The essential episodes of The Real O'Neals
Watch these 15 in order and you've got The Real O'Neals — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Based in Chicago, the O'Neals appear to be a seemingly picture perfect family, but their lives soon take an unexpected turn when surprising truths are revealed. Eileen is a mom who usually has a fine grasp on all matters under her roof, and her soon-to-be-ex-husband Pat is a good-natured father and the emotional center of the family. Their normal routine at home suddenly gets turned upside down when Eileen and Pat announce their divorce, and their sixteen-year-old-son Kenny reveals to his family that he is gay. Kenny never would have imagined his admission would also result in outing his entire family's secrets, including revelations from his older brother, Jimmy, and little sister, Shannon. Jimmy unapologetically wears his heart on his sleeve and genuinely tries to figure out what's best in any situation, while Shannon is the youngest but carries herself more mature than her age. Life in the O'Neals household wouldn't be complete without Aunt Jodi, Pat's ex-sister-in-law and Eileen's best friend, who is quite the frequent visitor and is also willing to admit things are far from perfect in her own life. What seems like a sudden upheaval that could mark the end of the O'Neals idyllic lives turns out to be the beginning of a bright new chapter when everyone stops pretending to be perfect and actually starts being real.
- 02
Eileen reminds her family that it's Lent and asks them to give up things they really love, which in turn proves to be quite a daunting task. In a chance meeting, Kenny meets his first gay crush, and Pat discovers his little girl, Shannon, is all grown up.
- 03
It's Kenny's first day back at school since coming out, and he uses a certain "F word" to describe himself, which then backfires. Meanwhile, Eileen helps Pat choose a couch for his new living space in the basement but she ultimately struggles with accepting this new phase in their relationship.
- 04
On the first warm day of spring following an endless Chicago winter, Eileen decides it's time to get a fresh start in her life by applying for her first job since her kids were born. Shannon ultimately overhears her mom's plan and riles up the rest of the family after misinterpreting Eileen's true intentions. Meanwhile, Pat realizes he might not be ready for the single life just yet, even though his patrol partner, Archie, thinks otherwise. And as Kenny wonders who he will date next, Jimmy takes it upon himself to help him explore the newfound world of online dating.
- 05
Eileen faces her book club for the first time after her family's "outing," but things take a surprising turn when instead of shunning her the ladies begin opening up - way too much - about their own problems. Kenny's first trip to the "gayborhood" coffee shop is everything he'd hoped for, until Pat tags along with him to a gay dodge ball match.
- 06
When Kenny decides to audition for the school play, "Zombie Romeo and Juliet," Eileen volunteers to help out. Kenny receives the role of Romeo, but much to his dismay, his ex-girlfriend Mimi is playing Juliet. Things get more awkward when Eileen, realizing that this may be the only time she will see Kenny marry a girl, begins to treat the play's wedding scene like an actual wedding. Meanwhile, Pat and Jimmy both struggle to talk to their new crushes.
- 07
When Kenny, Jimmy and Shannon head back to school, Kenny decides to start the first LGBT club at St. Barklay's in honor of National Coming Out Day. After only recruiting one meek lesbian named Allison, Kenny pressures her into coming out to her family and ultimately realizes everyone's journey isn't as easy as his own. Meanwhile, Eileen realizes she might have real feelings towards VP Murray, unfortunately Pat also befriends him, which leads to an awkward situation.
- 08
We step into the O'Neals' messy dating lives as Eileen and VP Murray's secret dating life is about to be unraveled, Kenny jumps into the world of gay dating apps but feels discouraged after not getting enough swipes to the right, and Jimmy goes too far to declare his love for Lacey. Meanwhile, Aunt Jodi meddles with Shannon's love life after mistakenly thinking she needed her help.
- 09
When Halloween arrives, or what Kenny refers to as "the gay Super Bowl," he plans to go to Boystown to watch the festive costume parade. In an effort to prevent Kenny from attending, Eileen agrees to let him throw his own Halloween party at home. Eileen's tolerance is ultimately tested when Kenny recruits Stuart and his gay friends to join the big party, and he makes a BIG costume change. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Shannon plan to pull off an epic Halloween prank.
- 10
When VP Murray starts spending time around the house, Pat realizes it's time to move out. Meanwhile, Eileen starts her new job at Aunt Jodi's salon, and when the kids discover how unhappy their parents were during their 18 years of marriage, they stage a celebratory "divorce ceremony."
- 11
Eileen and Pat's divorce papers come through, and Eileen realizes she is free to be with VP Murray, but their attempts are plagued with obstacles that make Eileen doubt her desires. Kenny tries to impress Brett by being a "bad boy" and gets a tattoo. Shannon puts out a petition to stop the dissection of frogs at school while Pat realizes that he needs to figure out how to be single again.
- 12
Kenny learns about drinking from Jimmy, who views himself as an alcohol tutor for his brother, but Jimmy's teaching plans go awry when Brett joins them. Meanwhile, Eileen finds out that Pat is dating Shelia DeMars, her adversary.
- 13
When Shannon asks VP Murray to be her godfather leading up to her confirmation, Eileen fears her own relationship with him might be moving too fast. Shannon's big day also has a surprising effect on Kenny's relationship when Brett says, "I love you," sending Kenny into a tailspin. Meanwhile, the return of a hot former babysitter puts Pat and Jimmy at odds when she constantly makes passes at Pat.
- 14
When Kenny convinces VP Murray to hire a gay teacher, Kenny's loyalties are tested when the teacher starts to make Jimmy's life miserable. Meanwhile, when Pat's courteous nature robs him of a winning lottery ticket, he decides to stop being such a nice guy with Shannon's help, which doesn't bode well for Eileen, who needs Pat's help hosting a dinner for the Bishop.
- 15
VP Murray is nervous to tell Pat about his plans to ask Eileen to marry him and is relieved to receive Pat's blessing to do so. Meanwhile, Eileen and Kenny realize how far they've come when they help Allison deal with her close-minded parents. Shannon and Jimmy discover a pregnancy test and prepare for life with another sibling.
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