What About Joan
ABC (ended 2001)
-
Season 2
- Ep 12Jake's Dilemma
Jake shocks everyone when he announces that he quit his job, because he was miserable from all the micro-management. Rather than look for a new job, Jake decides to set up his own corporate financial consultant business. Even though he'll be making less money, Joan feels that all that's important is Jake enjoying what he does. Jake soon realizes that he doesn't enjoy running his own business, so Joan persuades him to go out and find a job he has a passion for. The trouble is he just doesn't know what it is he has a passion for. To Joan's chagrin, he ends up going back to his old job. Joan's advice inadvertently works better on Ruby, who signs on as the school's therapist. Meanwhile, during an argument with Mark over a pre-set radio station, Alice runs over a stray dog. After getting it back from the vet, the other teachers convince Mark, who has abandonment issues, to take it in -- only to have it run away from him. And Jake and Steinie make a Halloween bet where Jake agrees to give up smoking and Steinie agrees to give up sweets. Whomever caves in to temptation first has to go around trick-or-treating around the neighborhood wearing a humiliating outfit that the other person chose.moreless - Ep 11You Can't Go Home Again
Ruby begins dating Joan's ex, Justin, which doesn't sit well with Joan. Meanwhile, Jake and Steinie plan one final visit to their favorite childhood hangout before it is demolished. - Ep 10Green Bay
When Steinie invites Jake to a football game, Joan decides to join Ruby and Alice for a girls' night out. - Ep 9It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Joan
Jody, a peppy, popular former student of Joan's who isn't even in her class this year, begs Joan to write a college recommendation for her, as she wants to get into North Western -- which just so happens to be Joan's Alma Mater. Joan agrees, but when the time comes to write it, she procrastinates, realizing that Jody rubs her the wrong way. Alice helps her see that the reason she doesn't like Jody is because she's the kind of girl Joan never was in high school. Of course, Joan never was the kind of girl who would write her own college recommendation and give it to her teacher hoping she'll claim ownership of it. Though she refuses to show it around the girl, Joan is furious with Jody, until she reads the earnest recommendation she wrote, documenting how she's made most of her friends only by joining lots of clubs. Meanwhile, Steinie answers a trivia contest question correctly and wins two minutes in a bank vault cash grab, but his excitement turns to resentment when Jake jinxes him. And Jake is forced to take an anger workshop class as part of his job requirement.moreless - Ep 8Mr. Roboto (Unaired)
- Ep 7The Curse of the Sweater
After going through old photo albums, Jake learns that Joan used to make hand-knitted sweaters for all of her past boyfriends. He pushes her to make one for him but she adamantly refuses. After much pushing, Jake finds out the real reason she won't make him one is because when she did in the past, she'd end up having a huge fight with the boyfriend which resulted in their breakup. Not wanting to repeat history, she thinks it's better to avoid altogether. In typical Joan style, we learn that it wasn't the sweater that broke up those relationships, but Joan's insecurities.moreless - Ep 6Joan Sets Up Alice
Jake introduces Joan to his friend, Ben, who happens to be a chef looking to open his own restaurant. Realizing what a great adventure this could be, Jake and Joan decide to invest in Ben's dream and start the ball rolling on making his dream come true. Meeting Ben also sparks an idea in Joanto set him up with Alice who hasn't had the best of luck with men lately. Ben and Alice meet, only to find they have a lot in common, and set off on a whirlwind courtship that suddenly comes to a halt when Ben realizes he has too much to battle right now as it is without having to worry about a new relationship. The news devastates Alice, until Mark, in all of his wackiness, intervenes and turns things around!moreless - Ep 5Quid Pro Quo
Joan and Mark find themselves in trouble with the police. Due to Joan's pushing, Mark drives faster in order to get to Joan's niece's recital on time and ends up getting pulled over. Thinking he's doing the smart thing, Mark slips a twenty in with his license and registration and is promptly arrested for attempting to bribe a police officer. After spending a rough night in the slammer, Joan's guilt at pushing him to drive fast gets the better of her and it's now her goal to find Mark good representation to get him off the hook. She then realizes that not only is Jake a smart investment banker, but he also passed the Bar and can practice law!moreless - Ep 4No Bar Is an Island
When a waitress Joan considers a friend gets fired, Joan makes herself an unwelcome presence in Steinie's bar, insistent that Steinie hire the woman. Meanwhile, Mark wants to be buddies with Jake. - Ep 3Testing, Testing
Joan decides to use Jake's services to whip her students into shape for an upcoming standardized test -- which doesn't sit well with Principal Gorney. - Ep 2Quiet Time10/9/01
Joan is nervous when Jake signs a new apartment lease. Meanwhile, Mark falls apart when Betsy dumps him and heads off to Australia with a man she just met. '' - Ep 1My Dinner with Jake10/2/01
The setting is an expensive French restaurant. Joan's dining alone. Jake is, too, but not for long: he's soon joined by his girlfriend, Penelope. But that's not for long, either. Jake breaks up with her but it isn't a pretty sight, and Joan has a front-row seat. "I was eavesdropping," Joan tells him seconds after Penelope storms out. "You seem like a nice guy."moreless
-
Season 1
- Ep 10Mr. Roboto
Betsy becomes depressed over Mark, so Ruby decides to throw her a party to cheer her up -- complete with tons of eligible bachelors. But just as Betsy begins to look on the bright side at the party, Joan and Jake have a falling out over a comment Joan makes concerning his personality.moreless - Ep 9Betsy's Wedding5/22/01
The big day arrives for Mark and Betsy, who have planned to finally walk down the aisle. However, a massive snowfall in Chicago sets out to destroy their dream day, until Joan intervenes to make it all work out, as usual. With Mark stuck at the church with Jake, Alice, Mark's half-brother Herman and the minister, and with Betsy stuck at Joan's with Joan and Ruby, they incorporate new methods to make their union happen at all costs: THE PHONE. It's not the most romantic way, but it gets the job done!moreless - Ep 8Ruby Doobie Doo5/15/01
Sensing that Jake is in a "funk," Joan encourages him to get some professional counseling, a la Dr. Ruby Stern. Against his better judgment, he agrees to go and talk to Ruby, although it feels strange to divulge his most intimate thoughts to Joan's best friend. During their session, it's Ruby who has a breakthrough, realizing that somehow along the way, she never pursued her first love of singing, for fear that she would fail. Concerned that she would never be the best, she never tried. In an effort to push Ruby past the point of fear, Joan sets up an opportunity for her to perform at an open mic club.moreless - Ep 7Maeve5/8/01
Joan and Jake's relationship is tested when a sultry seminar leader comes onto Jake while on a business retreat. When Joan finds out that Jake may face temptation, she falls apart at the thought of his infidelity. Ruby, Betsy and Alice come together to get her through her "breakdown" until Joan realizes there is nothing to worry about. She's got a good thing.moreless - Ep 6Joan's Sister Visits5/1/01
Joan's nerves are going at full-speed with the thought of Jake meeting her sister Ann who is due to come into town for a visit. The pair meet and hit it off, but all good moods come to a crashing stop when Joan realizes Ann is having problems at home. Ruby gets pleasantly distracted by a "silent cowboy type" and Betsy can't stand to be away from Mark any longer and works for a reunion between the two.moreless - Ep 5Free Speech4/24/01
Just as Joan's high school Speech Team wins the Illinois Speech championship and gets ready to head to San Francisco for Nationals, word comes down that the school board is cutting funds for all of their teams and clubs. A competition among club sponsors, including Joan, Mark, Betsy and Alice, ignites with everyone trying to pitch to the board why their club should not suffer the loss. When the dramatic and charismatic basketball coach has his turn at the podium, it's obvious by his "presentation" that the rest of them don't stand a chance until he realizes others are just as deserving of the money and he instead gives it to Joan; Meanwhile, a student develops a crush on Ruby and isn't shy about letting her know.moreless - Ep 4Joan Meets the Parents4/17/01
While out to dinner with the girls celebrating Alice's 25th birthday, Joan runs into Jake who is having dinner with his parents -- the parents she has yet to meet. She decides to play it cool and decides to go over and say hello. Things do not go well. After making a poor first impression, Joan invites them over for dinner at her place to try again, against Jake's wishes. With Alice as a buffer, Joan sets out to make friends with Jake's parents. After Jake's parents spend the evening insulting and ignoring Joan, Jake yells at them and takes them off to the airport, where Joan shows up and changes their impression of her and also fixes Jake's relationship with them... all with the help of a camera.moreless - Ep 3The Proposal4/10/01
It appears that Betsy is getting very antsy to have Mark propose, which he is a long way from doing. So she takes some of Jake's advice: act like you don't care and watch him come crawling. Betsy gets the reaction she wanted when Mark comes crawling back and she convinces him to propose. Meanwhile, Joan feels deeply betrayed by her English class when she discovers that they cheated on a test. And Ruby gets a book deal to spread her wisdom, and a pesky publicist along the way.moreless - Ep 2Sex Talk4/3/01
In an effort to find out what possible problems may lie ahead for her relationship with Jake, Joan sets out to uncover them now rather than waiting for any explosions later. When she asks Jake if she is the best lover he ever had, and doesn't get the response she was hoping for, Joan attempts to learn new ways of making things better in that department. Meanwhile, Betsy knows she must move on from her relationship with Mark because it's only bringing her pain. The only way she can think to do it is to have Ruby start dating him in order to distract him. Unfortunately, things go much too well in Mark's eyes and he's suddenly smitten with his ex's best friend.moreless - Ep 1Pilot3/27/01
Joan Gallagher, a high school teacher, is caught off guard when Jake, a banker, proposes to her after only six weeks and nine dates. After she doesn't answer, he realizes that he's more committed to the releation than she is. Joan then turns to her friend who happens to be a psychiatrist, Dr. Ruby Stern, for advice. Joan goes to see Jake at his apartment and finds that he's not as nice as he had been earlier. At Joan's urging, Jake withdraws his proposal and decides to continue their relationship a little more slowly; Meanwhile, Joan's friend, Betsy, also a teacher, continues her secret romance with fellow teacher, Mark. Joan meets her new teaching aide, Alice Adams, whom she instantly likes.moreless
