Seasons & episodes

Nell finds out that Addy is engaged to be married to her dentist, who has been previously married before, and has several children from each marriage. When Nell decides to accept Addy's engagement as a sign of happiness for her, she helps her select her wedding ring. However, when they begin to quarrel again over the engagement, they both go into seperate elevators, and they break down. Nell gets on her phone and Addy gets on hers and they talk to each other about past times in Alabama to get them throguh this horrific moment. When Nel tells Addy she should call her fiance, his new girlfriend answers, and Addy decides to shut him out of her life forever. Finally, the fire department arrives and gets them to safety.

Nell finds out Addy is selling her car, and wants to be the first one to take it off her hands. However, Angies sister has already purchased it, and Nell talks her out of it. When Nell takes it for a test drive, it breaks down, and she tells Addy that she wants her money back. Addy refuses, but in the end gives in, after she finds out that she is getting money back as well for it.

Nel finds out that Joey is a gifted child, and should take a test to see what grade he should be placed into. When Joey tells her that the 4th grade is fine, and that he just wants to play baseball, she insists that he take the test, and gives him several instruments to play to see which one suites him best, the piano being the top. In the end, Joey runs off to the park, and Nell knows he is there when she finds out he wasn't at the school to take the test. She decides to let Joey stay in the 4th grade because a nine year old is supposed to have fun, and not work their tail off.

Nell finds out that Katie is dating a married author of a famous book. She tells Katie to stop seeing him, and she tells her she is old enough to do what she wants. Katie then tells Julie to come to her apartment and asks her for advice on what to do. In the end, Katie decides to not see him anymore.

Nell and the gang decorate the Christmas tree as Joey pretends that he is sick, but wants to help out as well. During the Christmas gathering, the family recalls events from the past. In the end, Joey tells Nell that he was only pretending to be sick because he didn't have enough money to buy her a Christmas present, but she tells him it doesn't matter.

Nell decides to quit college and pursue a real singing career. She becomes the manager for an ex-con who wrote a song in jail and decides to put it to music. When Nell and the ex-con go to Skipper Dwane's for amature night to perform the song, Gary Collins is there, and Nell asks him if he liked the song. Gary says he hated it when the ex-con sang it, but when Nell signs it, he insists that he put Nell on his hour magazine show. When Nell goes backstage to tell the ex-con how he did, she freaks when he has a string of floss out and thinks he is going to kill her. She tells him that she thinks he is going to kill him because Gary hated his song.

The ex-con is sad that Gary hated the song, and decides that singing is not the career for him. Nell then appears on Gary Collins' Hour Maganzine Show, and decides to go back to college afterall.

Jonathan returns home, giving attention to everyone accept Julie, who beleives that Jonathan doesn't love her anymore. In the end, Jonathan tells Nell that he knows that Archaeology is not the career for him and that he rushed into things by marrying Julie and getting her pregnant. He tells her he was not at work when they called to talk to him, and instead he was in Bakersfield, looking at a chalk factory that he hopes that he and Julie will soon run in the near future. Nell tells him that Julie needs him, and he should tell his problems to her instead. He finally tells Julie his problems, and tells her that they will be great parents soon when their baby is born.

Joey accidently shoots Nell when he finds the cheif's gun in one of her dresser drawers. The whole family, including Mama Maybell, who comes for a visit, helps Nell out when she is shot in the foot. However, Joey runs off everytime he comes face to face with Nell. In the end, Joey wants to buy Samantha an ice cream cone after he accidently hit her finger with a baseball, and Nell decides to take him to get it. When they get in the car, the engine sputs, reminding him of the gun, and he tells Nell that he is finally sorry for what he had done.

Nell finds out that Grandpa is dating Sally Parsons, who was previously dating Officer Simpson. When Simpson finds out he takes it like a baby, but Nell takes it much personal, and tels Sally never to see Grandpa again. In the end, Nell learns that she shouldn't have been snooping into Grandpa's life at all.

Nel is rejected for a job as a receptionist because she thinks she is black. When Addy decdies to go for the same job as well, she is rejected too. They decide to take the case to the Congress of Determined Women, but find out that the man who rejected them is for black rights, and decided to hire a black man instead, because he cannot work with women because they drive him crazy.

Nell's sister Loretta comes to town when she decides to leave Howard. She confides in Nell on what to do, but Nell doesn't know what she can do to help. Mama Maybelle shows up and calls Nell a homewrecker, and Joey is mad at Nell when he is getting bad grades because he is devoting all of his time to baseball. Loretta tells Nell that Joey should do what he does best, and Nell knows she is right. In the end, Mama hears that Loretta left Howard, and Mama tells her to go back to him, which she agrees to.

When Officer Simpson leaves his cousins adopted children with Nell to babysit for her, her date who is at the house at the time lets Nell see who he really is, when he shows her his feelings that he has for kids, none whatsoever.

Katie, who has been sad since her latest boyfriend left her and is now engaged, is going broke and is deciding to close Katie's Korner. Nell knows that Katie is going to commit suicide because she is very depressed lately and gave Joey a gift for his birthday, which isn't for several months, and is giving Julie and Jonathan her car. When Nell and Addy arrive at the closing of Katie's Korner, they see the lights off and know she is inside. They throw a tree through the window as Katie comes out. Nell tells Addy that she was worried about Katie because her ex-husband Tony left her years ago and she didn't leave him. Afterwards she tried to commit suicide but couldn't go through with it. Katie tells Nell she was offered a job as a buyed at Chadwick's in SanFransisco which offers her $32,000 a year, as wel as a company car.

When Nell's grandmother passes away and leaves her a nice amount of money, she decides to split it with the family, and decides to let them spend it on something that is fun since it was found. Nell goes to the bank and finds out that her check has bounded, and needs the money back, but in the end, everyone had bought her something with the money that they had given her, since she is always giving them things and money everytime they need it.

As she is at a Greek restaraunt with her freinds, Nell's purse is stolen, which upsets everyone. However, the two Grek waiters have their own plan of getting the purse back for her.

Samantha, excitied that she has gotten into Littlfield College in New Jersey, is let down when she recieves a letter in the mail, saying that the school cancelled her scholarship. As this is going on, Julie and Jonathan, the proud new parents of baby Nell, are finally moving to Bakersfield to have privacy for a change, and to manage the chalk factory, as Simpson helps them with the move. Nell then calls Addy, who says she will do all she can to make sure it was an error, and that Samantha will get her scholarship back. While Samantha is in despair, Katie arrives home one last time to have her laundry cleaned before she moves to SaFransisco, and tells Samantha to come with her and she will give her a job there. When Simpson arrives for another load of Julie and Jonathan's belongings, Nell tells him she is losing her girls, but Simpson tells her she will always have him.

Nell continues to talk Samantha out of moving to Sanfransisco with Katie. She then realizes that Samantha is still 17, and she has legal control over her still. Addy finally calls Nell and tells her that Samantha did get the scholarship, and that it was a computer error. An excited Samantha, decides that she is going to college afterall. Nell finally sees Julie and Jonathan to the front door as they say their goodbyes. Nell knows that the girls are all grown up now, and that she has the house to herself.

Nell and Joey fly to New Jersy to move Samantha to her college living space at Littlefield College. While they are there, and New York is so close by, and Addy as well, who is now living there because she has gotten a job at a big University, they deicde to visit her and see how she is doing. Nell is surprised that Addy has a basement apartment, in which the view consists of being able to see tiny dogs and peoples feet who walk by. Nell gets furious when the construction workers outside maske noise and she is not able to hear anyone, so she goes outside and gives them a kick on the leg. In the meantime, she is really worried about Samantha, who shows up in New York to go see a musical with a new guy friend of her's. As Nell is in the Bathroom, she hears Sam out in the livingroom, but the door is stuck. She kicks it down and Sam and her new firend go off to see a musical on Broadwat. Also, Joey is told that his father is in New York and has a big surprise for him. Joey is anxious and ho

Joey meets Matthew finally, and is mad that he has a little brother. Tim says that he has some matters to take care of and will meet Nell and the boys at a restaruant shortly. Nell and Addy then decide to take the boys to the park and they have a blast. As Addy and Nell sit and talk on a park bench, they realize that Joey and Matthew have disappeared and Nell calls the police. Joey and Matthew were taken to a museum by a police officer who tells Nell they are not fond of one another and are arguing back and forth. Later, the boys are fine, and everyone returns to Addy's, where Nell and Tim talk in private at Addy and the boys look at her computer. He tells her he wants her blessing so he can raise the boys in New York, now that he has a job there. He tells the boys and everyone deicdes to go out for pizza. In the end, Joey returns back in the apartment as Nell stays behind and finds out that she is not going to live with them and he cries. Nell tells him to keep her picture and she wi

Nell recives a letter from Joey in New York, telling her that he is fine, but she knows that Tim is not taking proper care of them. She returns to New York, where she ruins Addy's date with a lawyer, and tells her the two will get Joey back. She spies on him at the playground, and he sees her, and she tempts him with a big southern meal at Addy's Apartment. Nell finally agrees to become roomates with Addy and move to New York. When Tim shows up to pick up Joey, he tells Nell he wants to go back to sea, and as much as he loves his boys, he has no time to be with them. He offers her to be their full guardian, and she accepts.

Nell tries to get a job at a famous New York publishing company. She then decides to rent an apartment in Greenwich Village where she, Addy, Joey and Matthew move into.

Nell is fed up with the new apartment in New York, and tells Addy she wants to go back to Glenlawn to get some of that good California air inside of her again. When Gradpa calls, he tells her that he sold the house to leave Glenlawn behind and move to New York with her. She then meets her upstairs tennant Mrs. Tercobi, who bakes her a cake. In the end, Nell knows that if she can make it there, she can make it anywhere, after being inspired by Frank Senatra's ""New York, New York"".

After Addy is laid off at the University for going on strike, Nell hires her as an assistant at Mcdillon and Loud's publishing company where she works. When Nell thinks Addy is too slow at reading manuscripts, she fires her, and Addy, upset at Nell's attitude towards her, refuses to ever speak to her again.