Manicured lawns. Cookie-cutter homes. Big lips. Little nose jobs. Synchronized sprinkler systems that erupt at the exact same time. A massive mall, the mecca for mass-consumerism and soggy food-court cuisine. Welcome to the suburbs, heaven for many. But for one teenage transplant from New York City, the suburbs represent her unique version of hell. Forget purgatory -- this is suburgatory.

Tessa is horrified when she finds herself unexpectedly attracted to her exact opposite, her jock suburban neighbor Ryan Shay (recurring guest star PARKER YOUNG -- Cupid's Arrow), and George is pressured by the town to throw the perfect barbecue. Recurring guest star ANA GASTEYER appears as Sheila Shay.

George joins the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) and quickly becomes well-liked by the other moms, causing former PTA queen bee Sheila Shay (recurring guest star ANA GASTEYER) to feel threatened. Meanwhile, Tessa joins the school newspaper and helps Malik (recurring guest star MAESTRO HARRELL -- The Wire, Guys Like Us) revamp it into a tabloid-style paper.

Tessa is excited to see some action in the suburbs when Sheila Shay's (recurring guest star ANA GASTEYER) Shirley Temple doll collection is stolen, but she is not so thrilled at the consequences -- Dallas and Dalia crash at the Altmans' house because they are afraid of being burglarized.

Tessa channels her inner "suburban girl" for a Halloween costume, but it ends up spooking her friends and everyone at school since she reminds them of a recently "departed" resident of Chatswin. And George is determined to prove to Dallas -- who hates Halloween -- that being scared can be fun, but gets a scare of his own when Dallas' husband, Steven Royce (recurring guest star JAY MOHR -- Gary Unmarried, Jerry Maguire, Go), finally comes home from one of his many business trips.

Irritated by all the cafeteria waste at school, Tessa motivates the student body to get involved with giving back. Unfortunately, their charity of choice involves helping residents of Florida improve their complexions. When Tessa introduces a homeless transsexual to the student body as part of a lesson, they decide that Tessa is really the person in need. Meanwhile, George receives a large dental bill from Noah, which puts a strain on their relationship.

When Tessa tells Dallas that she wants a simple get-together for her 16th birthday, Dallas convinces her to let Dalia plan the ultimate birthday extravaganza at the country club, complete with a live performance by her favorite band, specialty drinks and go-go cages. Meanwhile, George throws his back out and Sheila Shay (recurring guest star ANA GASTEYER) takes it upon herself to care for him, even though George is terrified of her.

Depressed that she has to spend Thanksgiving in the suburbs, Tessa convinces Dallas to take her to the city for a girls' day out. During their fun day, they run across George making out with a woman while he was supposed to be working. Angry with George for lying to her, Tessa confronts him during Thanksgiving dinner at the Royces. Meanwhile, Lisa refuses to wear a special dress picked out for her by Sheila (recurring guest star ANA GASTEYER), so Sheila decides to literally turn up the heat. Recurring guest star JAY MOHR appears as Steven Royce.

When Tessa overhears George break up with his girlfriend on Skype, she blames herself for his failed relationship and decides that she's going to get them back together. Unbeknownst to her, though, George is really enamored with Tessa's cute art teacher. He admits to Mr. Wolfe that he's over dating crazy city women, and that he's looking for love in the 'burbs. George decides to embrace the holiday spirit with a tree-trimming party complete with ex-girlfriend, potential new girlfriend and the Royces, and he soon finds himself under the mistletoe with a special someone. Recurring guest star JAY MOHR appears as Steven Royce.

When Tessa gets her driver's license, she is hired by Dalia to drive around and stalk Dalia's crush, Scott Strauss (recurring guest star THOMAS McDONELL Prom). As a result, Tessa realizes that she and Scott might have feelings for each other. Meanwhile, George and Noah's relationship is put to the test when George decides he wants to join the local country club.