It focuses on a recently divorced woman who re-enters the dating world while living with her 17-year-old son and still being constantly pestered by her slacker ex-husband.
Courteney Cox plays Jules Cobb, born November 15, 1968, a recently divorced single mother exploring the honest truths about dating and aging.
Jules also has an incredibly close relationship with her high school (and later college) aged son, Travis, whom she had with her ex-husband Bobby.
Jules and her neighbor, Grayson are attracted to each other, their friendship is innocent and flirty until the episode "Letting You Go" when they kiss and sleep together.
In the next episode, Grayson and Jules explore the idea of friends with benefits, but they both realize that they want more and start secretly dating.
In the Season 1 finale, they reveal the fact that they are dating to everyone, including Bobby—who is upset initially but learns to accept their relationship.
The two have an outwardly spiteful relationship, in which they constantly exchange verbal jabs and insults; however, several episodes reveal that she has a soft spot for Laurie, whom she refers to as "jellybean."
Ellie quit her job as a lawyer to stay home with Stan, though enjoys a copious amount of freedom since Andy hired a nanny for her as a surprise.
Laurie spent much of her youth in and out of foster homes, and early in the series she is struggling to live life as a functional adult.
Laurie is known for her fun-loving, unashamedly wild personality, frequently engaging in and bragging about her one-night stands and hookups.
Late in season 1, Laurie dates a rich young law student named Smith Frank.
Laurie's flirty relationship with Jules' son Travis, who is several years her junior, is another concept often revisited by the group.
In the season 2 finale, Laurie manipulates Travis' feelings for her to convince him to return to Florida after he runs away to Hawaii.
After the divorce, he spent his time as a golf instructor and grass-cutter at Travis' high school, while hanging out with his best friend, Andy.
He also invented the game 'Penny Can' which becomes very popular, first among the group but later among a wide variety of people after Roger Frank (the father of Laurie's ex-boyfriend) purchases it for his company.
Some of his flings included Jules' dermatologist, Travis's photography teacher, and a woman named Sam, all of which ended in disaster.
During the last season, Bobby is rarely seen, as he was encouraged by Andy to take a well-paying golf pro job in Georgia.
After dealing with his mom's real estate ads around town and his dad's new job as his school's lawn mower, his father helps him realize not to worry about what other people think.
In season 2, Travis leaves for college and has an open long-distance relationship with Kylie, but he later realizes that he is dissatisfied by this because of her many other male companions.
Later in season 2, Travis begins dating an older girl, a grad student named Kirsten whom Jules is initially threatened by.
Laurie at this point is with Wade, her online soldier boyfriend who has just returned from Afghanistan, and she is outraged at Travis' behavior.
Although he is of Latino descent, he never bothered to learn Spanish, unlike Jules, Ellie and Laurie, who speak it fluently.
He loves coffee and displays deep loyalty and hero worship for Jules' ex-husband, Bobby, his best friend before and after the divorce.
During season 3, Andy expresses an interest in running for mayor and campaigns against Roger Frank, the father of Laurie's ex-boyfriend, Smith.
Yet he is still tethered by the fact that his ex-wife, Vivian, left him because he wanted kids and she claimed that she did not; however, it is later revealed that she got engaged to another man and is pregnant—a crushing blow for Grayson.