- The series' pilot focuses on three friends: Pete Falcone, Neil Heffernan, and Dewey Hooper, all starting their freshman year at Ulysses S. Grant High School as Pete is doggedly pursued by a fellow schoolmate and also has his hands full when a former bully returns to town to settle a score.—Kyle J. McElravy
- Set in suburban Indiana, Pete Falcone is starting a new year at Ulysses S. Grant High School with his friends, aspiring musician/ troublemaker Dewey Hooper and nerdy Neil Heffernan. Pete is determined not to get into trouble, this year, as he and his father Gene have a deal going on that he will his get his own car, as Neil is the only one currently with a driver's license. On the way to school, they pick up two girls, Robin Dupree and Patti Eubanks, who takes an instant liking to Pete. When they stop at an intersection, they are met by resident bully, Cliff, who is determined to pay Pete back for getting Cliff's older brother, Garth, expelled and sent to military school. He foolishly throws a lit match in Neil's car, alarming everybody, before speeding off. Once at school, Dewey is met by Franklin T. Otto, the hateful vice principal, who vows to have Dewey kicked out of school if he catches him doing anything funny. During lunch, Dewey sneaks off campus to a blues club where he has a session with musician Howlin' Joe, whom Dewey idolizes.
That night, as Gene is repairing the kitchen sink, he mistakenly receives a threatening phone call from Garth, who is coming back to town to settle a score with Pete. Gene is upset by it and orders Pete into the kitchen, where Gene sets the record straight that he has his permission to fight Garth, even if it will get him suspended from school and promises not to tell his mother about it. On the night of the Freshman Dance at school, Pete, Dewey, and Neil anxiously wait for Cliff and his crony to show up in the parking lot. When they do, Neil tries to spray them with a fire hose, but notices no water is left in it, but Pete and Dewey get the upper hand and lock them in a nearby car trunk. Garth, dressed in his military uniform, finally shows up and gives Pete a black eye. Before Garth can do anything else, Patti, hiding on a truck flatbed, appears and knocks Garth out with a trash can lid, saving Pete's life. The next morning, at breakfast, Gene notices Pete's black eye and tells him fighting does not solve anything, with Pete confused whether Gene is his friend or his father. Gene briskly, but warmly, replies he is his father.
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