Kathy Morrison (Harris), mother of three, who helps run a "color-blind" adoption program, wants to have another biological child. Her husband, Pete (Bologna), the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, finds out he can't produce another child. Kathy thinks about adopting a boy, Frederic "Freddie" Wilcox, and Pete does not want to adopt a boy who happens to be black. When he relents, Freddie's arrival causes an upheaval in the Morrison's neighborhood, their school, and family. Kathy's answer is to adopt another child, in this case two, a war-traumatized half-Vietnamese girl, Quan Tran, and a Hopi boy, Joe. The new extended family must now learn to live together.

Buddies Raj, Rerun and Dwayne come of age in 1970s Los Angeles. The trio have a penchant for mischief and trying to find ways of getting rich quick. Almost always the trio's schemes wind up getting them into trouble and it's up to Raj's mother Mabel to get them out of it. Also, half of the time, the guys get into trouble because of Raj's bratty sister Dee.