Series / BOB ❤️ ABISHOLA

Bob Hearts Abishola (stylized as BOB ❤️ ABISHOLA) is a CBS sitcom created by Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, Al Higgins, and Gina Yashere. It premiered on September 23, 2019.

Bob Wheeler (Billy Gardell) is a 50-year-old, obese, divorced businessman living in Detroit. One night, he has a heart attack and his family rushes him to Woodward Memorial Hospital. During his stay, he takes a liking to Nigerian nurse Abishola Bolatito Doyinsola Oluwatoyin Adebambo (Folake Olowofoyeku). After his recovery, Bob stops by Abishola's apartment and gives her a bag of compression socks from his therapeutic hosiery company as thanks for taking care of him. Abishola is uncomfortable with Bob's advances, but all of her friends and family are in favor of a relationship between the two. Abishola decides to give Bob a chance and despite their many differences, the two get along quite well.

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Tropes include:

• Abusive Parents:
  • The episode "Black Ice" reveals that Abishola's mother would beat her, then give her aspirin afterwards. This is why she has difficulty expressing her feelings.
  • Dottie doesn't seem to have been the best mother to her children either. Even in the present, she's still very verbally abusive towards Douglas and Christina, and even Bob on occasion, and all three are shown to be quite intimidated by her.
  • Abishola can come off as this at times. While she does mean well and wants the best for Dele, she pushes him way too hard and even outright insults Dele on occasion, such as calling him "stupid" to his face even though he's in Honor's classes.
• Afraid of Blood: In "Wrangling a Greased Pig", Abishola takes Dele to work with her, and forces him to watch an operation. Dele is unable to stand the sight of blood and gore, causing him to vomit. Abishola is forced to accept that Dele can't be a doctor.
• Age-Gap Romance:
  • One of the many obstacles Bob and Abishola face. Bob is fifty, and while Abishola's age is never stated, she appears to be in her thirties (Folake Olowofoyeku was 36 during the first season).
  • Seeing as Kemi is old enough to have three grown children, grandchildren and a deceased husband, she's likely much older than Chukwuemeka. Kemi mentions that Ogeche objects to her age, further corroborating this. According to "My Successful Lawyer Son" Chukwuemeka is only three years older than Kemi's son.
• All Women Are Lustful: Gloria and Kemi openly talk about sex. Even Abishola, despite her best attempts, has sexual dreams about Bob.
• Armor-Piercing Question: When Dele changes his hair without Abishola's permission, she flips out, grounding him and taking away his phone. When Bob challenges her on this, she points out her mother was always harsh and strict with her. He pointedly asks, "Didn't you guys have a period where you didn't speak?" and asks if Abishola really wants Dele to feel about her the way she feels about Ebunoluwa. She realizes no, she really, really doesn't, and un-grounds Dele.
• Aroused by Their Voice: Part of the reason why Bob likes Abishola is because she sang to him. (He was having trouble urinating with her in the room and the singing helped.)
• Basement-Dweller: As Abishola tells Kemi regarding Chukwuemeka: "There's a reason why a man that handsome still lives with his mother."
• Beware the Nice Ones: Bob is normally a very kind and understanding man, but when he does get angry, he's downright scary as shown in "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead".
• Big Beautiful Man: Bob may be overweight, but this hasn't stopped the ladies from paying him any attention. He was married in the past, Gloria compares him to a "pasty Luther Vandross", he went on a date with an attractive woman (played by Missi Pyle) who was willing to sleep with him even though the date went badly. And as much as she tries to deny it, Abishola fancies him too.
• Big Little Brother: Douglas is twelve years younger than Bob and a few inches taller than him.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Chukwuemeka is a downplayed example. On the outside he's handsome, charming and considerate. On the inside, he's a boring chauvinist. He seems to have changed for the better upon getting together with Kemi.
• Black Gal on White Guy Drama: Averted at first, as Abishola's friends and family are all rooting for her to pursue a relationship with Bob, but that's mainly because they feel that she can't get anyone better. Once she is introduced to Chukwuemeka, who is younger, better looking and Nigerian, they all change their minds except for Tunde. However, once Abishola chooses Bob, everyone goes back to Team Bob. Also averted with Bob's family, even when taking Dottie's casual racism into account.
• Blunt "Yes": Happens a few times.
  • One example from "Nigerians Don't Do Useless Things":
  Bob: You embarrassed to be seen with a white guy?
  Abishola: Yes. Goodbye.
  • Another from "Whacking the Mole":
  Abishola: Did you think I was pretending [to be sick]?
  Olu: Yes.
• Boomerang Bigot: Abishola's son Dele gets into a fight with a boy at school who called him racial slurs. The boy in question was also black, albeit African-American.
• The Bore: Both Abishola and Kemi go out with Chukwuemeka, and they both find him excruciatingly boring. On the dates, he talks about things like The Hangover and starting his own pharmacy app, with long stretches of awkward silence along the way. Unlike Abishola, however, Kemi is willing to put up with it due to lust and loneliness.
• Brutal Honesty: Abishola and her family aren't very shy about expressing their opinions.
• The Comically Serious: Abishola, to the point where she is nicknamed "Elsa" at work for being so cold. She often doesn't understand humor and lacks tact.
• Cool Uncle:
  • Douglas and Christina happily chat about how they'll get to be the fun uncle and aunt to Dele once Bob and Abishola are officially married. They're both more than glad to bend some of Abishola's rules when Dele's with them, such as letting him have junk food or play video games.
  • Christina in particular reveals herself to be a Cool Aunt. When Dele has anxiety about disappointing his family by not wanting to be a doctor, it's Christina's advice he seeks. Christina lets Bob know Dele's with her so he knows the kid's safe, but doesn't rat him out to Abishola and helps him think about what he really wants for his future and find the strength to talk to his mother about how he feels.
• Crossover: The end of "Compress to Impress" features a cameo of Calvin and Tina Butler watching MaxDot's commercial.
• The Cuckoolander Was Right: When Dele's feeling unsure about his future and can't bring himself to talk to Abishola about it, Christina tries to help by giving him a tarot reading. While he considers tarot to be nonsense, Dele appreciates the effort, and smiles when she tells him the card he pulls symbolizes inner strength and bravery, admitting he does feel better. And soon after, he actually does put his foot down with Abishola and ask for space to figure things out for himself without her constant pressure, meaning Christina's tarot reading may have been the confidence boost he needed.
• Deadpan Snarker: Abishola, with emphasis on the "deadpan." Her sense of humor is so dry, Bob often can't tell when she's joking or not.
• Dead Person Conversation: In 'Bibles to Brothels', Bob has a conversation with his late father, Max (Joel Murray).
• Defeat Means Friendship: Bob and Chukwuemeka both competed for Abishola's affections. But once Abishola chooses Bob, he and Chukwuemeka are on friendly terms when they encounter each other again at church, with Bob even giving Chukwuemeka advice on how to deal with the rivalry between Kemi and his mother.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance: The fact that homosexuality is illegal in Nigeria comes up when Abishola's cousin Morenike is revealed to be a lesbian ("Cats in a Bathtub"). Abishola and Kemi, despite showing no actual hatred or fear of gay people, are both completely baffled by the concept that a good Nigerian woman could be gay, and they both agree that her staying closeted is the best course of action (though this is partially due to very real safety concerns). Tunde and Olu participate in a "pray the gay away" session, but ultimately decide to support their niece and proudly stand by her at church even after she's outed. It's also mentioned that her parents, still in Nigeria, haven't talked to her since they heard the news. Americans Bob and Gloria find everyone's reactions to Morenike's sexuality absurd.
• Drunk with Power: Bob puts Goodwin and Kofo in charge of running MaxDot while he's taking care of Dottie. They first thing they do is fire an employee for no reason and then implement absurd new policies that result in all other employees going on strike. And this all happens in just one day! Fortunately, they do much better when Bob needs them to fill in for him at a meeting, and Bob is impressed when they close a very important sale.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: The higher-ups at MaxDot have an unfortunate habit of not always giving employees their due. Dottie especially, but even the usually-nice Bob isn't immune.
  • Christina jumps ship when she realizes no one there respects her or her ideas. Any time she tries to contribute to the company and actually earn her paycheck, she's usually told to shut up and stop getting in the way. She even admits to Dele she had to leave because her resentment of Dottie was starting to get murderous.
  • Goodwin has been promised Bob's position when he retires, but that's probably ages away, and now, he's still a relatively low-level worker who doesn't get a bonus, despite being one of the longest-lasting and most dedicated employees. At the end of Season Three, he gets sick of it and goes to work with Christina, who completely sympathizes. Fortunately, Christina was forced to lay Goodwin off mere days later and Bob, due to both guilt and long time dissatisfaction with his job, decides to finally retire and makes Goodwin the new president of MaxDot.
• The Dutiful Son: Bob, who had to drop out of college and take care of the family after his father's untimely death.
• Education Mama:
  • Abishola is this to her son Dele, pushing him to study hard and get good grades so he can become a doctor and not allowing him much time for fun. Dele doesn't want to be a a doctor and would rather be a dance choreographer and has been doing it in secret behind his mother's back.
  • This is a theme in Abishola's family given their culture. Her own mother does that to her, even as an adult when she decides to become a doctor.
• Exiled to the Couch:
  • A case of being exiled to someone else's couch. Auntie Olu throws out Uncle Tunde for supporting Bob instead of Chukwuemeka. Bob is happy to accommodate him and he even bonds with Dottie.
  • Bob is exiled to the couch by Abishola in "Kicked Outta the Dele Club" due to sticking up for Dele when he changed his hairstyle.
• The Faceless: Subverted. Abishola's mother Ebunoluwa initially appeared only via webcam, and each time, the majority of her face was out of frame. The closest we get to seeing her face is a close-up of one eye. Her full face is finally shown in the season three premiere "Welcome to Lagos".
• Family Business: MaxDot Therapeutic Hosiery. The company was created by Max and Dottie Wheeler. Their son Bob is the current president (He would eventually retire in season four, with Goodwin taking his place), Douglas is head of Human Resources (at least until Dottie demotes him to the factory floor in order to teach him responsiblity) and Christina is head of sales (until she quit the company altogether in season three because no one took her seriously).
• Fat Bitch: Abishola's mother Ebunoluwa is abusive, controlling, self-centered, and is the reason Abishola has trouble showing how she feels.
• Foil: Tayo (Abishola's ex-husband) is this to Chukwuemeka. Both are bald, black men who have been romantically involved with Abishola. However, Chukwuemeka is quite handsome while Tayo is average-looking at best. Both are male chauvinists, but Chukwuemeka's sexism is more due to naivete and bad social skills while Tayo unapologetically views Abishola as property. And finally, both are jerks, but Chukwuemeka is a decent enough guy once you get to know him, while Tayo is a complete asshole with no redeeming qualities.
• Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Bob is the responsible sibling. After his father passed away, he had to drop out of college and run MaxDot. His younger siblings Douglas and Christina are, in their mother's words, "useless potheads".
• Generation Xerox: Bob is very much like his deceased father Max. They're both overweight with mustaches and both had heart attacks in their fifties. Though Bob survived his heart attack, unlike Max.
• Good Adultery, Bad Adultery:
  • Abishola is still married to Tayo at the start, which is one reason she's hesitant to take up with Bob. However, given that Tayo isn't a very nice person, and that he basically abandoned her and Dele, Abishola eventually deciding to date Bob anyway is portrayed as a good thing, and she eventually divorces Tayo so she can marry Bob. Plus, Tayo has already started another family with a new woman.
  • Ebunoluwa is implied to be starting an affair with Pastor Falade. Much like Abishola and Tayo, Ebunoluwa's husband is emotionally distant and uncaring, to the point of barely talking to her. Thus, her developing feelings for someone who pays attention to her, is emotionally available, and enjoys talking with her is seen as understandable.
  • By contrast, Bob's ex-wife Lorraine, who cheated on him with his best friend, gets no narrative sympathy. Her excuse is that Bob was Married to the Job, which, while not an inaccurate point, still isn't seen as a valid reason to cheat on him, especially since Bob is overall a Nice Guy.
• Good Stepmother: Despite not being married to Abishola yet, Bob is already a Good Stepfather figure to Dele, being encouraging towards his interests and trying his best to mediate when he and his mother disagree. As time goes on, he even begins to occasionally run interference on Dele's behalf when Abishola's being unreasonable, and tries to persuade her to go easier on the kid. He's way more supportive and present than Tayo, Dele's actual father, though he never tries to actively take the role from him.
• Happily Married:
  • As of the start of Season Three, Bob and Abishola.
  • Tunde and Olu have their problems, but are overall extremely stable and affectionate. Tunde even refused to take a second wife when they couldn't conceive, despite everyone in their families pressuring him to, because he loves Olu and only Olu.
• Happy Marriage Charade: Ebunoluwa and Abishola's father. Abishola thought they were happy, but Ebunoluwa, thinking she's speaking to her own mother from beyond the grave, reveals that she's been quietly miserable for years, to the point where she doesn't want to go back to Nigeria because that would mean going back to living with her husband. Gloria speculates that they hid it so the wouldn't upset Abishola. This revelation suggests a lot of Ebunoluwa's attitude stems from envy that Abishola had the courage to kick her own deadbeat husband to the curb and find love with Bob, and that her sister Olu married an incredibly devoted and caring man in Tunde.
• Hate Sink:
  • Abishola's husband Tayo Adebambo. He abandoned Abishola and Dele because he was unable to strike it rich in America and returned to Nigeria, marrying another woman and having more children. He comes back eight years later, but only because he's jealous and doesn't want Abishola to move on. He won't divorce her, even though he doesn't love her. At least until Olu and Tunde chew him out and finally drive him to agree to a divorce. He treats Dele even worse than Abishola, Tunde and Olu do. Even though Abishola is against Dele's dream of being a dance choreographer, she still let him dance as long as it remains nothing more than a hobby. Tayo is against the dancing altogether because it isn't manly and he forbids Dele from doing it. If all that wasn't bad enough, he convinces Dele to spend the summer with him in Nigeria, but won't let him return home for Bob and Abishola's wedding and wants him to stay in Nigeria for good. He is completely unlikable, making it even easier to root for Bob.
  • Then there's Abishola's mother Ebunoluwa. See the Fat Bastard example above.
• Hates Being Nicknamed
  • When Bob and Abishola first meet in the pilot, Bob starts calling her "Abby", which she doesn't like.
  • A curious example happens regarding Chukwuemeka. He says that Abishola may refer to him as "Chewie", but his mother is the one who insists that she call him Chukwuemeka.
• Henpecked Husband: Tunde is frequently pushed around by Olu.
• He-Man Woman Hater: Chukwuemeka, the Nigerian pharmacist who is also pursuing Abishola. He tells her that if things work out between them, he will allow her to keep her job as long as dinner is on the table when he gets home. After apologizing for his remark, he lets it slip to Tunde that he's merely humoring Abishola by allowing her to think she's a strong, independent woman and believes that she secretly wants him to take charge. Though it's likely that he was just nervous and trying too hard to be manly as he drops these traits once he starts dating Kemi.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Bob speaks fluent Mandarin, and is rather more cultured than you might think. He also sacrificed a lot to help take care of his family, which is part of what wins Abishola over.
  • Ebunoluwa is as deeply religious as the rest of her family, and chafes at any challenge to the status quo. However, Bob brings up the story of Job, who went through a Trauma Conga Line because God made a bet with Satan that his faith could withstand it. Bob wonders why God would make a bet with Satan in the first place, and after a pause, she admits that that's always bugged her, too. The fact that she's willing to admit to questioning the Bible in any capacity is a surprise, given how devout and traditional she is.
  • Goodwin is a hard-ass at work, and talks about how important it is to be tough on your kids, but he's clearly devoted to his family. While on a road trip, Bob finds out he reads them a bedtime story every night, and has Goodnight Moon memorized so well that he can recite it to the kids over the phone in Nigerian. Not that he'll let anyone else know, of course.
    Bob: (watching from outside the door) That's really sweet.
    Goodwin: This is private! Go back in the bathroom!
• Hollywood Atheist: "A Big, White Thumb" centers around Abishola wanting Bob to attend church with her. Bob is hesitant to do so because he's not religious (despite having prayed to God when Dottie had her stroke, which he dismisses as a "foxhole" moment). When Tunde asks if Bob's an atheist, Bob says that he wouldn't use that word, instead he'd say he's "sensible" and spends the rest of the dinner taking potshots at their Christian faith. He later apologizes and give church a chance, but still isn't convinced to follow religion. Abishola clearly has a problem with Bob's lack of belief, but Bob tells her that while he's not sure if there's a God, he does believe in miracles, hence how the two ended up together.
• Hopeless with Tech: Abishola's mother can't get the handle of webcams, always leaving her face out of frame.
• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: In "Ralph Lauren and Fish" Christina threatens to kill Abishola should she ever break Bob's heart. Considering that she stabbed her ex-husband in the past, she's likely crazy enough to actually do it.
• Innocent Bigot:
  • Dottie is pretty ignorant about other cultures and says some racially insensitive things about Nigeria, among other places, but despite her general personality, it doesn't seem to be out of malice, and she does get better after spending more time with Abishola. Douglas still wisely tells her to watch her mouth before she meets his Latina, working-class girlfriend, though.
  • Abishola, Kemi, Tunde, and Olu all have pretty outdated views on homosexuality (more so Tunde and Olu, but even Kemi and Abishola genuinely believe Morineke being gay is super unusual and should be kept secret—albeit, partially for her own safety). However, none of them actually hate gay people; they're just from a country that has made homosexuality a criminal offense and don't know any gay people themselves, so they're all a bit ignorant about it. When Morineke comes out and Tunde and Olu decide to support her, they invite a gay neighbor over in a well-meaning but misguided attempt to help her make a friend from her own community.
• In-Scene Title Text: The Establishing Shots have CG block titles composited as if physically present within the scene.
• I Want Grandkids: It is eventually revealed that the main reason why Ogeche doesn't want Kemi dating her son Chukwuemeka is because she wants grandchildren and Kemi is too old to have any more children. Kemi and Ogeche eventually come to a compromise; they will choose a younger woman to sire Chukwuemeka's child while Kemi and Chukwuemeka can continue seeing each other. Chukwuemeka, sadly, gets no say in who he gets to procreate with.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Once he finds out about Abishola seeing Chukwuemeka, Bob is willing to step aside if she'd rather have him. This offends her deeply, saying that if Bob really cared about her, he would fight for her. He takes these words to heart, interrupting a date between Abishola and Chukwuemeka in order to declare his feelings for her. It works.
• I "Uh" You, Too: The main plot of "Black Ice" revolves around Bob telling Abishola that he loves her, and Abishola doesn't say it back.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Chukwuemeka, the Nigerian pharmacist who is also pursuing Abishola. He made sexist comments during their first meeting. He apologizes during their second meeting and becomes a lot nicer to her from then on. Only for him to confess to Uncle Tunde that he's merely allowing her to think she's independent for the sake of keeping peace. Tunde rightfully calls him "a bag of douche." He does seem to straighten out after Abishola chooses Bob and he begins dating Kemi.
• Love Is a Weakness: Abishola seems to believe so, at least at the beginning of the series as she believed that being in a relationship with Bob would be a waste of her time. She eventually caves in, but even then, she still is unable to fully give herself to Bob due to both her culture and some issues she had growing up.
• Manchild: Douglas and Christina are pretty much middle-aged teens who cannot function without Bob and Dottie.
• Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Abishola is the masculine girl to Bob's feminine boy. Abishola is more headstrong while Bob is more laid-back. Though Bob will stand up for himself when pushed too far.
• The Missus and the Ex: In the episode "Sock Wife!", Abishola encounters Bob's ex-wife Lorraine at the hospital. While they get along well, it's clear that Lorraine wants Bob back. To the point where she practically stalks him until Abishola tells her to stop.
• Mistaken for Cheating: After being thrown out by Olu and crashing at Bob's house, Tunde bonds with Dottie and when Olu finds out, she is not at all happy about it and goes over to demand that Tunde return home. Dottie reassures Olu that nothing like that is going on and since she's just had a stroke, Dottie couldn't do anything with Tunde even if she wanted to.
• Mood Whiplash: After Abishola's mother overstays her welcome, she and Kemi call her and pretend to be the ghost of her deceased mother in order to persuade her to leave. The scene starts off over-the-top and hilarious... until Abishola's mother, on the edge of tears, says she can't go back to her husband, and reveals that the union is completely loveless and he hasn't talked to her or touched her in years. Abishola and Kemi are both stunned by this revelation, with Abishola in particular shaken to her core, as she had no idea her parents were anything but happy.
• Nice Guy: While sometimes Innocently Insensitive, Bob is a very kind man who usually just wants to help. Even when faced with Abishola's jerkass ex Tayo or her controlling mother, he does his level best to be polite... though they sometimes make that difficult.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Christina apparently stabbed her ex-husband in the past. It's never explained in detail.
  • Douglas also had a relationship with an employee and she had to be paid off with a food truck.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Abishola asks Pastor Falade not to pursue her mother, since she's married. Falade assures Abishola that nothing has happened physically, and adds that he's surprised Abishola objects. After all, didn't she also fall for someone and start a relationship with him while still married to her estranged spouse? This makes Abishola rethink her stance, and she decides to back off, especially since Falade makes her mother happy.
• Obfuscating Disability: Dottie was disabled for a while due to her stroke, but she continued the charade long after she'd regained her ability to walk. The truth comes out when she's caught by Douglas, though he kept quiet about it for a while.
• Only Sane Man: Bob is this for the entire Wheeler family. His mother's a racist, drunken, airheaded Mean Boss and his siblings are drunken, drug-addicted layabouts. If it weren't for Bob, MaxDot would likely have gone under a long time ago.
• Opposites Attract: A Caucasian, American, nonreligious, wisecracking CEO falls for a black, Nigerian, Christian, Comically Serious nurse. Bob admits their lack of compatibility, saying that their relationship makes as much sense as having ice cream for breakfast, but as long as they're both happy, why should it matter?
• Overly Long Name:
  • Abishola's full name.
    Abishola: In Nigeria, I never thought about the color of my skin. I was just Abishola Bolatito Doyinsola Oluwatoyin Adebambo.
    Bob: Just?
  • When Christina asks Kofo his last name, he says she would not be able to pronounce it. Christina actually does pronounce it correctly at the end of the episode, which delights Kofo.
• Out of Focus: In the fifth and final season, all main characters except the titular Bob and Abishola are demoted to recurring characters.
• Pair the Spares: Once Abishola officially decides to date Bob exclusively, Chukwuemeka ends up dating Kemi, who is widowed.
• Parents as People: Abishola's efforts to properly raise Dele are a prominent part of the story, especially when it comes to her traditional Nigerian sensibilities clashing with American culture, and Dele's growing free-spiritedness and independence. She's far from perfect, often being strict and too harsh, but she clearly loves her son very much and ultimately wants him to be successful and financially stable, seeing that as the key to a good, happy life. Abishola is also fully fleshed out beyond her role as a mother; her other family, romantic life, career aspirations, and friendships all receive a lot of focus as part of her character arc, meaning she's never defined solely by being a parent.
• Parent with New Paramour: Part of Abishola's initial hesitance is due to the fact that she has a son with her estranged husband. It all works out fine, though; Dele likes Bob and gets on better with him than he does his father, and Bob is extremely supportive — occasionally even running interference with Abishola on Dele's behalf.
• Practically Different Generations: Bob is twelve years older than Douglas and Christina (he's fifty, they're thirty-eight in season one). He also seems to have been a Parental Substitute to them, as Christina tells Abishola that Bob helped Dottie take care of them after their father passed away.
• Racist Grandma: Bob's mother Dottie says very racially insensitive things, such as referring to Asians as "chopstick people" and suggesting that Bob take Abishola out to some place she'd be more comfortable—where they eat with their fingers. None of it is said in a malicious way, though. She seems to have overcome this following her stroke and getting to know Abishola, Tunde and Olu. Based on what we hear, Bob's late father Max was pretty racist himself, not allowing non-white workers to be supervisors.
  Douglas: So Dad was, like, a racist?
  Dottie: It was a different time!
  Christina: It was the nineties.
• Retool: A very minor one. Since season three, less emphasis has been placed on Bob's weight, since Billy Gardell had to undergo bariatric surgery to prevent serious health complications. He now weighs around 200 pounds (in Mike & Molly, he was around 320).
• Romantic False Lead: Chukwuemeka, who is competing with Bob for Abishola's affection. She chooses Bob and Chukwuemeka later ends up with Kemi.
• Running Gag: One that actually involves running. In "Sock Wife!", Kemi twice runs down the stairs to reception to deliver news involving Bob's ex-wife. And it happens a third time with Abishola when she realizes Lorraine still has feelings for Bob.
• Sassy Black Woman: Gloria. Abishola herself could count, though her sass is more of a playful sarcasm.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: The thing that ultimately wins Abishola over is that Bob is that he's an unfailingly decent Nice Guy who supports her and respects her unconditionally. Compared to her first husband, it's a welcome change.
• Smart People Play Chess: In "Whacking the Mole" Abishola returns home from work and catches Dele playing a game on his laptop. She is furious at him for not educating himself, until he tells her that he was playing chess. She then tells him to continue and that he must win.
• Shipper on Deck:
  • All of Abishola's friends and family are rooting for her to get with Bob. At least until Chukwuemeka comes along. Though Uncle Tunde sides with Bob when he realizes how big of a douchebag Chukwuemeka is. Everyone returns to Bob's side when Abishola chooses him.
  • Ditto for Bob's friends and family. Though Douglas has some healthy skepticism.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: Bob is mostly accommodating to Ebunoluwa, no matter how annoying she gets, but when he and Abishola are in a fairly serious argument about Dele, and Ebu tries to butt in, he shuts her down with a polite but firm, "Excuse me, I'm trying to have a discussion with my wife."
• "Shut Up" Kiss: Abishola gives one to Bob in "Splitting the Hairs" because she doesn't want him to know that her fight with Kemi was over Chukwuemeka. Though there were also clearly some genuine feelings behind it.
• Silver Vixen: Dottie. Or at least Goodwin and Kofo think so. They even refer to her a cougar and comment on how she gives the best hugs. Bob is very weirded out by it.
• Soccer-Hating Americans: Bob asks Goodwin and Kofo to explain soccer to him, but their explanations of the intricacies of the Beautiful Game go over Bob's head. Later, Bob is making chili and the others complain about how long it's taking; Bob explains that it takes patience... and that's when he realizes that soccer is just like that. For their part, Goodwin and Kofo try to watch American football and find it too violent and senseless, until they realize one of the players is Nigerian and suddenly become rabid fans. Perhaps as a sign of how Americanized he has become, Dele admits to Bob that he doesn't like soccer either.
• The Stoner: Douglas and Christina Wheeler are both ditzy weed smokers. Even though it's Played for Laughs, it's clear that they have horrible self-esteem issues, both even outright admit that they hate themselves.
• Straw Vegetarian: While Bob is being rushed into the hospital during his heart attack, Christina comments that maybe now he'll stop eating defenseless animals. Though she is shown eating chili in "The Cheerleader Leader" and since Bob cooked it for the whole family, it most likely isn't vegetarian chili. She's also seen eating McDonald's food with the family in a later episode.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Technically, Abishola. Her husband Tayo hasn't even lived on the same continent as her in years, and now has children with another woman in Nigeria. He's also generally a jerkass, making it easier to root for Abishola to date Bob even while she's still married. (Muddying the waters a bit is that polygamy is legal in some parts of Nigeria, although only for men.)
• The Thing That Would Not Leave:
  • Lorraine. Once she gets out of the hospital, she moves to Bob's neighborhood and is constantly popping in and staying for long periods. This goes on until Bob and Abishola order her to leave.
  • Ebunoluwa, Abishola's mother, becomes this when she visits Abishola and Bob in America when Dele returns from Nigeria. Both Abishola and Bob want her gone, as do Tunde and Olu when she stays with them.
• Those Two Guys: Goodwin and Kofo, two Nigerian cousins employed at MaxDot. They give Bob tips on how to court Abishola, Kofo is promoted to supervisor and they even help Bob run the company while Dottie is recovering.
• They Just Dont Get It: No matter how Morenike tries to explain it, Kemi simply cannot understand lesbianism—the idea of someone just not liking men is completely foreign to her. She does seem to accept it eventually, even if it baffles her. Kemi and Abishola also both insist that Morenike must be literally the only gay Nigerian, citing the fact that homosexuality is illegal there, causing Gloria to dryly point out that just because something is illegal doesn't mean it's not happening.
• Title Drop: Similar to Two and a Half Men (a fellow Chuck Lorre series) each episode's title is a quote from the episode.
• Tough Love: Abishola's method of raising Dele, just as Ebunoluwa raised her. Deconstructed, as Abishola is often way too hard on Dele despite him being a really good kid, and she and her mother don't really get along. She reveals to Dele that once, as a teenager, she snuck out to go clubbing, but someone stole her purse, leaving her unable to get home. She was so scared of her mother's wrath that she decided to hitch a ride with a complete stranger rather than call her. Nothing bad happened and she got home safe, but as an adult, she realizes that she got seriously lucky, and she doesn't ever want Dele to be so scared of her that he would endanger himself rather than admit his mistakes to her.
• Trademark Favorite Food:
  • Auntie Olu and Uncle Tunde both enjoy Wendy's Baconators.
  Tunde: Square hamburger, round buns? Somehow it works.
  • Chukwuemeka's mother Ogeche has a fondness for chicken nuggets. According to Kemi, she eats them like Tic-Tacs.
• Twin Telepathy: Played for Laughs in "Ralph Lauren and Fish". Douglas is lost in the hospital and Christina, while high on Xanax, claims she can locate him because of their "twin connection". It doesn't work.
• Two-Timing with the Bestie: Bob's first marriage fell apart when his ex-wife Lorraine had an affair with his best friend Gary. As of the start of the series, he is no longer speaking to either one of them.
• Ugly Guy, Hot Wife:
  • Bob and Abishola. Bob is middle-aged and overweight while Abishola is younger and quite stunning. Bob's personality no doubt helps. Also, he lost a lot of weight in the third season, making their gap in attractiveness less prominent as the series went on.
  • This was also the case with Abishola and her ex-husband Tayo, who is average-looking at best, not to mention very chauvinistic even by Nigerian standards.
  • Bob's ex-wife Lorraine was also slightly out of his league when it comes to looks, but since she cheated on Bob with his best friend, it's safe to say that he's more beautiful than her where it counts.
• The Unfavorite: While Dottie isn't very nice to any of her children, Douglas seems to get the worst of it.
• Unusual Euphemism: After she and Bob have some very good sex before she goes to work, Abishola brags to her friends that she had "two good mornings."
• Unseen No More:
  • Lorraine Wheeler (Bob's ex-wife) and Tayo Adebambo (Abishola's husband) are mentioned early on, but don't appear onscreen until "Sock Wife" and "The Wrong Adebambo" respectively.
  • Ebunoluwa goes from being mentioned only (season one), to having only part of her face seen via webcam (season two), to being fully shown (season three onward).
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Bob has this dynamic with Wati, one of MaxDot's suppliers in Malaysia. They argue and snipe at each other, especially when it comes to business, but Bob always asks about Wati's family, and Wati misses him dearly when he retires in Season Four. He complains that Goodwin yells at him, and admits it was different when Bob did it.
• Wham Episode:
  • "Ralph Lauren and Fish" Bob and Abishola finally have a real date. And Dottie has a stroke.
  • "God Accepts Venmo", the season two finale. Bob and Abishola are set to get married, but Tayo will not allow Dele to attend and wants to keep him in Nigeria for good.
  • "Beard in Her Pulpit", the season three finale. After being denied a large yearly bonus, Goodwin begins to feel unappreciated at MaxDot and seeks employment from the company Christina now works for.
  • "Bibles to Brothels", Bob finally decides to retire from MaxDot. And Goodwin, who was quickly let go from his new job, is finally named the new president of the company.
• Yandere: Christina, full stop. She stabbed her ex-husband and apparently has a Valentine's Day tradition of crying and screaming outside his camper. Then she gets involved with Kofo, which starts out innocently enough, with the two coming up with more enticing names for their products, but it quickly turns to flirting and then to full-on stalking. She even bakes a cake shaped like Kofo's face and is very insistent that he eat it, and he alone (Kofo mentioned that he let Goodwin try some, and Christina was not at all happy about it). This creeps him out so much that Bob and Douglas send her off to a psychiatric resort that she'd already been to at least once before and to keep Goodwin and Kofo quiet, send them on a paid vacation to an island. Then while at the resort, Christina finds a new man named Randy, which makes Kofo jealous.