Season 4

September 17, 1997

Marlon returns home after a successful three-month tour in a musical starring Keith Sweat. But Shawn soon has to warn his little brother of fame's fleeting nature after Marlon's ego -- and debt -- explodes.

September 24, 1997

Shawn comes to the conclusion that all of his relationship problems can be traced back to the prom date who stood him up. Marlon helps Shawn reenact his traumatic senior prom after the elder Williams brother's fear of commitment causes him to lose yet another girlfriend.

October 1, 1997

Pops receives shocking news from a beautiful young woman who's been hanging around the diner asking a lot of questions about his past.

October 8, 1997

Marlon is hot on his first night as a stand-up comic, but jokes about Pops's cooking and Dee's love life cause the family to turn a cold shoulder toward the new comedian

October 15, 1997

Upset when he learns he's been hired by a high-tech company simply because he's black, Shawn dreams that he's J.J. Evans on his favorite show Good Times, with Grandma as Willona, Pops as James, and Marlon as Michael.

October 22, 1997

Marlon is on the receiving end of a number of childish practical jokes after Shawn's old high-school buddy Terrell returns. But Marlon thinks the biggest joke may be on Shawn, who keeps loaning money to his supposedly well-off friend.

November 5, 1997

At first Shawn and Marlon are afraid -- then they're petrified -- after a series of misunderstandings lead them to believe that Pops has just a few weeks to live. Gloria Gaynor sings ""I Will Survive"" in a cameo appearance.

November 12, 1997

Marlon's gonna get it -- ""it"" being a $25 million lawsuit -- after a tabloid prints a false story about him being the ""love slave"" of the En Vogue singers. En Vogue performs ""Let It Flow"" in a cameo appearance.

November 19, 1997

The Williams family is placed under police protection after Marlon observes a bank robbery and the culprit sends his big brother to deal with any witnesses.

December 10, 1997

Shawn's former boss Ted is released from a mental institution and plots revenge against Shawn for causing him to lose his job at an ad agency.

January 14, 1998

When the Williams family is chosen to compete on the TV quiz show ""Family Battle,"" Pops and Shawn try to improve their odds of winning by replacing the dim-witted Marlon with ""cousin"" Dee.

January 21, 1998

Marlon reluctantly steps into the ring with former boxing champ Hector ""Hot-Pepper"" Lopez after he brags about accidentally knocking him out at the gym.

January 28, 1998

When Shawn introduces Marlon to a beautiful woman, he fails to mention one little thing: her 7-year-old son. But Marlon forms an instant bond with the boy, prompting him to consider becoming both a daddy and a husband.

February 5, 1998

Dee's relationship with a shy dentist starts to decay thanks to Marlon and Shawn.

February 11, 1998

Marlon's dream of moving on up to his own place turns into a nightmare when his seemingly deluxe apartment starts falling apart, and he learns he can't get out of the 10-year lease he signed.

February 18, 1998

Marlon befriends a homeless man in order to study him prior to auditioning for a role as a vagrant in an upcoming film.

February 25, 1998

Shawn worries that his family will embarrass him in front of his girlfriend's wealthy father.

March 4, 1998

Shawn and Marlon get busted while scalping tickets at a Busta Rhymes concert, so they throw themselves on the mercy of the rapper and tell him they were trying to raise money to save Dee's church.

April 29, 1998

Shawn and Marlon appear as guests on ""The Jerry Springer Show,"" and the host surprises the brothers by airing some dirty laundry about their new girlfriend Jasmine.

May 6, 1998

The boys plot to prevent Pops from selling his house.

May 15, 1998

Shawn and Marlon try to warn an enthusiastic Pops that the chili he is entering in a high-class food festival has one ""un-gourmet"" ingredient -- dog food.

May 20, 1998

Shawn feels the heat after a crooked accountant leaves him awash in debt. Then the newsstand suddenly burns down and all of his problems seem to be solved -- until he and the family are suspected of arson.