Suburgatory

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. With her motorcycle boots and oversized backpack, 16-year-old Tessa Altman (series star JANE LEVY) is perfectly at ease navigating the urban jungle she grew up in. But when her dad, George Altman (series star JEREMY SISTO), a handsome architect in his late 30s, suddenly feels a little out of his league in the parenting department, especially after he finds a pack of condoms in her room, it's goodbye New York City and hello suburbs. Tessa goes into culture shock. What is this foreign land? What exactly is a "pep rally" and why are they needed? Since when is animal print considered a color? And why is sugar-free Red Bull all people will drink? Tessa is the town's sole pedestrian in a world where everyone is chauffeur-driven by their mothers in fully loaded SUVs. Tessa doesn't have either of those things -- she grew up with just her dad, and that was how she liked it. But now she is drawing all sorts of unwanted attention from overly friendly suburban moms, like the blonde, bronze and buxom Dallas Royce (series star CHERYL HINES). Dallas, mother of Dalia (series star CARLY CHAIKIN), Tessa's new nemesis, fancies herself a surrogate but without the stretch marks. She is intent on taking Tessa shopping and snagging more face-time with Tessa's handsome father. But little by little, Tessa and her dad begin to find a way to survive on the clean streets of the 'burbs. Sure, the neighbors, like Sheila Shay (recurring guest star ANA GASTEYER -- Saturday Night Live), might smother you with home-cooked meals of pot roast while their kids, like Lisa Shay (series star ALLIE GRANT), stare daggers at your back, but underneath all the "interesting" exteriors, they're really not half bad. Being in the suburbs could be hell, but it also may just bring Tessa and George closer than they've ever been. Also appearing in the series are series star ALAN TUDYK as Noah Werner, an old friend of George's, and series star REX LEE as Mr. Wolfe, Tessa's guidance counselor at school.