Ep 11. The Bad Word

According to Jim is a sitcom that aired from 2001 to 2009. It starred Jim Belushi as Jim, a lazy and laid-back family man who constantly butts heads with his wife, Cheryl (played by Courtney Thorne-Smith). The show centers around the everyday hijinks that this couple and their three children get into.

In season 1 episode 11, titled The Bad Word, Jim is feeling down in the dumps because he thinks he's not respected in his own household. Cheryl tries to cheer him up by telling him how much the family relies on him, but it doesn't seem to help.

Meanwhile, Jim's brother-in-law, Andy (played by Larry Joe Campbell), is going through a midlife crisis and has started talking about getting a sports car. Jim thinks it's a stupid idea, but Andy insists on taking him for a test drive. When they get to the dealership, Jim accidentally says a bad word in front of a salesperson, and Andy sees this as a sign of Jim being cool and spontaneous.

Back at home, Cheryl is trying to teach their son Kyle (played by Connor Rayburn) how to read. Jim thinks it's a waste of time and that Kyle should be out playing with other kids and learning through experience, but Cheryl is determined to help their son succeed academically. Kyle is having trouble with a particular word, and Jim tries to help by saying the bad word he used earlier at the dealership as an example. Cheryl walks in at the wrong moment and thinks Jim has taught their son a curse word.

The rest of the episode revolves around Cheryl being angry with Jim and their attempt to explain the situation to their son. Jim tries to make things better by buying Kyle a toy, but Cheryl thinks he's trying to bribe their son into forgetting about the curse word incident.

Overall, The Bad Word is a classic According to Jim episode that showcases the show's trademark humor and family dynamics. Jim's struggle to be taken seriously by his family is a recurring theme throughout the series, and this episode captures it perfectly. The addition of Andy's midlife crisis and the misunderstanding about the curse word add a lot of laughs to the episode, making it one of the more memorable installments of season 1.