Maude

Maude extends an invitation for a visit to an annoying old friend of her mothers', who she regards as Aunt Tinkie. Tinkie, wanting to make Maude feel guilty, takes out a life insurance policy just before she leaves, leaving Maude as beneficiary. Meanwhile, Maude is jealous of Vivian and Arthur's vacation plans and dreams of going to Rome, which she may get when Tinkie's plane crashes.

Maude and Carol have a 'fun' time trying to explain to Phillip that Carol's 'business trip' with her latest boyfriend really is a romantic rendezvous. Meanwhile, Phillip has some explaining to do himself when Maude invites Phillip's male "friend" Sam to spend the night, which puts her liberalism to the test when she discovers Sam is a female.

Maude and Walter and Arthur and Vivian are relaxing enjoying a warm Indian summer evening on the porch. As everyone goes inside and Maude is left to clean up, she encounters something strange something she believes is a UFO. Maude feels it is her duty to tell the world but soon finds that people are not so quick to believe life may exist in other worlds.

Maude is up in arms when both Carol and Victoria stay out all night with their respective boyfriends. Later, when Victoria finally comes home she reveals to Maude that she is getting quite close to her beau but soon Victoria must contend with her visiting father who is very traditional and refuses to entertain the idea of his daughter being with a man who is not from the West Indies.

Maude is excited about going on a local television show to discuss women's views and is even more excited when her recommendation to have Walter and his female employee, Leslie Perkins, come on with her is granted. That is until she learns Leslie has just recently made a pass at Walter resulting in him firing her.

Phillip is not too happy about his birthday party that Maude and Vivian are throwing for him. Walter has handed down a strict set of rules for the party that doesn't leave very much room for fun but later when Maude chaperones the birthday party, she finds herself in the middle of "sex, drugs and rock and roll" when some party crashers show up complete with a live band.

Arthur and his co-worker Dr. Hubie Binder have been battling with pay at the hospital and this leads to Arthur starting a doctor's strike meaning no treatment to patients until the strike is over. Meanwhile, Walter and Vivian each come down with an illness and despite his better judgment, Arthur denies caring them.

Maude has been working overtime with an ecologist, Perry Flannery, in a project to clean up the Hudson River. Maude has loved every minute spending with Perry who is younger than her and she has been having sexual fantasies about him and her involvement in his project makes Walter jealous but Maude won't be happy when she learns Perry is interested in Vivian.

Maude is fed up with Arthur's conservative bigotry and she especially gets fed up when she learns the Harmons are moving in with them while their house is being fumigated. Meanwhile, Arthur becomes obsessed when he learns that a gay bar has opened up in the neighborhood and he sets out to do all that he can to get it closed down, something that Maude is staunchly against.

Both Maude and Walter are excited about the prospect of Walter being nominated for Businessman of the Year for the third year in a row. Walter is especially excited when he learns that if he wins for the third time a street will be named after him, however, one little hitch enters the scene when he learns Maude is competing against him for the award due to her work on a shopping center.

Maude is in no mood to celebrate the Christmas season, first Carol's flight is delayed in Cleveland, than Phillip announces he won't be spending Christmas Eve with the family and both Arthur and Walter are in a fury about a drunk driver. Suddenly a knock at the door changes everything, when Maude discovers someone left a baby in a basket on her doorstep.

Maude finds herself caught in between a Mother Superior and a mob boss.

Maude has been receiving a series of obscene phone calls and she gets fed up and decides to change her phone number. Meanwhile, Maude throws a party at the house and invites her new temporary psychiatrist who has been filling in for her regular one as well as the renowned bore Hubie Binder, everyone is having a good time, but then suddenly the phone begins to ring.

Maude and the gang prepare a telethon to raise money for a Shirley Temple protege, named Baby Sally who has become wheelchair bound. As everyone rehearses there numbers, Maude makes a shocking discovery, it seems Baby Sally's illness is all a sham and now Maude finds herself in a bind between doing what's right and the manipulations of a shady organizer.

Maude, Walter and Vivian are eating at a restaurant when a fire breaks out and Maude gets shoved against a wall as some man rushes out of the building to save himself. Later, Walter is hailed a hero when he gives CPR to a smoke victim, but he has a hard time coming forward and admitting he was the man who selfishly pushed Maude against the wall to save himself.

For the past 30 years, Maude has been sponsoring an orphan who lives in Ethiopia and after all this time she is excited when she manages to get help from a local church to fly him over to New York. However, Maude's Ethiopian foster child turns out to be something different from what she expected and she is rather shocked to learn that he is of Italian decent.

Maude and Vivian go out of town for their thirty-year college reunion and Vivian really takes advantage of the free champagne. When Maude and Vivian get back to their room Vivian becomes depressed about her life and everything that she could have accomplished, this leads her to make a decision, she calls Arthur and says that she is leaving him.

Carol's ex-husband Vernon comes to town and begins showering her with flowers and attention. Both Carol and Maude are convinced he's looking for a reconciliation and Carol is seriously thinking about it, that until he announces that he is engaged to someone else and he has come to town in hopes that Carol would allow Phillip to live with him.

Arthur's son, Arthur Jr. apparently fled to Canada in the late 60s to avoid the draft and Arthur has never quite forgiven him for running away yet Arthur visits his son in Canada and brings home his grandson Ian and his pet hamster. However, Arthur soon learns a lesson about life when he accidentally leaves Ian's pet hamster in the trunk of the car during a particularly cold winter day.

Maude is surprised when Victoria's father shows up for a visit and learns that his single daughter has gone away with her boyfriend on a camping trip. Fed up with Victoria living in a liberal household, Mr. Butterfield orders Victoria to move back to the West Indies with him. However, Maude runs into a double standard when the spy on Mr. Butterfield with an attractive younger woman.

Phillip has been avoiding his friend Sam and Maude and Walter soon learn why, he has been dating another girl. Maude is a little surprised but she is in for an even bigger surprise when she meets Phillip's new girlfriend Diane. Diane is 19 years old and Maude can't understand why a college girl would be dating 15 year-old Phillip.

Maude throws an authentic Chinese dinner to welcome her friend, Irene, a Congresswoman back from a trip to China. However, everyone invited seems to have news that may upset Maude, Arthur and Vivian are planning on moving to Idaho, Carol and Phillip are planning on moving to Colorado and Walter is selling his business and is planning on retiring and to make matters worse, Irene collapses.

Maude is devastated by the death of her dear friend Irene, a U.S. Congresswoman and this compounds the fact that Carol and Phillip and Arthur and Vivian are moving away. At Irene's wake, Maude gets an inspiration and makes a decision to campaign for Irene's position. Just as Arthur and Vivian leave to move to Idaho, Maude learns the news, she has been appointed as Irene's replacement.

Maude and Walter arrive in Washington and Maude is excited to take over as the newly elected Congresswoman. However, she soon finds herself butting heads with her staff whom she seriously considers firing. Meanwhile, Walter and Maude settle in their new home but find themselves at the mercy of a pushy maid.