September 17, 2002 (2002-09-17) – April 15, 2005 (2005-04-15)
8 Simple Rules (originally8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter) is an American televisionsitcom originally starringJohn Ritter andKatey Sagal as middle-class parents Paul and Cate Hennessy, raising their three children.Kaley Cuoco,Amy Davidson, andMartin Spanjers co-starred as their teenage kids: Bridget, Kerry, and Rory. The series ran onABC from September 17, 2002, to April 15, 2005. The first season focused on Paul being left in charge of the children after Cate takes a full-time job as a nurse, with comedic emphasis on his often strict rules concerning his daughters and dating. The series' name and premise were derived from the book8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter byW. Bruce Cameron.[1]
While8 Simple Rules was renewed for a second season and production had begun,Ritter's sudden death on September 11, 2003, left the series in an uncertain position. After a hiatus, the series returned and killed off his character.James Garner andDavid Spade later joined the main cast as Cate's father Jim Egan and her nephew C.J. Barnes. In May 2005, after three seasons, ABC cancelled8 Simple Rules due to low ratings.
Paul Hennessy, portrayed byJohn Ritter (2002–2003), is a former sportswriter who works from home as a lifestyle columnist. He is a protective father whose nature often embarrasses his children and leads them to accuse him of hypocrisy. Following Ritter's death, Paul diesoffscreen early in the second season, having suddenly collapsed in a grocery store while buying milk.
Cate S. Hennessy (née Egan), portrayed byKatey Sagal, is the wife, mother, nurse, and easily the most sane and composed person in the family. She takes a nursing job at the kids' school so that she can work standard hours and spend more time with the kids. Cate starts dating her kids' high-school principal, Ed Gibb (portrayed byAdam Arkin), towards the end of Season 3. During her teens, she was just as popular, scheming, and rebellious as Bridget, and as such, she is usually the first to notice when Bridget is up to something. Her middle name is Stinky because her father had promised his best friend that he would name one of his children after him after having accidentally stabbed him with a bayonet while they were drunk inKorea; to hide this, she claims that the "S" stands for Stacy.
Bridget Erin "Beach" Hennessy, portrayed byKaley Cuoco, is the beautiful, ditzy oldest child. She is depicted as astereotypical blonde, a popular bombshell who is preoccupied with her looks, teenage boys, and little else. However, she sometimes displays intelligence or profundity in a poignant manner. Her favorite book isJ. D. Salinger'sThe Catcher in the Rye.[5] After her father dies, she begins to steadily mature. Bridget immediately feels guilty about Paul's death because the last words that she had ever spoken to him were "I hate you" after arguing with him on the morning of his death. In Season 2, Bridget is revealed to have been conceived on a beach.[6]
Kerry "Care Bear" Hennessy, portrayed byAmy Davidson, is the disgruntled middle child. She is often seen asunattractive when compared to her beautiful older sister. Bridget accuses her of stealing her boyfriend Kyle, though her own actions had driven Kyle away. Kerry is typically negative and sarcastic, often making snide remarks about others. She is also a passionate activist who cares aboutanimal rights. She loses hervirginity to Bruno (her boyfriend in Europe) later in the third season. She is often annoyed at her sister and is easily upset, yet frequently the two girls team up against their parents' authority or at the expense of their brother. Kerry is also very artistic and keeps a sketchbook. She is the smart child, but often shows naiveté. After she starts dating Bridget's popular ex-boyfriend Kyle, her own popularity increases, and she begins to act a bit more like her older sister.
Rory Joseph Hennessy, portrayed byMartin Spanjers, is Cate and Paul's son and their youngest child. He often takes pleasure intattling on his sisters. Usually he waits until his sisters have already committed an infraction, then tells his father, who explodes. Rory is his father's favorite child. He becomes involved in money-making schemes with C.J. He is commonly seen playing in the living room and mentions wanting a monkey; he had once acquired a monkey by trading some of his father's baseball cards, and later traded the monkey for a guitar. He also delights in showing his friends the private aspects of his sister Bridget's life, mentioning once that his friends looted Bridget's underwear drawer. Rory is hit hard by Paul's death and punches a hole in his wall out of anger, cutting his hand. He explains the injury as a burn from having removed a hot casserole from the oven. After he enters high school, Rory matures, leaving C.J. to be the mainwisecracker of the family.
Jim Egan, portrayed byJames Garner (2003–2005), is Cate's father. Jim served in theKorean War and is proud of his service (he becomes angry whenever the war is called a "police action"). He is very protective of the family. He often sneaks away to smoke tobacco. He is divorced, having formerly resided in Florida before moving into Cate's basement, and often tries to beat C.J. with his cane. He takes pride in C.J.'s success as a teacher.
C.J. Barnes, portrayed byDavid Spade (2004–2005), is Cate's nephew. He was once in the army and claims to have studied aerial photography during theGulf War, and to have received aPurple Heart in combat, which is in contrast to his generally childish attitude. He is a teacher who often pursues women, though unsuccessfully. When C.J. first arrives, the family is initially surprised. He reveals that he was ashamed that he did not live up to Paul's expectations and avoided them because of that. He lives with his grandfather, Jim, in the basement (having previously lived in a van, which Jim had burned). He once dated Mrs. Krupp, Kerry and Bridget's math teacher, but cheated on her with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl. He reveals that his first initial stands for Corey. C.J. previously smokedmarijuana heavily (and in fact used to smoke with Kyle's older brother), but he claims to not have touched it in two years (he originally claims it was five years, though he relents after Jim expresses disbelief).
Kyle, portrayed byBilly Aaron Brown, is Bridget's – and later Kerry's – boyfriend. He is often seen spending time with Rory when not with either Kerry or Bridget. His father, Tommy, used to work with Paul.
Ed Gibb, portrayed byAdam Arkin, is the principal of the local high school. He and Cate knew each other in high school, and even dated. Their accounts of their first romantic encounter are different, each professing to have had more self-control. Despite this, they have some very intimate moments.
Nick Sharpe, portrayed byPatrick Warburton, is Paul’s editor at the newspaper. He takes Paul’s place at the sportswriters' poker game and he and Paul frequently commiserate about having teenage daughters.
Coach Scott, portrayed byDan Cortese, is a high-school coach on whom Bridget had acrush. He likes Cate, and Cate initially likes him, but then discovers Bridget's crush, which causes her to deny Scott's romantic advances towards her.
Jenna Sharpe, portrayed byNikki Danielle Moore (2003–2005), is the daughter of Paul's boss Nick, and one of Bridget's rivals, who later becomes her friend. She has a younger sister, Rachael (Nicole Mansour), who is a friend of Kerry.
Missy Kleinfeld, portrayed byDaniella Monet (2003–2004), is Rory's love interest in Season 2. She has a sister, Sissy (Elena Lyons), who likes C.J.
Jeremy, portrayed byJonathan Taylor Thomas (2004), is Bridget's tutor and eventual boyfriend. He is considered anerd at school, and because of this, Bridget at first denies her interest in him.
Anthony W., portrayed byCole Williams (2002–2003), is a student in Bridget's class. He is a white boy who speaks like a blackrapper, often resulting in confusion. In "Cool Parent", he is shown to playlacrosse.
Maggie Barnes (née Egan), portrayed byCybill Shepherd, is Cate's sister and C.J.'s mother. Maggie shares the same sensitive, moody nature as Kerry. However, it appears (from a conversation between Ed Gibb and Cate) that Cate was the smarter one, as well as being more popular.
Fred Doyle, portrayed byJohn Ratzenberger, is a persistent and overly friendly neighbor of the Hennessys, and husband of Mary Ellen (portrayed originally byShelley Long and then byCindy Williams). He is the father of Donald "Donny" Doyle, who has dated Bridget for some time. Fred is the head of theneighborhood watch, and his family is religious.
Mrs. Krupp, portrayed bySuzy Nakamura, is a math teacher at the school.
Damian, portrayed byPaul Wesley, is Bridget's ex-boyfriend who appears in two episodes.
Lacey/Lacy, portrayed by Kala Savage (2003–2004), is Bridget's friend who appears in three episodes.
Laura Egan, portrayed bySuzanne Pleshette, is Cate and Maggie's mother.
Tommy, portrayed byLarry Miller, a co-worker of Paul, and Kyle's dad.
The first three episodes of the series' second season had been completed when Ritter experienced discomfort during a rehearsal on the afternoon of September 11, 2003.[7] Crew members took him to a nearby hospital,Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he was misdiagnosed as having aheart attack and, as a result, his condition had worsened when physicians later diagnosed him with anaortic dissection. He died that night at the age of 54.[8][9][10] Two days after Ritter’s emotional funeral, Disney CEO,Michael Eisner weighed in with an email toABC Entertainment Chairman,Lloyd Braun, and President,Susan Lyne, outlining how they should resume the series; Eisner proposed that Cate, Ritter’s wife in the show, played byKatey Sagal, be pregnant (she’d had a pregnancy scare in an earlier episode). Then she could give birth for the Maysweeps week. Before the TV executives could respond, Eisner’s number-two (Disney’s President and COO),Bob Iger, weighed in with an email, cheerleading his boss’s proposal. Nevertheless, Braun and Lyne were both appalled; they were still undecided about resuming the series at all, but to suggest that Ritter’s character would be leaving a baby behind was going too far. It seemed unspeakably exploitative to capitalize on Ritter’s death by making his wife pregnant and having her give birth during the May sweeps. After highly emotional arguments between both factions, where Eisner accused Braun and Lyne of behaving aselitists, the pregnancy pitch eventually faded.[11]
Following Ritter's death, ABC announced that8 Simple Rules would continue after a hiatus and would incorporate the death of Ritter's character. The three new episodes that Ritter had completed were aired with an introduction by Sagal.
8 Simple Rules returned two months after Ritter's death with a one-hour episode, "Goodbye", which was turned into a tribute to Ritter's character. Subsequent episodes dealt with the family's reaction to his death and how they moved on from it. The first four post-Ritter episodes were shot without a live audience withJames Garner andSuzanne Pleshette guest-starring as Cate's strict but loving parents andDavid Spade guest-starring as Cate's wayward nephew, C.J. Barnes. Garner and Spade later received starring roles in order to fill the void left by Ritter for the remainder of the series' run.
Before Ritter's death,8 Simple Rules ranked 42nd in theNielsen ratings. After Ritter's death, it had slipped to 50th, but was renewed for a third season, in which ABC moved the series to Friday at 8:00 p.m. as part of itsTGIF comedy line-up. The series' creator and show-runner, Tracy Gamble, left the series for a time over creative differences prior to the third season, but he later returned as a consulting producer midway through the season. Gamble was replaced by Judd Pillot and John Peaslee, who had performed the same role in the final season of Spade's sitcomJust Shoot Me!.[12] The series plunged to 94th in the ratings. Even before the third-season finale's airing, rumors began circulating that8 Simple Rules was facing cancellation because of Ritter's death and poor ratings. The Friday night "death slot" ratings took their toll on8 Simple Rules. The third-season finale was not aired for Maysweeps. The finale received a 3.9/8 rating share, which gave ABC a third-place finish behindNBC'sDateline (5.8/11) andCBS'sJoan of Arcadia (4.9/10), which starred Ritter's son,Jason. ABC officially cancelled8 Simple Rules in May 2005.[13]
While the ratings for8 Simple Rules were well above those of the surroundingTGIF shows during the show's third season, ABC canceled it because of a perceived inability to sellreruns of the show intosyndication; a fourth season would have given the showone hundred episodes, traditionally considered the minimum number of episodes necessary for a show to successfully enter daily syndication.[14][15][16]
On July 11, 2005 (less than two months after ABC officially canceled the show),The WB network announced that it would air all 76 episodes of8 Simple Rules from 4–5 p.m. as part of its replacement ofKids' WB with theDaytime WB block, aimed at a broader audience. The show aired weekdays from January 2, 2006, to September 15, 2006, when it was replaced byReba upon the merger ofUPN and The WB intoThe CW.[17]
On Tuesday, June 12, 2007, the show joined theABC Family lineup, airing weekdays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. In September 2008, the show began airing from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., continuing at that time until October 10, 2008. On October 3, 2009,8 Simple Rules returned to ABC Family, having been absent for a year, airing on Saturdays from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.[18] Airings have been sporadic because of the channel's unpredictable movie schedule and holiday programming block. On February 8, 2010, the series was added back to ABC Family's weekday lineup, airing from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.Eastern Time, replacingThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After a few more months of absence,8 Simple Rules resumed on ABC Family at 7:00 p.m. ET on select weekend mornings, beginning on July 18, 2010. In mid-December 2012,8 Simple Rules was removed from ABC Family's weekday lineup, only to be added back in September 2013. The series was removed from the network's lineup once again in 2014.
In the United Kingdom, the show began airing on theDisney Channel in 2003, with the episodes edited for a children's audience.[19] It was picked up byABC1, which aired it until the channel's closure in 2007. The same year,Channel 5 began airing Season 1 of the series. From 2008, all three seasons of the show were aired on5*.[20] The series was aired uncut on subsequent channels following its cancellation by Disney Channel. Both Channel 5 and 5* aired the series in its original widescreen format. In 2017,Comedy Central obtained the rights to the show and started airing it on June 12, 2017.
In the Republic of Ireland, "8 Simple Rules" aired onRTÉ Two. Later, rights to the show were acquired byTG4, which aired the series weeknights at 5:35 p.m. The series was shown on both channels uncut, despite the early time of day, but the show was issued an age rating. On RTÉ Two, it was issued a "PS" rating and, on TG4, a "12" rating.
In Israel, the show aired on satellite provideryes, using its shortened title8 Simple Rules inHebrew ("8 כללים פשוטים").
In August 2008,Lionsgate Home Entertainment announced that it had acquired the rights to the series fromABC Studios. Lionsgate subsequently released Season 2 on DVD in Region 1 on May 19, 2009.[22]
On review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes, the first season reports a 57% approval rating, based on 21 reviews.[24] In a review forVariety, Michael Speier deemed the series unoriginal, but did praise the cast performances, especially John Ritter. Critical of the show's humor, he did go on to comment, "nothing even remotely deep here, butRules isn't as silly as some of its plotlines suggest. Going for the mass appeal, bow's reach goes a little too far, trying to appease every single potential audience member off the bat with standard-fare jokes about clothing, dating and busy spouses. It would really be something if execs went for the slowburn once in a while, letting some of these shows breathe before jamming punchlines down viewers' throats."[25]
The second season reports a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews.[26]
^Stewart, James (February 14, 2005).Disneywar: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom. New York City, New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 470–472.ISBN9780743263818.
^Snauffer, Douglas (2008).The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 17.ISBN978-0-7864-3295-0.
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