Better Buck Next Time

Buck Meltsner's fresh start in Baltimore is in ruins - his juvie record is all over social media, Micah's locker has been spray-painted, and Buck is suspended from the football team for something he didn't do. He knows exactly who did it: Chase, the foster kid he mentors, and he's taking the blame so Chase won't lose his sports camp scholarship. But when Lexie convinces Chase that letting a good person take his punishment is wrong, Chase confesses to the coach at halftime - and Buck, still angry, tells him never to call again. Then Chase runs away, leaving a voicemail saying he's too much trouble for anyone. Buck tracks him to the Babe Ruth museum, apologizes, and gladly becomes his mentor once more. But some hurts run deeper: Buck can't forgive Micah for lying about him, and when Lexie begs him to come back to church, he says he's done... for good.

Found on At Face Value Album 78 · 6 episodes

The run See every episode

0998 Express Salvation With her Marine husband silent overseas and the waiting wearing her down, a frightened mother lets her kids talk her into church - where a Sunday of hard questions changes more than anyone expects.

0999 Not the Same A Marine dad returns home from deployment to find his family has changed in ways he didn't expect - and his son must figure out what faith means when it seems to divide the house.

1 of 2 1000 Kris-Crossed When a shy student from a rival school accuses Emily of bullying, her friends discover that clearing her name may be harder than proving the truth.

2 of 2 1001 Kris-Crossed When a talented young actress's accusation costs Emily her presidency and threatens expulsion, the young detective and her friends must untangle two seemingly unrelated crimes to clear her name.

1 of 3 1002 Better Buck Next Time A fresh start in a new town gives an injured teen a shot at football, faith, and friendship - but every open door seems to come at someone else's expense.

2 of 3 1003 Better Buck Next Time A teen football star's fresh start unravels when his sealed criminal past goes public and someone in town seems determined to use it against him.

3 of 3 1004 Better Buck Next Time Suspended for a crime he didn't commit, Buck must choose between clearing his name and protecting the troubled kid he mentors.

1005 My Hero Renee A well-liked student teacher who prides herself on never taking sides in the God debate discovers that the middle of the road may be the most dangerous place to stand.

1006 School of Hard Knocks A spring break preview at a fancy arts school forces Olivia to confront an old friendship gone cold - and some hard truths about her own talent.

1007 Up His Sleeve When a televised baking competition rolls into Odyssey, an aspiring teen chef must team up with a handyman who can't cook - and learns that answered prayers rarely look the way you expect.

N/A A Thousand Blessings

1008 Ambush When a decorated Marine captain asks Whit to block his son from Bible adventures in the Imagination Station, the reason turns out to be a story he's never told anyone - about what happened in Rakistan.

1009 Bottled Up A wounded Marine captain's homecoming strains his family until an unexpected visitor forces long-buried truths into the open.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 9 more roles

9 supporting roles

Chase Zander Chin Lexie Winters Brennley Brown Marla Fenton Jesse Vilinsky Coach Griffin Actor Unknown Cougars Announcer Actor Unknown Mrs. Zelensky Actor Unknown Blaire Beckham Actor Unknown Museum Employee Actor Unknown Mr. Zelensky Actor Unknown

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Kathy Buchanan Writer · Director Nathan Hoobler Producer Dave Arnold Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 3 min

Buck Meltsner's fresh start in Baltimore has fallen apart. His juvenile detention record has been spread all over social media, his teammate Micah's locker has been spray-painted with insults, and even though Buck was at Pizza World when it happened, Micah claimed otherwise and Buck has been suspended from the football team after taking the blame.

As the story opens, Buck's mother Katrina presses him for the truth. Buck admits he didn't paint the locker, and he knows exactly who did: Chase, the foster kid he mentors, who always spells "loser" with two O's and knew Buck kept spray paint in his car. Buck took the blame anyway, because if Chase confesses, he'll lose his sports camp scholarship. It stings worse that Micah lied about his alibi. "Maybe the truth is nobody's my friend," Buck says.

Katrina confronts Marla Fenton, Micah's mother, who accidentally lets slip that she hired a private investigator to dig up Buck's past, using what Katrina once told her in confidence. Katrina points out that Marla only got curious after Buck took Micah's starting spot, and leaves her with a warning that the truth always comes to light.

At school, Lexie Winters refuses to believe Buck painted the locker and guesses he's protecting someone. She shares a secret of her own: her father, Pastor Bryce, served time in prison as a young man, and because of Buck he plans to tell his congregation that God can forgive any past and make a person new. Buck is stunned but still walks away.

When Chase sneaks over to see him, Buck confronts him about the locker. Chase confesses he did it out of anger at Mrs. Fenton, the woman who convinced his foster parents that Buck was a bad influence. Buck urges him not to pay back evil with evil, quoting a Bible verse he's convinced came from Thomas Edison, and sends him home.

Buck skips that night's football game, but Chase sneaks onto the sidelines, where Lexie convinces him that letting a good person take the punishment is wrong. At halftime, with the Cougars losing 17 to 0, Chase confesses everything to Coach Griffin, who believes him and lifts Buck's suspension. But when Chase calls Buck with the news, Buck angrily cuts him off before he can explain, blaming him for the whole mess and telling him never to call again.

Lexie's call gets Buck moving toward the field, but Chase's foster parents arrive at his door first. Chase has run away, leaving a voicemail saying he's too much trouble for anyone. With Chase's phone location turned off, Buck realizes he might know where to look: the Babe Ruth birthplace museum. The museum has closed, but Buck wins over the worker by comparing Chase to young George Ruth, a troubled boy whose life was turned around by a caring mentor, and asking, "Don't you think he could have also been called the Sultan of Sympathy?" Inside, Buck spots Chase's feet under a bathroom stall door. He apologizes for what he said on the phone, tells Chase he never stopped caring, and thanks him for coming clean. Chase's grateful foster parents admit they overreacted and ask Buck to be his mentor again, and Buck happily agrees.

But not everything mends so easily. Buck is back on the team, yet it doesn't feel the same, and he can't forgive Micah for preaching honesty at Bible study and then lying just to hurt him. Katrina, meanwhile, shows what forgiveness looks like: when a booster club mom reveals the group is upset with Marla and offers to ask her to leave, Katrina refuses, saying she has already forgiven her. Buck chooses the opposite path. When Lexie begs him to come back to church, where everyone misses him, he won't risk being judged again. "I'm not going back to church. Ever. I'm done," he says, leaving his story unfinished.