When Jerrod's childhood friend gets out of prison after 10 years, the Carmichael's must confront their true feelings about the system, whether or not a person can change, and what responsibilities a community has to look out for each other. Meanwhile, Jerrod must confront how much his own life has changed while Joe and Cynthia find their realist attitudes in conflict with Maxine's idealistic side.

Comic Jerrod Carmichael's relationships with his family and his girlfriend are charted in this sitcom. The opinionated North Carolina family members include Carmichael's old-school father and religious mother, and they navigate various hot-button topics, including police protests, guns and religion.

Joe joins Facebook and receives a friend request from his high school girlfriend which upsets Cynthia. Meanwhile, the family explores how social media can affect their relationships and what it means to create an online persona.