24 episodesFirst aired 4 October 1981
Oct 198130m
Mel borrows $10,000 against the diner to bet on a 90-to-1 nag.
Oct 198130m
Determined to leave her mark on the world, Vera sets out to break the tap dancing endurance record.
Oct 198130m
A towel boy from the Russian ballet takes refuge in Mel's storeroom.
Oct 198130m
On Halloween, Alice's latest heartthrob asks her to shepherd his four kids for the evening.
Nov 198130m
It's Alice's 40th birthday, and for the milestone she gets a millstone, a visit from her meddling mother.
Nov 198130m
Smooth operator Mel teaches his shy cousin, Wendell, how to score with Vera.
Nov 198130m
Against Mel's orders, Vera cashes a check for an old flame, who's nowhere to be found when it bounces.
Dec 198130m
Mel becomes despondent when he realizes he has no heirs.
Dec 198130m
The ghost of a partner past gives Mel the dickens on Christmas Eve after Mel fired Alice, Jolene and Vera.
Dec 198130m
Alice's spirit inspires a biker to recruit her as his ""old lady.""
Jan 198230m
Alice blows the whistle on Tommy's basketball playing when his grades start to slip.
Jan 198230m
Mel gives Tommy advice on how to charm the ladies, which Tommy promptly applies to Mel's niece.
Jan 198230m
After getting hooked on soap operas, Vera becomes a washout at work and later quits.
Feb 198230m
Mel has a beef with his mother who wants to publish his secret chili recipe in her new cookbook.
Feb 198230m
Valentine's Day promises anything but hearts and flowers for the diner staff, who all quarrel with their dates.
Feb 198230m
A book on building self-confidence inspires Vera to become ""the best little waitress in the world!"" Later, Mel leaves a newly confident Vera in charge of the diner.
Mar 198230m
Alice is visited by a high-school chum who's still suffering from her teenage inferiority complex.
Mar 198230m
To help Jolene's exhausted good buddy, the girls drive his rig to a mining town, blissfully unaware that they're hauling dynamite.
Mar 198230m
Mel considers getting a nose job while undergoing surgery for a deviated septum.
Apr 198230m
Alice's actress friend from New York persuades Tommy that he has a brilliant future on Broadway.
Apr 198230m
Vera returns from her high-school reunion with stars in her eyes and a sparkler on her finger.
Apr 198230m
A jilted acquaintance flips for Alice on the first bounce and when she doesn't reciprocate his feelings he threatens to jump from the Mel's Diner sign.
May 198230m
To counter a competitor whose contest is drawing customers, Mel launches one too and ups the ante to $3000.
May 198230m
Mel happily envisions a rent-free future when his mother buys his apartment building but surprises him when she announces a $50 rent increase.