In Beverly Hills, Calif., a psychology student counsels a wealthy couple's introverted son.
Ben decides to tell Ted and Lesley that Tanner walked in on him and his new girlfriend during an intimate moment but finds that they're uncomfortable with the subject of sex. Meanwhile, Liam learns that Preston has no experience with women so he sets Preston up on a date with a more experienced girl.
Lesley and Ted hire Bruce, a substance abuse counselor, to scare their kids out of trying drugs but soon find themselves hiding from the terrifying man after they, along with Ben, accidentally eat a marijuana cake that Liam brought.
Lesley creates a panic room after a break-in at the house and then proceeds to forget the password after accidentally locking the family in it along with Ben.
Ben tries to teach Tanner that winning isn't everything while trying to show Lesley and Ted that the boy is actually a talented artist. Also, Lesley tries to teach Chloe and her cheer sqaud some of her old cheerleading moves during a game of basketball in which Ted gets very corruptive.
Ted invites Lesley's old high school prom date to their home after Ben learns that Ted is still jealous of him. Liam is asked to chaperone Chloe, Preston and their dates to the prom.
When Ted insists that work is more important than spending time with his family, Liam decides to throw a keg party while Ted is out of town.
Lesley and Ted's lack of involvement in their children's education prompts Ben to invite Tanner's stern teacher over to dinner, but unfortunately it's the same night Lesley decides to test Tanner's new medication. Meanwhile Chloe and Preston fight for the attention of their new tutor.
When the family's pool-cleaning guy suddenly drops dead right before Tanner's birthday party, Ben grapples with the emotional aftermath and encourages everyone to express their feelings much to his regret.
Nicholas D'agosto and Nathan Norton originally played the roles of Ben and Tanner in the first pilot presentation of Cracking Up.