Janine's associate, Beverly, steals Ella's identity, causing Ella to be briefly jailed for check kiting. Afterward, Ella feels compelled to confront Janine at the crack house. Meanwhile, Calvin crams for mid-terms.
Overview
The show revolved around a multi-generational family living under one roof in Atlanta led by patriarch Curtis Payne and his wife Ella.
Episodes
S01E01 Bully and the Beast
June 6, 2007 30 min
Malik is confronted by a school bully, and Curtis has to handle the situation. What he can't handle is the bully's mother.
Curtis thinks Malik is gay after seeing him wear a tutu. Meanwhile, Curtis offers some of his and Ella's retirement money to C.J. in order to jump start him and the kids moving out.
C.J. accepts Curtis and Ella's money offer, but when he uses the money to put Janine in rehab she checks herself out, causing C.J. to lose the money and find a way to break the...
A school assembly about "Say No To Drugs" upsets Jazmine, because of Janine's drug problems. Meanwhile, the firefighters protest after Curtis refuses to replace the broken television at the firehouse.
The firefighters do a pinup calendar as a fundraiser and are surprised when a new firefighter assigned to the house is a woman named Angel. Meanwhile, Jazmine sells candy for her school.
Jazmine, despite being in the 3rd grade, runs for president of the school. She enlists the entire family into helping her with election with Uncle Curtis as her debate opponent.
An old high school flame of C.J.'s comes back in his life with a claim that is bound to rock his world. Meanwhile, Malik's hanging around a bad group of kids and gets into trouble.
The possibility that CJ might be the father of another child continues to be a family issue. Meanwhile, Malik continues to keep company with sketchy kids.
Janine's associate, Beverly, steals Ella's identity, causing Ella to be briefly jailed for check kiting. Afterward, Ella feels compelled to confront Janine at the crack house. Meanwhile, Calvin crams for mid-terms.
The firehouse is overwhelmed by a nasty storm that hits Atlanta. Miscommunication about retrieving the kids from school causes a mix up that leads to sparks flying between C.J. and the assistant principal.
After Jazmine "rescues" a hamster from her school, her assistant principal comes to the Payne household to investigate. When Malik finds out that Jazmine did abscond with the hamster, they keep it a secret, and...
Tension escalates between Curtis and Mr. Brown, a Payne houseguest in the wake of his home fire. Meanwhile, Malik gets a tattoo and comes to regret that decision.
Mr. Brown, Cora and Will come by the Paynes after Pop Brown's funeral. Brown is upset because Pop Brown left him his run down house which makes Brown thinks his Daddy really hates him. After...
Jazmine's friend, Tiffany, convinces Jazmine that C.J. is going to marry Nicole and move to San Francisco with Nicole just like her Dad did when he remarried. Jazmine and Tiffany devise a plan to break...
When his divorce from Janine is at last finalized, C.J. attempts to start life anew, and his firehouse buddies urge him to savor the single life. Meanwhile, Janine asks Ella to get her into a...
When an old friend of C.J.'s turns up, they stir up jealousy in Nicole which causes C.J. and Nicole's budding romance to hit a bump. In the meantime, the Payne children push to get a...
Curtis surprises the family with a new motorcycle, but his new bike causes more trouble than any one family could ever imagine. Malik's new friend from New York convinces him to steal Curtis' motorcycle, leaving...
C.J. and Nicole's relationship is seriously tested when Nicole's jealousy gets out of hand, but that's the least of C.J.'s problems. Curtis filled charges against Malik, who faces time in prison for stealing and wrecking...
C.J. thinks they he may have found the perfect new apartment for he and the kids, but he soon learns that his dream home is too good to be true. Curtis is ecstatic that C.J....
Just as C.J. and the kids adjust to their new surroundings, an unexpected break in changes everything. Meanwhile, Curtis and Ella are thrilled to have their home all to themselves again.
Christmas has arrived and everyone is excited...except for Curtis. When he learns that Ella decided to cancel their holiday vacation to help celebrate C.J. and the kids spending Christmas without Janine, Curtis throws a Scrooge-like...
When a raging house fire is reported in the neighborhood, Curtis and the other firefighters rush to the scene. Calvin believes that he has finally found the right opportunity to prove to himself what he...
When a raging house fire is reported in the neighborhood, Curtis and the other firefighters rush to the scene. Calvin believes that he has finally found the right opportunity to prove to himself what he...
The firehouse becomes the subject of a new reality series about firefighters, but the producer of the show tampers with everyone's interviews by showing them in a not-so perfect image. Meanwhile, C.J. and Ella are...
Janine comes to Ella after getting out of rehab and she moves into the house causing the rest of family to become upset. Curtis fails the fireman physical but is in denial about eating better...
C.J. is at odds with the family as they continue to allow Janine to live with them. The Payne family ties are once again tested when Malik becomes embarrassed by Janine's arrival as he wants...
Janine and C.J. are at odds when she takes the children out to an amusement park without C.J.'s consent. But the drama ensues when C.J. discovers that Calvin has been dating Tracie behind his back....
Tracie gets frustrated when Calvin won't stop playing video games with Malik and Kyle.Tracie tells him that if he wants to be with her, he has to be more mature.
Jazmine is scheduled for surgery when she has an appendix attack, and she milks it for all she can. Even Malik is forced to abide by her wishes. Meanwhile, Curtis is on the hunt for...
Devil in a Blue Suit Janine acts strangely, leading her family to think she is using drugs again. With Blue back in her life, the family must find a way to fix Janine's past. Meanwhile,...
Ella has the flu, which means Curtis is in charge of the cleaning and cooking. Soon, he's also having to nurse Malik, C.J. and Janine after they catch Ella's bug.
Calvin misreads a relationship counselor's signals when she invites him to her house for dinner; Curtis does not let anything interfere with the firehouse's poker party.
C.J. catches the eye of a lovely woman at a wedding, where he gets a little frisky with Janine. Meanwhile, Calvin's friends volunteer at the firehouse.
The family grills Janine and C.J. after they spend the night together. But Curtis has problems of his own, when a man thinks his wife is having an affair with him.