The Real O'Neals

Based in Chicago, the O’Neals appear to be a seemingly picture perfect family, but their lives soon take an unexpected turn when surprising truths are revealed. Eileen is a mom who usually has a fine grasp on all matters under her roof, and her soon-to-be-ex-husband Pat is a good-natured father and the emotional center of the family. Their normal routine at home suddenly gets turned upside down when Eileen and Pat announce their divorce, and their sixteen-year-old-son Kenny reveals to his family that he is gay. Kenny never would have imagined his admission would also result in outing his entire family’s secrets, including revelations from his older brother, Jimmy, and little sister, Shannon. Jimmy unapologetically wears his heart on his sleeve and genuinely tries to figure out what’s best in any situation, while Shannon is the youngest but carries herself more mature than her age. Life in the O’Neals household wouldn’t be complete without Aunt Jodi, Pat’s ex-sister-in-law and Eileen’s best friend, who is quite the frequent visitor and is also willing to admit things are far from perfect in her own life. What seems like a sudden upheaval that could mark the end of the O’Neals idyllic lives turns out to be the beginning of a bright new chapter when everyone stops pretending to be perfect and actually starts being real.

Eileen reminds her family that it’s Lent and asks them to give up things they really love, which in turn proves to be quite a daunting task. In a chance meeting, Kenny meets his first gay crush, and Pat discovers his little girl, Shannon, is all grown up.

On the first warm day of spring following an endless Chicago winter, Eileen decides it’s time to get a fresh start in her life by applying for her first job since her kids were born. Shannon ultimately overhears her mom’s plan and riles up the rest of the family after misinterpreting Eileen’s true intentions. Meanwhile, Pat realizes he might not be ready for the single life just yet, even though his patrol partner, Archie, thinks otherwise. And as Kenny wonders who he will date next, Jimmy takes it upon himself to help him explore the newfound world of online dating

When Eileens strict, Catholic grandmother, Agnes, makes a surprise visit, the family attempts to hide Eileen and Pats divorce and keep Kennys sexuality a secret.

When Kenny decides to audition for the school play, “Zombie Romeo and Juliet,” Eileen volunteers to help out. Kenny receives the role of Romeo, but much to his dismay, his ex-girlfriend Mimi is playing Juliet. Things get more awkward when Eileen, realizing that this may be the only time she will see Kenny marry a girl, begins to treat the play’s wedding scene like an actual wedding. Meanwhile, Pat and Jimmy both struggle to talk to their new crushes.

When Eileen pushes Kenny to get a job, she starts to feel jealous when he starts to work as a tutor and instantly starts to bond with the student’s mom. As Kenny starts to spend more time away from home, Eileen realizes she’ll need to make some changes if she wants her relationship with Kenny to improve. Meanwhile, Pat wants to bond more with the kids but makes some questionable choices in trying to become the fun parent.

As the school prom approaches, Kenny tries to think of who the best guy would be to ask as his date. With time running out, Kenny and Jimmy try to come up with the perfect “prom-posal” for the classmates they each have set their sights on. Shannon thinks the idea behind prom is a scam and would rather stay at home, but once Pat discovers she was asked to attend, he tries to convince her to go. Meanwhile, Eileen tries to keep VP Murray’s romantic attention at bay but struggles to resist.

We step into the O’Neals’ messy dating lives as Eileen and VP Murray’s secret dating life is about to be unraveled, Kenny jumps into the world of gay dating apps but feels discouraged after not getting enough swipes to the right, and Jimmy goes too far to declare his love for Lacey. Meanwhile, Aunt Jodi meddles with Shannon’s love life after mistakenly thinking she needed her help.

When VP Murray starts spending time around the house, Pat realizes it’s time to move out. Meanwhile, Eileen starts her new job at Aunt Jodi’s salon, and when the kids discover how unhappy their parents were during their 18 years of marriage, they stage a celebratory “divorce ceremony”.

Pat’s brother Dwayne (who is also Aunt Jodi’s ex-husband) comes to town to help Pat build his new “tiny house” in the garage. Shannon realizes Jodi and Dwayne still have chemistry, and tries to get them back together. Meanwhile, when Eileen becomes addicted to a CrossFit class she’s taking with Kenny, he must find a way to break the cult-like hold it has over her.

Eileen will stop at nothing to win the Christmas choir competition and gives the coveted Christmas choir solo to their newest member, Brett, to Kenny’s dismay, while Jimmy is tasked with spying on their toughest competitor, Sheila Demars. But, when Kenny attempts to sabotage Brett’s role, he finds a potential love interest. Meanwhile, Shannon accidentally gives Pat the wrong impression about a Christmas present she plans on giving to Ethan.

After Kenny and Brett officially become a couple, Kenny starts to think of plan on how he should break the news to his parents. Meanwhile, Jimmy surprises everyone when he scores a high SAT score, forcing Eileen to hold up her end of a deal that she had previously made and takes Jimmy car shopping.

Jimmy wants to teach his younger brother the rite of passage of drinking. When Shannon gets a comp hotel room due to a scam she’s pulling, Jimmy thinks this is the perfect time to teach Kenny how to drink, but it all goes awry when Kenny invites Brett to join in. Meanwhile, Eileen discovers that Pat has a new girlfriend, her nemesis, Sheila DeMars.

Devastated by his break-up with Brett, Kenny tags along with Pat and Jimmy to a Lonely Hearts happy hour, but when they try to use Kenny’s sadness to get attention from single ladies, Kenny inadvertently steals the show. Meanwhile, Eileen shuns the usual Valentine’s Day traditions until a chance encounter changes her mind.

VP Murray is nervous to tell Pat about his plans to ask Eileen to marry him and is relieved to receive Pat’s blessing to do so. Meanwhile, Eileen and Kenny realize how far they’ve come when they help Allison deal with her close-minded parents. Shannon and Jimmy discover a pregnancy test and prepare for life with another sibling.