While hurrying to get out of her apartment in time for a club date, lounge singer Ellie Riggs has to deal with an overflowing toilet, her neighbor Ingvar who knocks himself unconscious trying to help, and a naked doctor who comes to the rescue. Finally out the door, Ellie bumps into her ex-boyfriend Edgar who tries to ""un-invite"" her to his birthday party. (NBC)
Ellie and her band are preparing to sing at the wedding of her childhood friend Diane, when she suddenly realizes the song Diane wrote to her husband is in the back of Ben's car, which is about to be hauled away by an unyielding tow-truck driver. Meanwhile, Ellie's sister Susan is excited about possibly being pregnant.
Ellie's elaborate dinner party becomes a disaster when her sister cancels and Ben invites Dr. Zimmerman and Ingvar to join them. Meanwhile, Dr. Zimmerman brings home a dog from the animal hospital and runs off with Ellie's roast beef, Ingvar and Ben give chase.
An earthquake causes chaos in Ellie's apartment building. Dr. Zimmerman is even trapped in a dog cage under a piano.
While trying to record a commercial jingle with Edgar, Ellie has to run next door to the bookshop where her boyfriend Ben is waiting -- and stumbles upon him flirting with a mysterious woman. Meanwhile, Don becomes frantic when his bicycle is stolen.
While out on a date, Ellie and Ben try to avoid Edgar by ducking into a dance studio, which leads to an impromptu tango lesson. But when Ellie sees Ben's talent for the dance and the attention he's getting from the instructor, the competitive side of her nature comes out. Meanwhile, when Ben steps out for a moment, Edgar catches Ellie's eye and sweeps her on to the dance floor, making another attempt to win her back.
After Ben gives Ellie a necklace, he has to find a way to get it back when his wife mistakenly believes he bought it for her. Meanwhile, Ingvar tries to help Don pick up a woman at the nightclub where Ellie's band is performing.
After taking Dr. Zimmerman's cold medicine cocktail, Ellie is suddenly reminded of her band's gig that evening and has to find a way to get there. But when the effects of the medicine make her feel euphoric, she starts saying things to Ingvar and her boyfriend Ben that she may later regret.
Ellie and Ben are finally able to spend an entire weekend alone, but while Ben is content to lie around and watch motorcyle racing on television, Ellie is privately disappointed that their time together isn't more ""magical."" There's plenty of excitement, though, when Edgar returns early to pick up his beloved dog from their care, and Ellie discovers that the pooch has accidentally glued himself to the model ship Ingvar is building.
Already depressed by a very slow gig and wondering if she's ever going to realize her dream of stardom, Ellie goes over the edge when Ben promises Dr. Zimmerman he can sing with the band. However, her efforts to talk the veterinarian out of performing may become unnecessary when his sudden attack of stage fright won't let him leave the club bathroom.
Ellie encourages her boyfriend Ben to rent an apartment in her building—before she learns that the neighbor's visiting niece, Klinka, a stunning, blonde Icelandic beauty, is right next door. Ellie's lack of self-esteem drives her to her shrink, and soon she becomes consumed with Ben's whereabouts and determined to catch him cheating.
Ellie gets carried away with dreams of celebrity when a hard nosed ad exec seems to reward her commercial work with a lavish gift -- but must put up with Edgar's jealously. Meanwhile, Ben and Dr. Zimmerman get hooked on a game of Nerf basketball when they notice that every time they make a basket a wish appears to come true.
Ellie and Don are filled with anticipation when they each return to the dating world with hopeful aspirations. On the heels of her break up with Ben, Ellie is bubbling with excitement over her date with a man she met six months earlier, who turns out to be full of surprises. While Don believes he's met his soulmate, Ben tries to get Edgar to reveal where Ellie's date is so he can try to stop it.
Ellie runs into an old singing rival of hers who appears to be at the top of her career. In Ellie's zeal to be one step ahead of her rival, she lies about a future gig for Steven Spielberg, yet in reality her next gig turns out to be ""underground"" at the subway in Los Angeles.
Ellie reluctantly takes a gig doing a commercial for a fruit juice containing alcohol that seems to be targeting teenagers. Meanwhile, Don Zimmerman and Ingvar get Ellie and Ben in on a sure bet - a race horse who is certain to win at the track thanks to a special veterinarian ""elixir"" that causes the horse to bolt.
Ellie meets ""Family Feud"" host, Richard Karn at one of her club performances and Ellie gets the idea of being a contestant on the show in the hopes of winning a free vacation. Ellie gets a ""family"" of her own together with her sister Susan and a few adoptees. Ben, Don, and Edgar when the Riggs family gets ready to play the feud.