Seasons & episodes
S1 · E8Method of Acting 2001-09-16
Brendon signs up for an acting class, and Paula teaches at an adult education center. Brendon tries to take control of his class while Paula almost loses control of hers.
S1 · E9Life Through a Fisheye Lens 2001-09-23 · 21 min
Brendon wants to buy a fisheye lens, but the Smalls are on a budget. He is forced into the working world when his mother refuses to extend his line of credit.
S1 · E10School Nurse 2001-09-30
The new school nurse has everyone's attention. Coach McGuirk and Jason eye her as a love interest; Brendon sees her as his ticket to getting out of class.
S1 · E11Mortgages & Marbles 2001-09-30
Coach McGuirk decides to buy a condo, but getting approved for a mortgage proves to be difficult. He probably shouldn't have moved out of his old place until he found a new one. Meanwhile, Brendon decides to make an educational film for kids.
S1 · E12Law and Boarder 2001-10-07 · 23 min
Brendon gets hit by a car while riding down the wrong side of the road on his bicycle and ends up with Coach McGuirk representing him in court. Meanwhile, an old 'friend' of Paula's from college pays an unexpected visit.
S1 · E13Brendon's Choice 2001-10-07
Brendon, Melissa and Jason win local filmmaker awards. In an interview for the local news, the anchor asks Brendon about his family, which triggers a sudden curiosity about his dad.
S2 · E1Politics 2002-01-06
Melissa and Jason help Brendon run for office against the previously undefeated Thurman Thackery. Unsolicited help from the school bully, Shannon, raises questions about the fairness of the campaign. Also: Coach McGuirk gives stand-up comedy a try.
S2 · E2Identifying a Body 2002-01-13
Brendon is doing a good job trying to raise money for the school walk-a-thon, but Coach McGuirk is doing a better job spending it. No worries! Coach's long-lost Uncle Pedro has died and left something for him in his will.
S2 · E3Hiatus 2002-01-20
Believing they are in a creative rut, the kids agree to take a hiatus. Brendon reluctantly agrees to film Duane's band rehearsal and meets Cynthia, an older choreographer. Coach McGuirk and Mr. Lynch plan a trip to Cancun, while Paula is the victim of budget cuts at her school.
S2 · E4Business & Pleasure 2002-01-27
Jason and Melissa fight for bigger roles in Brendon's latest movie project. Erik, meanwhile, helps Paula with her job search. McGuirk, who is taking care of a friend's dog, becomes suspicious that Brendon is doing drugs after he starts showing up to practice late and tired.
S2 · E5The Party 2002-02-03
The kids are invited to Fenton Muley's birthday party. Brendon has been asked to make a special film for the occasion, but has a hard time praising Fenton since he can't stand him.
S2 · E6Impressions 2002-02-10
Brendon takes Cynthia to Jason's country club and pretends to be a member. The ruse is exposed when a waiter calls his bluff. Paula is suffering from test anxiety. McGuirk pretends to be a bodybuilder in order to get a date with a former schoolmate.
S2 · E7Dad 2002-02-17
Brendon spends the weekend with his father and his father's girlfriend, Linda, who turns out to be a very unpleasant person. Coach McGuirk, meanwhile, plays big brother to a student who is prone to sickness.
S2 · E8Therapy 2002-02-24
Brendon goes to family therapy with Andrew and Linda to learn 'gentle talk.' Brendon doesn't like the therapy, and when the therapist begins to analyze his movies, he likes it even less.
S2 · E9Class Trip 2002-03-03
A class trip to a hotel provides a great opportunity for some 'on location' footage. It sounds like a great plan until Paula is asked to chaperone the trip with Mr. Lynch. Coach McGuirk has to get a second job to pay for damages resulting from a fight with the office coffeemaker.
S2 · E10History 2002-03-10
Mr. Lynch is tutoring Brendon, who is failing History. His lack of historical perspective is evident through his movies, which star the evil George Washington, the evil Picasso and the evil Annie Oakley.
S2 · E11Writer's Block 2002-03-17
The school writing fair is one week away and Brendon is suffering a bad case of writer's block! Melissa and Jason put pressure on him to no avail, but they end up being a hit anyway. Paula is inspired by the pep talk she gives Brendon and gets back to her writing roots.
S2 · E12Pizza Club 2002-03-24
Paula tries to get a role in one of Brendon's films about a little girl named Little Malooloo who has two fathers. McGuirk feels left out by the regular pizza club meetings that Brendon has with his dad.
S2 · E13The Wedding 2002-03-31
The big day is here: Brendon's dad is marrying his girlfriend. A rash is slowly covering Brendon's body, but otherwise he's doing okay. Paula's friend Stephanie is in town for the wedding and takes a liking to Coach McGuirk.
S3 · E1Shore Leave 2002-08-04
Erik is worried that Melissa doesn't have enough friends who are girls so he enrolls her in The Fairy Princesses. Meanwhile, Brendon gets invited to spend the weekend with Fenton, whom he didn't even know he was friends with. Both Brendon and Melissa have what they consider to be the worst weekends of their lives.
S3 · E2Breaking Up Is Hard To Do 2002-08-11
A kitchen fire at the Smalls is nothing compared to the flaring tempers triggered when both of Paula's newly separated parents move in. To make matters worse, Coach McGuirk volunteers to 'renovate' the kitchen. Meanwhile, Brendon, Jason and Melissa make a crime drama called 'Mulligan and Winooski' about two cops.
S3 · E3Bad Influences 2002-08-18
The camera does add 10 pounds, but so does bingeing on junk food. Brendon and Jason are gaining weight at an alarming rate, so in order break the 'fat-enabling' cycle, they decide never to see each other again.
S3 · E4Improving Your Life Through Improv 2002-08-28
Brendon gets caught making fun of another kid at school and as a result, Mr. Lynch sends everyone to sensitivity training on a Saturday. There they learn the value of really bad improv games and experience the song 'No Skin Off My Ass.' Also: Paula secretly enters one of Brendon's movies in a contest.
S3 · E5Four's Company 2002-10-06
Melissa gets a new French-accented boyfriend, and Brendon and Jason get jealous when her love life starts to interfere with their busy production schedule--and the casting of their Susan B. Anthony biopic. Meanwhile, Coach McGuirk transforms into to a social planner.