Tanya, her husband Ed, and their kids Danika and Bobby are an African-American family living in New Jersey who take in Tanya's Caucasian best friend, Maddie, and her son, Keith. After Keith is busted trying to sneak away to hang out with friends, Maddie puts Tanya in charge of the situation and Keith learns about his new housemates.
Tanya gives Ed a talk about trying to bond with Keith, while at the same time, she argues with Maddie about Maddie's growing bond with Danika. Meanwhile, Bobby gets some advice on girls from Pop.
Danika starts making her own rules when she shockingly learns that Keith doesn't have a curfew imposed on him, and she ends up getting them both get grounded. The parents then must figure out the middle ground between not having a curfew and establishing one.
Ed attempts to create a romantic evening for himself and Tanya, per Pop's advice, when he starts to feel left out of the budding relationships formed in the house. Pop also comforts Keith when his friends leave him behind and take off on a trip.
When Keith hooks up with a band, Maddie worries that it's interfering with his college prep course, prompting him to ask Ed for his advice on the matter. Meanwhile, Pop tries to steer Bobby into a career as a golfer.
Keith goes to Pop for help when a girl turns him down because he is white. Meanwhile, Danika brings her white boyfriend home with some trepidation.
When Danika's date to a dance backs out on her, Maddie and Tanya coax Keith into taking her after worrying he hasn't adjusted to his new school very well. Ed then explains to Tanya the reasons for standing her up at one of their own dances.
Keith manages to demonstgrate to Ed that he has less parental authority than Tanya, which irks Ed. Bobby and Danika use the situation to their advantage to try and get Danika a nose ring and Bobby a dog, which further heightens the household tension.
Keith ends up having to work for Ed's car wash when he pays for a dinner using Maddie's credit card. When Ed thinks Keith is being too much of a rebellious employee, he fires him, but Keith's attempt to start a new business with Bobby teaches him the difficulty of making money. Meanwhile, Tanya tries to get the family together for a photo.
Keith gets to meet his biological father after Maddy and Tanya randomly run into him and set it up. Seeing that they get along so well, Keith decides to ditch a parent-child bowling tournament with Ed to go to a rock show with his dad, but he soon realizes that his dad's world is a little too unstructured.
Bobby is bullied at school, which begins to affect his judgment in behavior, but when homework goes missing in school, Tanya and Ed get serious and blame Maddie for Keith's poor influence on him. Keith then upsets Bobby when he spills the beans, against Bobby's wishes, on the reason for his problems.
The parents play matchmaker as Maddie and Tanya both try to sway Keith when he is torn between two girls. Meanwhile, Ed tries to help Danika through a rough period with her boyfriend.
Keith tries to find his mother a good mate, using the template of Ed and Tanya's marriage as a basis for comparison.
When Tanya's father visits the family by himself, Tanya suspects that he and her mother are on the outs, but Ed discovers that he's covering up a more serious health issue. Meanwhile Pop introduces everyone to his new girlfriend.
When Keith flunks his driver's exam, he also confesses to being at fault when Tanya and Maddie's convertible is wrecked. Ed is shocked to discover that Danika actually crashed the car and wonders if perhaps his lenience with her was given at the expense of shortchanging Keith.
Tanya helps Maddie to land a job promotion, but soon Maddie's hectic new schedule leaves her with little time for Keith. As Tanya decides to help cover the role of problem-solver for him while Maddie is away, she also begins to think that maybe her own career as a lawyer is ready to get recharged.
Danika competes with rival Lauren for a spot on the debate team, but when Lauren starts going out with Keith, Danika suspects that she's only trying to rile her and is not really interested in Keith. Meanwhile, Bobby and his new girlfriend double date with Pop and Ethel.
Keith has a choice to make about fidelity when a pretty girl at Danika's slumber party makes a romantic overture towards him. Danika, meanwhile, has her own problems with Maddie and Tanya's groan-inducing presence at her party.
Feeling awkward about addressing the issue of sex with Maddie, Keith turns to Ed for help when he and Lauren consider having sex for the first time. Though Tanya also uses the opportunity to talk to Danika about sex, the family clams up around Bobby, who misinterprets everyone's silence as a precursor to a surprise birthday.
Tanya's brother, Dave, and Maddie don't seem to get along when he comes for a visit, but pretty soon they're getting along intimately, a little more intimately than Tanya would like. Meanwhile, Danika and Keith's school "marriage" project goes south, leading the two to get a "divorce."
The return of Keith's estranged father, Roger, causes problems as everyone organizes a 17th birthday party for Keith. While Maddie doubts that Roger won't leave Keith again, Ed tries to help Roger improve his situation. Meanwhile, Bobby sets up a truce between Danika and her rival, Lauren.