Family: Season 4
Season 4 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Family Season 3.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
Starting Over
Sep 21, 1978
Annie's sole surviving relative dumps her into the Lawrences' lap -- where she doesn't feel quite comfortable, at first.
All For Love
Sep 28, 1978
Zack tells Buddy that unless she sleeps with him, he will have to satisfy his manly needs with another girl; Doug thinks of buying a flashy sports car.
Changes
Oct 12, 1978
Nancy is all set to re-marry Jeff; Annie, heretofore known as ""Annie Cooper,"" decides to add ""Lawrence"" to her name; Buddy, ever the traditionalist, is bothered by it all.
Magic
Oct 19, 1978
Kate, in the hospital for a physical, meets a burned-out former rock star; Annie needs Doug's help to impress her classmates with magic tricks.
Just Friends
Nov 9, 1978
Willie considers an affair with a married woman he met in a writing class; Nancy, sick of living in a ""fishbowl,"" decides to move out of the guesthouse and into an apartment of h
Generations
Nov 23, 1978
The family decides to spend Thanksgiving at Hattie's farm where Kate faces ghosts from the past. Buddy is intrigued by a local boy.
Expectations
Dec 7, 1978
Nancy's new boss pressures her to sleep with him; Buddy tries out for the cheerleading squad.
Gifts
Dec 21, 1978
Annie, who still misses her parents, can't relate to the Lawrences' holiday cheer, and decides to run away until Christmas is over; Willie runs into his old barber, who is about to
The Friend's Affair
Jan 4, 1979
A colleague and friend of Doug's is cheating on his wife; Annie suspects a next-door neighbor of having murdered his.
Exits and Entrances
Jan 11, 1979
After Buddy stars in a high-school play (Shaw's Saint Joan), her interest in acting is strongly encouraged by a friend of Kate's, a professional actress; Annie gets a telemarketing
Moment of Truth
Jan 18, 1979
A man he once helped put in jail threatens Doug; Buddy and Audrey have a fight about who copied from whom on an algebra test.
Malicious Mischief
Jan 25, 1979
Nancy considers a marriage proposal from Timmy's daycare provider -- until he gets accused of child abuse; Willie falls in love with a cat.
Sleeping Over
Feb 1, 1979
Buddy's invitation to a sorority becomes a sore point in her friendship with Audrey when Audrey isn't invited to join. Willie sleeps with Kate's musician friend, leading to a serio
Disco Queen
Feb 8, 1979
Buddy sneaks into a disco club, with the help of an older acquaintance, and finds it more than she bargained for; Annie has a date with a jock.
The Athlete
Mar 1, 1979
Buddy, volunteering at a hospital, encounters a star high-school basketball player who is there for a broken leg -- or so he thinks; Annie runs for class president against her neme
The Competition
Mar 8, 1979
Buddy learns the price of competition when an overachieving classmate commits suicide after losing a history competition to her. Annie's cookie-selling strategy is a riot.
Ballerina
Mar 15, 1979
Willie has a fling with a ballet dancer; Doug purchases a workout set by mail order.
Diversions
Mar 22, 1979
While studying for the bar exam, Nancy's attention is diverted by a charming and seemingly accident-prone neighbor.
An Apple For the Teacher
Mar 30, 1979
Kate's teaching career gets off to a rough start, when a student decides to continuously annoy her; Annie borrows Buddy's ""lucky"" ring to help during a spelling bee, and promptly
Prelude
Apr 20, 1979
Buddy has a crush on her swimming instructor, much to Zack's displeasure; Kate is tempted to call an old boyfriend.
Going Straight
May 10, 1979
Willie hires Bambi Deering, the stripper he met on his 21st birthday. Doug attempts to save hefty plumber's fees by repairing the household pipes himself.
From Russia With Love
May 17, 1979
Kate acts as escort to, and highly impresses, a visiting Ukrainian composer; Buddy and Annie play Monopoly to determine who gets Willie's old room.