The show follows the Walshes, a tight-knit family living in the fictional West Dublin suburb of Strollinstown.
Dominant Carmel and prankster Tony are the parents of thick Rory - who has not told them he has lost his job - and sensible Ciara, who both still live at home. Ciara has been delaying the visit by her shy nerdy boyfriend Graham to meet her parents and when he arrives Tony begins by pretending that he and his friend Martin are a gay couple before accidentally punching Graham. Graham works for Doctor Burger fast food chain but Tony wrongly believes he is a medic and shows him his bottom, which is giving him trouble. During dinner the dog eats the flowers Graham has brought and Tony insists that he and Ciara leave by nine as he wants to watch 'The Goose' on television. No wonder Ciara wants to leave home.
When Graham's sneaky landlord O'Leary kicks him out to re-let the room Ciara suggests he move in with the Walshes. Carmel is welcoming - to a point. No unmarried couple are sleeping together under her roof. Tony is also welcoming, though overwhelmed by Graham's general knowledge, which he is unable to best on 'family night' when the Walshes play Trivial Pursuit. However when O'Leary calls at the house seeking to fleece Graham further the family combines to send him packing. Rory, now working for his father's taxi firm, has an educational evening of a different sort with older admirer Collette, returning home to discover that Carmel has solved the sleeping arrangements and Graham is having a 'Sleep-over' with him.
The Walshes are preparing for their annual visit to the Thai Bride restaurant but their progress is continually hindered. Carmel sees an unpopular neighbour about to visit so insists that everybody duck down with the lights turned off. Then she makes Rory change into a suit and the family is perplexed by a photo in its pocket of a strange man with cat and a giant rabbit. Finally Tony gets his biopsy report regarding his anal problem but is too nervous to open it. In fact he has got the all clear but by the time the Walshes leave the house they are so late that they may not have kept their table.
