TV-PG
S1 • E1
Valedictorian at New York Medical School, surgeon's daughter Zoe Hart declines an offer to join obscure Alabama Gulf town Bluebell's senior doctor Harley Wilkes to join his country practice, but he keeps sending postcards. When she's told to get a year of practice experience to develop patience in order to be admitted to surgical training, she finally accepts, to her mother Candice Hart's distress. Meanwhile, Harley has died, but he has named her heir to his half of the practice, local Dr. Brick Breeland wanted to continue alone. Zoe hesitates, appreciating helpful gentleman local lawyer George Tucker and ex-national sports hero Lavon Hayes, now the mayor, but starting badly with womanizing estate caretaker Wade Kinsella and misled by her first patient, who faked an eye test before running over George, but an unwanted pregnancy proves decisive.
S1 • E2
Hoping it might help the residents of Bluebell accept her as one of their own, Zoe Hart agrees to join Mayor Lavon Hayes on his float during the Founder's Day Parade; unfortunately, accidentally crashing the float doesn't exactly help Zoe win over Lemon Breeland and the residents of Bluebell. To make matters worse, the town's golden boy, George Tucker, informs Zoe that contractually she needs to bring in 30% of the business or Dr. Brick Breeland has the option to buy out her half of the medical practice.
S1 • E3
Eager to "steal" a snake-bitten young patient from Brick, Zoe gets Wade to drive her to the site to identify the species, but gets bitten by the copperhead herself while Brick treats the child. Wade openly laughs and other locals smile or look down when Zoe decides to enter the annual gumbo-cooking contest--with no culinary experience. The New York "secret weapon" she counted on to cheat falls prey to the mayor's "domestic" alligator and she hurts a hand while cleaning shrimp, but George goes behind his fiancée's back to help her shop for ingredients, but they're called away to farmer Oscar Balderrama, whose limb is caught under a tipped-over field machine. To save the patient, who can't be moved safely, they must call Brick to operate with her expert instructions. He takes sole credit afterwards, yet rewards her.
S1 • E4
Zoe stubbornly refuses to give in to Bluebell's tradition that during a heat wave, like now, all non-criminal inhibitions are suspended. Still, shirtless men and Wade's sensual dive soon get her doubting, ultimately to give in. Against George's wise advice to go for informal, his fiancée Lemon attempts to impress his visiting parents with a dinner, but Mother Tucker incessantly spits implied criticism, while Brick and Father Tucker bicker endlessly about sports, rooting for rival teams.
S1 • E5
Zoe discovers something shocking about the local minister and his wife, causing quite a stir among the residents of Bluebell. Lemon is determined to find the funds to renovate the town's historic bridge that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, but first she is put in the difficult position of needing to convince Lavon to choose her proposal over so many other worthwhile submissions.
S1 • E6
In his playful way, Wade shows angelic patience with fickle Zoe's nocturnal fears, even spending a night on her bad couch. She not only crashes the mayor's borrowed car on a medical visit, but is also convinced that she saw a fisherman whose portrait is on the pub's wall of deceased villagers. At examination, Leon Mercy, who seems to haunt her at night, was only reported missing, as she would have been looking for him in the woods if Wade hadn't tracked them down. George finds the mayor unwilling to release a protected home for the happy couple to move into, but Lemon changes her mind about it after another incident with her unruly sister, which prompts George to make Brick face his parental duty.
S1 • E7
Wade is pleasantly surprised by a visit from his ex, or to be: their marriage was never legally annulled, but now she wants to wed another. By the time Tucker has the papers done, Wade's agreeable agreement is withdrawn on account of the hated groom, Colt. Handsome, pleasant veterinarian Judson Lyons' perfect house-call service gives him and Zoe the opportunity to meet and to plan a dinner date, but she gets cold feet after being out of the game for years. The mayor is the only available sports celebrity to stand in for the NASCAR star who was to present the town's annual turtle race, but not so willing to allow the traditional cheating in favor of eternal socialite winner Delia Ann Lee. Drunk Colton's armed effort to enforce a divorce proves painful for unfortunate mediator George.
S1 • E8
Homecoming arrives, preceded by Jimmy Praboo, who always pulled cruel pranks at Wade's and especially George's expense, so they vow revenge. Lemon initially protests at childishness, but is soon tempted to help them plot a "Smurf shower", which goes wrong. The mayor must fill in for the football coach, the first of a series of apparent flu victims, including the quarterback--but Zoe later diagnoses otherwise. She's allowed to attempt socializing by taking over his pre-game party, but the New York party-planner buddy she flies in takes over Big Apple-style, which pleases no local, not even Zoe. Handsome veterinarian Dr. Judson Lyons generously gives Zoe another dating chance.
S1 • E9
Brick pulls out all the stops to prevent overconfident Zoe from reaching the 30% patients share required to stop him from buying her out of the practice unilaterally, so she keeps delaying her flight to New York to celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving, rather then Bluebell's "pirates version", Planksgiving. Wade refuses to admit to the mayor he has an eye on Zoe, hence actually wants her to need his handyman help. George's brother moves out of the family law firm, so Father Tucker expects George to finally become a senior partner and makes that palatable by offering part-time work besides his Bluebell practice and a free city home. Lemon's reluctance to be forced to spend days a week with the Tucker parents melts down when Mother Tucker suddenly makes up big time, but is it just a ploy?
S1 • E10
The Christmas tree Wade promises George for the town square, from one of his many exes, is measly, so the guys set out together to cut one from another ex; lack of actual owner agreement and Wade's lip to the sheriff lands the duo in jail for the night. Back home, Lemon trains kid sister Magnolia to become the next generation of Breeland Cinnamon pageant winners, but Zoe enters Rose, and the coaches rival more ruthlessly then the candidates can handle. Lemon is shocked to hear that her mother, who left years ago to pursue an acting career, landed back in Alabama and never contacted Brick's family.
S1 • E11
George Tucker carefully planned to recent a supermarket chain from moving in and kill off Bluebell small businesses by convincing all surrounding owners to refuse allowing an access road, but overlooked the smallest patch. It belongs to Wade's deadbeat father 'Crazy' Earl Kinsella, who always sponges on his sons, but could become financially independent by selling. Even with wade's expert advice, the mayor finds returning to dating hard as Didi refuses to acknowledge that he isn't even interested, rather tells everyone he's taken by her, so Wade must coach getting rid of her too. Lemon, who presides, revives an old rule that allows all members a day of hazing, but Zoe is determined to stick it out even if it kills her. After Zoe finally discovers she has local family, including a living aunt, she learns having the legacy right to join the prestigious Dixie Belles society's local chapter.
S1 • E12
Veterinarian Judson, whom Zoe still hasn't forgiven for intimacy with her New York friend, is called in for a cat who probably contaminated owner Sal Nutter and his mystery mistress. George grudgingly allows Lemon, who wants to succeed Delia Ann Lee as the Belles' local Jubilee Memory matron, to invite her and her equally-obnoxious husband, fellow lawyer Lawrence Lee, a far-from-gracious winner. The mayor is told the truth, as he and Wade suspect Zoe of hiding a lover: she hosts a secret friend, AnnaBeth, who doesn't dare tell bossy Lemon she's consorting with the "intruder", but takes assertiveness training from the New Yorker, who despite an ingrate twist covers for her in delightfully surprised Judson's favor.
S1 • E13
Veterinarian Judson Lyons accepts Zoe first asking him not to attend the town's annual Sweetie Pie dance "too soon", then changing her mind after she notices that even Rose manipulated her, but concludes she only really has eyes and thoughts for Wade and returns home. George realizes that he forgot mailing the wedding invitations out of Freudian frustration that Lemon spent all her time on events for months and hardly any with him. A row with Brick leads to him and ultimately George learning she has been bottling up the frustration over her mother deserting the family. Zoe finally gets Wade to admit privately he has feelings for her, only to see him frolicking off with another easy date and the proceeds of a bet that she wouldn't be there with Judson.
S1 • E14
Wade agrees to help his latest conquest Joelle Sugarbaker appease her insanely-jealous ex Ed by seducing a lookalike girl to pretend she's the one Ed saw dating Wade, but the ploy brings every party only grief. George accepts to defend popular local schoolteacher Eric Sunberg, who was fired after admitting during a school-related "which celebrity am I" performance that he believes in aliens like his obsessed wife Dotty. George hopes to plead a medical excuse and asks Zoe to find one. Zoe hesitates whether to help Didi try to win back the mayor, hearing that she found a picture of Lemon hidden in his home.
S1 • E15
Bluebell has one of its rare snow episodes, pleasantly reminiscent of home to New Yorker Zoe, but believed by all natives to bring disaster. Wade does a poor job assuring the mayor it won't affect his parents' visit, when he wants to present Didi as his fiancée. Indeed, the senior Hayes couple announces their divorce, which is averted, but Didi bails out. George urges Lemon to seriously consider her impulsive suggestion to elope rather then have her elaborate dream wedding.
S1 • E16
Everybody expected Bluebell's Man of the Year (MOTY) award to go to a usual suspect like Brick, but this time it's George. As the mayor finds hosting the traditional cocktail party in the MOTY's honor awkward, having secretly cheated on him with Lemon, Zoe offers to organize it for him and ends up covering his inability to hold the crucial congratulatory speech. Wade exceptionally extends his musical ambitions (so far reserved for a band which never happens) to writing a song to perform in George's honor with Magnolia, at her urging. George decides, despite suspicious Lemon, to invite his father to proudly share in his hour of fame.
S1 • E17
Zoe is conflicted about seeing her father when he comes to Bluebell to perform a heart operation on George's father; Lemon befriends Zoe, hoping she won't tell George about seeing her with Lavon; Rammer Jammer hosts a drink competition.
S1 • E18
George wonders if he really saw Lemon and Lavon kiss, and asks Zoe if she knows anything. Wade plans a fishing trip for George's bachelor party, and Magnolia plans a stripper party-bus trip for Lemon's bachelorette party. Zoe dates a patient.
S1 • E19
Upset about Lemon's deception, George drives off to New Orleans; he invites Zoe to come along and they share their first kiss. Lemon must tell Brick why the wedding is off. Wade wakes up in the morning without remembering the night.
S1 • E20
Zoe is convinced that she and George are meant to be, but he thinks that they should just be friends. Zoe and Wade, as well as George and Lemon, are reluctantly paired for the Bluebell Battle. Rose goes on a date with Frederick. Lemon and George see a minister.
S1 • E21
The town turns on Zoe when she misinterprets Rose's appendicitis symptoms for lovesickness; Lemon tries to win George back with a romantic dinner; Zoe's father visits Bluebell again, and Zoe considers leaving.
S1 • E22
It's George and Lemon's wedding day, but George is still uncertain. A thunderstorm hits Bluebell and the town tries to keep everyone safe. Wade and Zoe are caught in a barn outside of town giving into their emotions. George calls off the wedding.
Dr. Zoe Hart
Lemon Breeland
Lavon Hayes
Wade Kinsella
George Tucker
Dr. Brick Breeland
AnnaBeth Nass
Tom Long
Wanda Long
Dash DeWitt