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The Best Episodes of Grounded for Life Season 1

Every episode of Grounded for Life Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Grounded for Life Season 1!

Binge this in 3h 0m•Peaking at 7.9/10

Right out of high school, Sean Finnerty got his girlfriend Claudia pregnant. Now she’s his wife, and at just 32, he’s somehow found himself with 14-year-old daughter Lily, two little boys, and a constant struggle

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  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 1 - Lily B. Goode
    7.5/10(217 votes)

    #1 - Lily B. Goode

    S1:E1

    In a desperate grab for attention, Lily makes out with the nerdish next-door neighbor, Brad O'Keefe, in his car; when Sean catches them, he responds in a rather unorthodox way--by throwing fried chicken at the windshield. Meanwhile, Walt babysits Jimmy and Henry and teaches them how to dig a hole; and Eddie tries to hook up illegal cable so he and Sean can watch softcore porn.

    Director:Gary Halvorson
    Writer:Bonnie Kallman

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  2. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 2 - In My Room
    7.4/10(199 votes)

    #2 - In My Room

    S1:E2

    Sean inadvertently finds a fake ID in Lily's bedroom. Sean and Claudia confront their daughter about her rebellious behavior, but they get few answers. They decide to hack into her e-mail to find out more about Lily's trouble-making friends. While they are checking, an e-mail comes in from a ""SweetandNastee."" Sean responds, pretending to be Lily. SweetandNastee gives Sean an address to a rave party in Yonkers. Sean and Eddie go to the address which turns out to be a dry cleaners. Convinced the rave is really at the dry cleaners, Sean and Eddie try to gain access to the party but end up getting beaten up by the dry cleaners' owner. Back at home, Sean and Claudia confront Lily, but she slams them for invading her privacy. Turns out she knew they broke into her e-mail account because she was online at a friend's house when she saw her name logged in. Lily made up the rave to teach her folks a lesson about snooping.

    Director:Paul Lazarus
    Writer:Brad Copeland

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  3. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 3 - I Wanna Be Suspended
    7.4/10(186 votes)

    #3 - I Wanna Be Suspended

    S1:E3

    Jimmy’s science project is late, because his parents made him go with them to a Ramones’ concert. When Sean pleads Jimmy’s case with the principal, he only succeeds in getting Jimmy thrown out of school.

    Director:Ken Kwapis
    Writers:Bill Martin, Mike Schiff

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  4. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 4 - Devil with a Plaid Skirt
    7.5/10(181 votes)

    #4 - Devil with a Plaid Skirt

    S1:E4

    Jimmy's claim of demonic possession and Lily's skirt length prompt Sean's perceived battle with school head Sister Helen

    Director:Craig Zisk
    Writers:Tom Purcell, Tyrone Finch

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  5. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 5 - Action Mountain High
    7.6/10(173 votes)

    #5 - Action Mountain High

    S1:E5

    Lily's trip to an amusement park with a group of her friends backfires when she calls Sean to pick her up. He doesn't like what he sees, and when he realizes HE was the one called because everyone thought he would go easy on them, he proceeds to get them all in trouble by telling their parents.

    Director:John Whitesell
    Writers:Bill Martin, Mike Schiff

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  6. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 6 - You Can't Always Get What You Want
    7.6/10(165 votes)

    #6 - You Can't Always Get What You Want

    S1:E6

    Lily freaks out when Sean says they can't afford to send her on a ski trip with her classmates. But things get worse when she learns that Sean inherited some money and spent it on a guitar for himself.

    Director:Ken Kwapis
    Writer:Tom Purcell

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  7. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 7 - Like a Virgin
    7.5/10(175 votes)

    #7 - Like a Virgin

    S1:E7

    Claudia is looking forward to a trip to New Jersey to try to bond with Lily. However, things go from bad to worse when Claudia tells popular cheerleaders from Lily's school that her daughter is still a virgin. Lily takes off, leaving Claudia stuck - with no daughter, no luggage, and no clothes.

    Director:Dennie Gordon
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 8 - Devil's Haircut
    7.7/10(159 votes)

    #8 - Devil's Haircut

    S1:E8

    Sean (Donal Logue) tries to disguise the fact that he cut Henry's (Jake Burbage) hair himself instead of taking him to a barber shop.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writers:Bill Martin, Mike Schiff

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  9. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 9 - Eddie's Dead
    7.9/10(164 votes)

    #9 - Eddie's Dead

    S1:E9

    Sean (Donal Logue) tries to keep Eddie (Kevin Corrigan) from hitting on a woman (guest star Julie Claire) Claudia (Megyn Price) is consoling after a break-up.

    Director:Brian Levant
    Writer:Chris Kelly

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  10. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 10 - Catch Us If You Can
    7.8/10(157 votes)

    #10 - Catch Us If You Can

    S1:E10

    Sean catches a fly ball that's still in play and loses a game for the Yankees. Claudia's upset when the bachelorette party she's throwing for her girlfriend gets disrupted by Sean, Eddie and the boys, who have been chased home by irate fans.

    Director:Ken Kwapis
    Writers:Jim O'Doherty, David Israel

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  11. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 11 - Jimmy's Got a Gun
    7.7/10(154 votes)

    #11 - Jimmy's Got a Gun

    S1:E11

    Walt gives Jimmy a BB gun for his birthday, prompting an all-out war between him and Sean, which ends up with Walt in the hospital, shot in the rump.

    Director:Paul Lazarus
    Writer:Ned Goldreyer

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  12. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 12 - Jimmy Was Kung-Fu Fighting
    7.8/10(155 votes)

    #12 - Jimmy Was Kung-Fu Fighting

    S1:E12

    To save for a dream vacation to Mexico, Sean and Claudia start working extra shifts at work. This leads to chaos at home, with Eddie raising the kids, Lily getting her tongue pierced, Jimmy becoming a bully, and Henry panhandling and eating out of the garbage.

    Director:Terry Hughes
    Writer:Brad Copeland

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  13. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 13 - Loser
    7.6/10(149 votes)

    #13 - Loser

    S1:E13

    Sean volunteers to referee Henry's soccer team and ends up making an unethical decision in the team's favor. Which in hindsight wasn't a great idea, when Henry gets an inflated ego. So Sean tries to make things right the following week by making an unethical decision in the opposing team's favor. . . Meanwhile, Lily flirts with the cute guy at the concession stand and the conversation leaves her walking on air. But when she starts to obsess over the introduction, she replays the scene over and over in her head, each time thinking that she made a bigger and bigger fool of herself.

    Director:John Blanchard
    Writer:Tom Purcell

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  14. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 14 - Mrs. Finnerty, You've Got a Lovely Daughter
    7.8/10(162 votes)

    #14 - Mrs. Finnerty, You've Got a Lovely Daughter

    S1:E14

    When Lily is miserable because she and her girlfriends have been booed off the stage at the school's talent show, Sean and Claudia have some explaining to do. Meanwhile, the Finnerty's get roped into buying cases of candy bars that the boys are selling for school.

    Director:Kenny Ortega
    Writer:Aron Abrams

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  15. Grounded for Life Season 1 Episode 15 - Love Child
    7.8/10(151 votes)

    #15 - Love Child

    S1:E15

    Sean has some explaining to do when Lily’s devastated to discover that she was born out of wedlock.

    Director:Craig Zisk
    Writers:Ned Goldreyer, Chris Kelly

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Lily B. Goode" is the best rated episode of "Grounded for Life" season 1. It scored 7.5/10 based on 217 votes. Directed by Gary Halvorson and written by Bonnie Kallman, it aired on 1/10/2001. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "In My Room".