Synopse:

 
Im Mittelpunkt von "The Ellen Show" steht Ellen Richmond (Ellen DeGeneres), eine Geschäftsfrau aus Los Angeles. Als ihr Internet-Unternehmen pleite macht, beschließt sie, in ihren Heimatort im mittleren Westen der USA zurückzukehren und dort mit ihrer Mutter Dot (Cloris Leachman) und ihrer Schwester Catherine (Emily Rutherfurd) zu leben. Doch die Umstellung von der Großstadt auf die Kleinstadt bringt so einige Probleme mit sich....
 
"The Ellen Show" sollte ursprünglich am 17. September 2001 in den USA anlaufen. Der Start mußte jedoch aufgrund der Terroranschläge vom 11. September um eine Woche auf den 24. September verschoben werden. Leider waren die Quoten für den Sender CBS nicht zufriedenstellend, so dass die Austrahlung der Serie nach nicht einmal einer Staffel im Frühjahr 2002 wieder eingestellt wurde.
 

Episoden:

01. Pilot (24.09.01)
Ellen fährt über´s Wochenende in ihren Heimatort Clark, wo sie für ihren Erfolg im Berufsleben mit dem "Spread Your Wings"- Award ihrer Schule ausgezeichnet werden soll. Dort trifft sie nicht nur alte Bekannte wieder wie ihren ehemaligen Schulleiter Mr. Munn oder ihren Jugendfreund Rusty, sondern lernt auch die burschikose Sportlehrerin Bunny kennen, die Ellen sofort eifrig den Hof macht, nachdem sie erfahren hat, daß Ellen lesbisch ist. Als Ellen erfährt, daß ihr Internet-Unternehmen Pleite gemacht hat, beschließt sie spontan, in Clark zu bleiben...

02. Walden Pond (28.09.01)
Ellen denkt darüber nach, wie sie ihr neues Leben in Clark gestalten soll. Als ihr ehemaliger Schulleiter Mr. Munn (Martin Mull) ihr eine Stelle als Vertrauenslehrerin anbietet, ist sie zunächst skeptisch. Doch nach einer Begegnung mit einem Schüler ändert sie ihre Meinung...

03. Chain Reaction (05.10.01)
Ellen versucht zu verhindern, daß in Clark ein Restaurant der Kette "P.J.Knockers" eröffnet, wo die weiblichen Bedienungen äußerst knappe Uniformen tragen müssen. Doch ihre Bemühungen stoßen bei den Bewohnern von Clark auf wenig Gegenliebe. Dann bekommt auch noch Ellens Schwester Catherine einen Job in dem Lokal...

Ellen tries to get Clark's citizens to protest the new P.J. Knockers restaurant, where the waitresses wear tight shirts. But no one supports her, and what's worse, Catherine gets gets a job as a waitress. (Quelle: CBS)

04. Vanity Hair (12.10.01)
Ellen is asked to be in a Vanity Fair "Where Are They Now?" article chronicling demised Dot-Comers and wants to get her hair cut for the photo shoot. Dot volunteers to cut her hair, but Ellen is afraid her mother could never give her a "hip" cut. Rusty (Jimm Gaffigan) tells Ellen that Pam, the Home Ec. teacher (Kerri Kenney), moonlights at a salon and Ellen attempts to bond with Pam by allowing her to cut her hair. Ellen is horrified when Pam gives her a shockingly old-fashioned hairdo (Quelle: CBS)

05. The Move (19.10.01)
Catherine feels threatened when she sees how close Ellen and Dot have gotten now that Ellen has moved back home. When Ellen's furnishings arrive from L.A., Dot is so impressed with all of her fancy gadgets and high-style décor, that Catherine is left to wonder what place she will have in her mother's heart -- and her home -- now that Ellen has become the "number one" daughter. So, Catherine makes up a situation that she knows will attract their attention. (Quelle: CBS)

06. Muskrat Love (aka Raccoon Guy) (26.10.01)
Als der Vorgarten der Richmonds verwüstet wird, vermuten diese, daß ein Waschbär dahinter steckt. Als alle Bemühungen, den Übeltäter zu vertreiben, scheitern, engagiert Ellen einen Fachmann, der ihnen jedoch schon bald mehr Ärger macht als der Waschbär selbst. In der Schule versucht Ellen derweil, einen liebeskranken Schüler zu trösten, und ist dabei so erfolgreich, daß dieser sich sofort in sie verliebt...

The Richmonds try an assortment of remedies to rid themselves of what they believe to be pesky raccoons digging up their front lawn. Failing to get rid of the "intruders" by other means -- like Dot serenading them when she hears they are repelled by high-pitched noises -- the Richmonds arrange for a "raccoon guy" to eliminate the problem, not realizing that the exterminator might be more annoying than the problem itself.
Meanwhile, Ellen tries to help a high school student who has a habit of expressing his love for a fellow student in unacceptable ways. (Quelle: CBS)

07. Joe (02.11.01)
Ellen is wary of Dot's new "gentleman caller" because of her mom's history of falling for the wrong kind of man. Although she tries to find fault with Joe, Ellen realizes that she actually likes the guy -- that is, until she believes she's stumbled upon some startling information about him that she feels obligated to share with her mom. Meanwhile, Ellen desperately searches all over Clark for a decent cup of coffee and ends up finding one in the most unlikely place. (Quelle: CBS)

08. Cathy´s Taffy (09.11.01)
Ellen entices Catherine by telling her how much money she could potentially make by selling her delicious candy, and the Richmonds decide to go into business together with Ellen as the "idea" person and Catherine as the talented taffy maker. But soon Catherine realizes that all the fun has gone out of taffy making now that it has become more of a job than a hobby. Meanwhile, Ellen's fellow high school teachers are dismayed when they realize that the town of Clark doesn't even appear on a local map. (Quelle: CBS)

09. Missing The Bus (16.11.01)
When Mr. Munn realizes that long-time school bus driver Mrs. Gibson (Betty White, "Golden Girls") has reached the school's mandatory retirement age, the birthday celebration turns into a goodbye party. And, to make matters worse, Ellen is called into action to drive the school bus now that the job is vacant. Meanwhile, Ellen thinks her mom is "losing it" when Dot keeps referring to her pet cat, which Ellen has never seen. (Quelle: CBS)

10. Alive and Kicking (10.12.01)
Against Mr. Munn's wishes, Ellen counsels the high school's star football player before the big game about his feelings of anger. When Ellen notices Tug, the star football "kicker," kicking in a locker, she urges him to talk about what is bothering him. But, Mr. Munn puts an immediate stop to Ellen's counseling because he thinks Tug's pent up anger is what makes him such a great football player. Meanwhile, Dot insists on saving money by purchasing generic rather than name-brand groceries despite Ellen's objections. (Quelle: CBS)

11. "Ellen's First Christmess" (17.12.01)
Ellen decides to surprise her mom, Dot, by inviting Dot's sister, Mary, for the holidays -- but the surprise is on Ellen when the family reunion is anything but pleasant. It's evident upon Mary's arrival that Dot is envious of her sister's success, worldliness and influence over Ellen. So, in order to prove that she can be as good a role model to her daughters as Mary, Dot takes a job at the local mall. Meanwhile, Rusty takes his job playing "Santa" a little too seriously.
The episode reunites guest stars Mary Tyler Moore and Edward Asner and series regular Cloris Leachman, all of whom have won numerous Emmy Awards, including several each for their performances on CBS's "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." In THE ELLEN SHOW episode, Moore plays Dot's sister, Mary, a very successful news reporter. Asner, who portrayed Lou Grant on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and on "Lou Grant," makes a cameo appearance as Santa Claus. (Quelle:CBS)

12. "A Bird in the Hand" (04.01.02)
Catherine is jealous when Dot gives Ellen a family heirloom brooch. Ellen is excited about the prospect of receiving the elaborate piece of jewelry, but quickly changes her mind when she actually lays her eyes on it. Matters go from bad to worse when she accidentally loses the jeweled creation and must fess up to her mom. Meanwhile, when Mr. Munn appoints Ellen as the new driver's education teacher, she takes full advantage of the situation.
(Quelle: CBS)

13. "Just the Duck" (11.01.02)
Although initially upset when she discovers that Catherine and Rusty have been secretly dating, Ellen is soon overjoyed that she now has a "new couple" to hang out with. It's a perfect relationship - they laugh at Ellen's jokes, like the same movies and enjoy doing the same things. It's a threesome made in heaven...until Catherine and Rusty's feelings for each other change. Meanwhile, Ellen thinks Pam is delusional when Pam reveals that Mr. Munn is courting her for Valentine's Day.
(Quelle: CBS)

14. "Gathering Moss" (25.01.02)
In order to boost Catherine's self-esteem, Ellen encourages her to accompany her to a seminar by popular motivational speaker, Percy Moss. Catherine and Ellen attend the session on self-actualization, where they both learn how to "see it, want it and take it." But after the seminar, they leave with vastly different opinions of Moss. Ellen sees him as a scam artist, only interested in sucking as much money from his followers as possible, while Catherine believes that he might just be the person capable of turning her life around.
Emmy Award winner John Ritter ("Three's Company") guest stars. (Quelle: CBS)