First Aired: September 17th, 2002
Status: Ended
Network: ABC
Summary: 8 Simple Rules is an American sitcom television series originally starring John Ritter and Katey Sagal as middle-class parents Paul and Cate Hennessy, raising their three children. Kaley Cuoco, Amy Davidson and Martin Spanjers co-starred as their teenage kids: Bridget, Kerry and Rory Hennessy. The series ran on ABC 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 book 8 Simple Rules by W. Bruce Cameron. While 8 Simple Rules was renewed for a second season and production had begun, Ritter's sudden death in September 2003 left the series in an uncertain position. After a hiatus, the series returned with killing off his character. James Garner and David Spade later joined the main cast as Cate's father Jim Egan and her nephew C.J. Barnes.
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# of Episodes: 76
# of Episodes I watched: 0
# of Episodes I haven't watched: 76
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Episode Summaries
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Season 1
Episode 2: Wall of Shame
Air Date: September 24th, 2002
Summary: Paul is left home alone with the kids while Cate is at a seminar on the day of the big Michigan/Ohio State football game. But much to Paul's dismay, the game soon takes a backseat when Bridget is accused of shoplifting and Kerry gets upset over her latest cause.
Episode 3: Bridget's First Job
Air Date: October 1st, 2002
Summary: After seeing how much money Bridget spends on keeping up with the latest fashions, Paul tells her to go out and get a job to learn how to be fiscally responsible. But when she lands a job at a trendy mall clothing store that offers its workers a 40% discount, Paul and Cate begin to worry that she may not be learning the true value of a dollar.
Episode 4: Wings
Air Date: October 8th, 2002
Summary: Bridget takes drastic measures when an overprotective Paul keeps coming up with excuses to delay her from taking her driver's test. Meanwhile, after convincing a less-than-confident Kerry that she has the talent to enter an art competition, Paul is shocked and Kerry is devastated when her submission is rejected.
Episode 6: Cheerleader
Air Date: October 22nd, 2002
Summary: Bridget is ecstatic when the cheerleading squad has an opening for a new member. But after telling Kerry that she is not cut out to be a cheerleader, Bridget is completely dumbfounded when her sister tries out and is chosen for the team. Meanwhile, Paul tries in vain to wean Rory off video games and introduce him to the world of books.
Episode 7: Trick or Treehouse
Air Date: October 29th, 2002
Summary: Paul seems to be the only one looking forward to a family Halloween, as Bridget, Kerry and Rory make plans to spend the spooky evening away from home and with their friends. But Paul's wish to relive the past by having the family get together for one last Halloween campout in the old treehouse may turn out to be the biggest nightmare of the evening.
Episode 8: By the Book
Air Date: November 5th, 2002
Summary: In an effort to win back the love and respect that his daughters used to show him when they were young, Paul turns to a parenting book for some quick advice. But when Bridget and Kerry discover Paul's teaching tool, they try to use it to their advantage to get their father to let them go to a rock festival.
Episode 10: Give It Up
Air Date: November 19th, 2002
Summary: When no one can agree on where the family vacation should take place, Paul challenges the Hennessey clan to give up their bad habits for a week and the winner gets to choose the vacation spot. But the family's vices soon get the better of them, and secret collaborations and clandestine alliances threaten to foil the contest.
Episode 11: Paul Meets His Match
Air Date: November 26th, 2002
Summary: Paul becomes quick friends with his new editor Nick when he discovers they both are married fathers of teenage girls. But Paul soon learns that they both have the reputation of being an overprotective psycho dad. Meanwhile, Paul wants to make Thanksgiving a family affair, and forbids Bridget and Kerry from inviting their boyfriends.
Episode 12: All I Want for Christmas
Air Date: December 10th, 2002
Summary: Paul tries to find perfect gifts for the family to make up for last year's Christmas fiasco. Kerry finds a stray dog during the holidays. Cate is overjoyed when she is asked to sing a solo at the church's midnight service, but fears that seeing her family there will make her nervous.
Episode 13: Rory's Got a Girlfriend
Air Date: December 17th, 2002
Summary: When a proud Paul lets thirteen-year-old Rory go out on his first date, Bridget and Kerry accuse him of unfairly changing the rules because they were never allowed to date at that age. Kerry is shocked when Bridget receives a higher score then she did on a state aptitude test.
Episode 14: Career Choices
Air Date: January 7th, 2003
Summary: Paul and Cate are shocked when they are called into the principal's office and informed that Bridget wants to skip her college prep classes in order to become an esthetician. Meanwhile, Paul is so impressed with Kerry's sketches of The Incredible Boring Woman that he gets the principal to print them in the school newspaper.
Episode 16: Come and Knock on Our Door
Air Date: January 28th, 2003
Summary: After discovering that boyfriend Kyle kissed Kerry at a party, Bridget gives her sister the silent treatment which is anything but quiet for Paul. But real life merges with fantasy when Paul has a dream that lands him in familiar territory, showing Kyle as a swinging bachelor living with Paul's two beautiful daughters in an apartment straight out of the 70s.
Episode 19: Cool Parent
Air Date: February 18th, 2003
Summary: After a party at Tommy's house is broken up by the police, Paul chastises his friend and unwittingly volunteers to host the next one. But when the party gets out of control too, the kids think of him as a cool parent, while the neighborhood parents think he's just as unreliable as Tommy.
Episode 20: Every Picture Tells A Story
Air Date: February 25th, 2003
Summary: When Paul is asked by race car driver Carter Tibbits (Jason Priestley, ""Beverly Hills 90210"") to write a book about him, Paul brings the family to Tibbits' mansion to meet the driving legend and his sarcastically dry-witted butler, Cody (Robert Guillaume, ""Benson,"" ""Sports Night"") -- who used to be Carter's crew chief. But a misunderstanding leads Rory to steal a photo from Carter's room, and it's Paul who's under suspicion when a security camera catches him trying to return the item.
Episode 21: Kerry's Video
Air Date: March 11st, 2003
Summary: Kerry devotes her school video project to sister Bridget to illustrate the hypocrisy that life is much easier for the beautiful people. But when Bridget discovers that the video makes her look shallow, she takes Paul's advice to enrich her life by taking up tennis again.
Episode 22: Good Moms Gone Wild
Air Date: March 25th, 2003
Summary: While vacationing in Florida at Cate's parent's home, Paul and Cate catch Bridget and Kerry on the news partying with a group of Spring Breakers. But the news runs archival footage that features a young Cate letting loose in a bar. Meanwhile, a jealous Paul meets Cate's college boyfriend Byron and Rory befriends an elderly gentleman whose stories about World War II turn out to be more fiction than fact.
Episode 23: Career Woman
Air Date: March 28th, 2003
Summary: Paul's job as parental guardian becomes more of a full-time position when Cate is up for a promotion and has to spend more time at the hospital. After Paul introduces Rory to baseball card collecting, Rory trades the cards for something not exactly associated with the sport.
Episode 24: Queen Bees and King Bees
Air Date: April 8th, 2003
Summary: Bridget and Paul are surprised to find themselves in similar situations when they are both alienated in their social circles. But they devise a plan to settle the score, leading Paul to crash a poker game with Tommy to get closer to boss Nick, and Bridget trying to break up ex-boyfriend Kyle and her nemesis Jenna.
Episode 26: The Doyle Wedding
Air Date: May 6th, 2003
Summary: After reluctantly inviting socially inept neighbors Fred and Mary Ellen Doyle and their kids over for dinner, Paul and Cate are shocked when the entire Hennessy clan is asked to take part in the Doyles' daughter's wedding. Meanwhile Kerry neglects to inform Bridget that geeky Donny Doyle has grown up to be a hunk, and Rory takes a part in a play as a cross-dresser in order to meet girls.
Episode 27: Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman (1)
Air Date: May 13rd, 2003
Summary: Having learned that her sister Maggie is having marital problems, Cate is nevertheless not too thrilled when Paul invites Maggie to stay at the house. Meanwhile, Paul and Cate are impressed with how mature Bridget has become after they agreed to let her go out with neighbor Donny Doyle, who is home from the Naval Academy. Bridget and Kerry wonder if Kyle has ulterior motives when he befriends Rory.
Episode 28: Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman (2)
Air Date: May 20th, 2003
Summary: The rivalry between Cate and Maggie comes to a boiling point when Maggie gets a sexy, new makeover and gives Bridget a water bra as a gift. Tensions between the Hennessy sisters mount when Kerry and Kyle begin dating, while Bridget's popularity takes a nosedive after she dissed her friends for Donny. Paul becomes concerned when he finds an empty pregnancy test kit.
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