Help Me Help You

- Season 1

(2006)

A group of people become friends by meeting together for therapy.

Dave's treat for the colleagues makes them all sick. Dr. Bill Hoffman gives his therapy class a daring assignment: to take a social risk. The consequences differ for each, from Inger discovering she can taste New York -literally- to Dave sitting naked in every chair in the office and passing the unruly prankster bug to an intern. Meanwhile Bill's own neighbor and colleague, Dr. Pete 'Petey' Spiller, draws him and a patient Lenny into an ethically dubious attempt to 'get over' his mean wife, Anne, pressing for a separation by stealing back his mattress - only to catch ...

Dr. Bill Hoffman realizes in his own group -for therapists- that his competitive nature is a problem, and hopes overcoming it will get his ex Anne back, but despite a convincing show finds her present partner is a problem, and a winner. Bill takes out his frustration in a park race against Jonathan, with surprise results. Inger has 'wed' an Internet game partner. When she meets him, he turns out to be they - three teenage nerds - but Phil, Roland and Prash are extreme fans of her programming.

Bill rushes through the group session, telling everybody to 'find your voice', to revive his shrinks rock band in order to impress his near-ex Anne, pretending to have landed a gig and written a song for her. Jonathan's rudeness about 'inappropriate' locker-room nudity first makes him feel manly, then wrecks the male ease in his gym. Dave finally gets his ma to take to home, but regrets learning he was named after her first flame, a gym teacher she didn't forget after marrying his dad.

Dr. Bill Hoffman rushes through group therapy to attend his daughter Sasha's birthday barbecue. This, according to his ex (Anne) is another ploy to hit on her. He finds himself rivaling in generosity with Anne's new mate and Sasha's own boy-friend, but finds the girl's 'practical' attitude quit a turn-off.

Dr. Bill Hoffman is offended when Inger announces she also consults a 'life coach', and makes Inger bring the amateur along. Coach Krista however overcomes her utter lack of qualifications and knowledge, hence Bill, by exploiting her shameless sexual services. Bill even gets his peers' commendation to keep enjoying her sexually, provided he ignores her nonsense. Meanwhile Bill's patients try helping themselves and each-other. The results surprise everybody.

Feeling frustrated himself, Bill tells his patients never to give up. He takes on as client failed boxer Kevin, who mainly lacks rage, but discovers in group his natural dislike for Dave overcomes his generally gentle manner. Kevin uses the willing 'assistant therapist', frustrated himself as his boss hired another to double his job, as rage-catalyst- or is that innocent punching ball? Michael works out his frustration not to excel at a silly computer game on colleagues who do. Inger persists pretending to be a Jew when fellow Chinese Paul plays the same fraud on ...

Dr. Bill Hoffman encourages his group to 'get involved', in Dave's case to try and get serious with his latest girl-friend, only to learn that's his own daughter Sasha won't be told off by dad. Told he can't be Bill's in-law and patient, Dave resigns from therapy. Bill changes tactics to reverse psychology (but explicitly denying this), which Dave believes but gets Sasha furious with both of them - mission accomplished. Alas Dave doesn't take that lying down, except in a literal sense. Involvement doesn't work better for the other patients, except accidentally with ...

Dr. Bill Hoffman finally feels single again and is ready to start dating. He hopes to attract the attention of a colleague's assistant, Francesca, by throwing a party. Unfortunately the party is not only a lame one (lack of girls) but his new female neighbor calls the cops. Dave is elated that his office flame finally invites him to a party, but by way of revenge eats his roommate's 'special' brownies. Bill's other patients have a depressing 'yoghurt birthday splash' with Jonathan.

Michael's beloved pet bulldog 'loved' to death a building board member's dog, so he must be castrated or it's eviction. Michael decides to give his good 'boy' a fabulous last week, yet there's a twist in the tail. Bill gets intimidated because his latest conquest Linda, a famous UN diplomat, excels in just about everything and her huge adoptive cosmopolitan family 'adopts' him.

Dr. Bill Hoffman encourages the group to embrace change, now he has swallowed his objections and tries it with his famous lover Linda. They end up at a home-owner meeting to plan a park picnic, hosted by his ex Anne. Dave has taken in his unemployed, immature older brother Brandon. Darleen's big mouth got her fired, so she jumps to become Inger's personal assistant.

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Jonathan becomes buddies with a new guy in the men's room, Michael's sentence in the group ends, Inger helps Dave to attain Legendary status and Bill has to choose between Linda and Anne.