the truth of how it really got there.