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  • ABC
  • Sep 17, 2002
  • ABC
  • Sep 17, 2002
8 Simple Rules

Summary It's a time for healing and learning to deal with life without family patriarch Paul (the late John Ritter), as the Hennessys discover the frailties of life and the strength of the family unit, on 8 Simple Rules. Cate (Katey Sagal) now finds herself in the precarious position of raising three teenagers on her own while holding down a ful...

Created By: Tracy Gamble

  • ABC
  • Sep 17, 2002
  • ABC
  • Sep 17, 2002
8 Simple Rules
Season 1
Season Premiere: Sep 17, 2002
Metascore Mixed or Average Based on 27 Critic Reviews
53
User Score Generally Favorable Based on 7 User Ratings
7.0
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary It's a time for healing and learning to deal with life without family patriarch Paul (the late John Ritter), as the Hennessys discover the frailties of life and the strength of the family unit, on 8 Simple Rules. Cate (Katey Sagal) now finds herself in the precarious position of raising three teenagers on her own while holding down a ful...

Created By: Tracy Gamble

Where to Watch

Season Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Sep 17, 2002 • 20 m
Pilot
Episode 2 • Sep 24, 2002 • 20 m
Wall of Shame
Cate attends a seminar, while Paul stays home to watching the big Michigan/Ohio State football game. Bridget is accused of shoplifting at a local drugstore, while Kerry is upset over the treatment of animals during circus shows.
Episode 3 • Oct 1, 2002 • 20 m
Bridget's First Job
Episode 4 • Oct 8, 2002 • 20 m
Wings
Paul's worried about Bridget wanting to take a driver's test & Kerry,at his urging,enters an art competition with an unusual entry.
Episode 5 • Oct 15, 2002 • 20 m
Son-in-Law
Episode 6 • Oct 22, 2002 • 20 m
Cheerleader
Bridget learns that there's a tryout for the cheer leading squad and thinks she has it in the bag. But Kerry goes with her and Bridget tells her she doesn't have what it takes but Kerry tries out and is the one they pick.
Episode 7 • Oct 29, 2002 • 20 m
Trick-or-Treehouse
Episode 8 • Nov 5, 2002 • 20 m
By the Book
Episode 9 • Nov 12, 2002 • 20 m
Two Boys for Every Girl
Episode 10 • Nov 19, 2002 • 20 m
Give It Up
Episode 11 • Nov 26, 2002 • 20 m
Paul Meets His Match
Episode 12 • Dec 10, 2002 • 20 m
All I Want for Christmas
Episode 13 • Dec 17, 2002 • 20 m
Rory's Got a Girlfriend
Episode 14 • Jan 7, 2003 • 19 m
Career Choices
Episode 15 • Jan 21, 2003 • 20 m
Kerry's Big Adventure
Episode 16 • Jan 28, 2003 • 20 m
Come and Knock on Our Door
Episode 17 • Feb 4, 2003 • 20 m
Drummer Boy: Part 1
Episode 18 • Feb 11, 2003 • 20 m
Drummer Boy: Part 2
Episode 19 • Feb 18, 2003 • 20 m
Cool Parent
Episode 20 • Feb 25, 2003 • 20 m
Every Picture Tells a Story
Episode 21 • Mar 11, 2003 • 20 m
Kerry's Video
Episode 22 • Mar 25, 2003 • 20 m
Good Moms Gone Wild
Kerry and Bridget are caught partying on the evening news while the family is vacationing at Cate's parents home in Florida. The news also runs an archived video that features a young Cate, who is very drunk at a bar.
Episode 23 • Mar 28, 2003 • 20 m
Career Woman
Rory wants a monkey, so Paul gives him baseball cards instead. But Rory won't give up so easily... Cate is about to get a promotion, which means more work and less time for Bridget, of which she is not happy, so Paul tries to help Bridget.
Episode 24 • Apr 8, 2003 • 20 m
Queen Bees and King Bees
Paul is now left out from the sports writers' poker nights, so he enlists Bridget to help get him back in. On "take your children to work" day Paul takes the girls and Cate takes Rory.
Episode 25 • Apr 29, 2003 • 19 m
Bake Sale
Episode 26 • May 6, 2003 • 20 m
The Doyle Wedding
Everyone in the neighborhood uses every possible excuse to distance themselves from the religious weirdos, The Doyles. However, despite their best efforts, the Hennessys end up in central roles in the wedding of one of the Doyle girls.
Episode 27 • May 13, 2003 • 20 m
Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman: Part 1
Donny takes Bridget out on a date, then invites her to a formal. Kyle just keeps spending time at the Hennessys' and then... with Kerry. Cate's sister, bitter after her husband left her, comes for a visit.
Episode 28 • May 20, 2003 • 20 m
Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman: Part 2
Maggie has decided to change her attitude (and dress style). Then she gives Kerry some provocative clothing. Bridget misses Donnie. Paul finds a used pregnancy test.

Top Cast

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View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 27 Critic Reviews
53
41% Positive
11 Reviews
41% Mixed
11 Reviews
19% Negative
5 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Mixed or Average Based on 27 Critic Reviews
53
41% Positive
11 Reviews
41% Mixed
11 Reviews
19% Negative
5 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
75
Jul 3, 2014
Ritter is still quite adept at broad, keep-it-simple comedy, and this one plays to his strengths. [17 Sep 2002]
By Ed Bark FULL REVIEW
70
Jul 3, 2014
Successfully cross-breeding "Three's Company" and "Full House" may be achievement enough to earn the show's creators a Nobel Prize in genetics, but the audience for a family sex farce may be limited. ... Misgivings about the sexual content aside, "8 Simple Rules" is, indeed, one of the better sitcom prospects of the 2002-03 season. The writing is uneven, but Ritter is a rarity, an actor who doesn't need funny things to say because he can say things funny. [17 Sep 2002]
By Noel Holston FULL REVIEW
63
Jul 3, 2014
Ritter ... still has the same deceptively innocent face, the same way with a line, the same gift for a great double take or a bit of physical business. And he's still surrounded by pretty women who invariably get the better of him. Unfortunately, he's also still working with scripts that aren't up to the comic effort he pours into them.
By Robert Bianco FULL REVIEW
60
Jul 3, 2014
This is one of those broadly played comedies that needs reining in and writing sharper than having Ritter play super dad in what, essentially, is a single-parent comedy.
By Howard Rosenberg FULL REVIEW
50
Jul 3, 2014
Ritter and Segal are better than their material, but this is the sort of show (like "Home Improvement" or "Full House") that ABC used to do so well. [13 Sep 2002]
By Scott D. Pierce FULL REVIEW
37
Jul 3, 2014
Ritter and Sagal are old pros, but they can't salvage material this weak. [17 Sep 2002]
By Phil Rosenthal FULL REVIEW
20
Jul 3, 2014
It is just offensive to hear a middle-aged man ask his daughter about her bodily functions. [13 Sep 2002]
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 7 User Ratings
7.0
71% Positive
5 Ratings
14% Mixed
1 Rating
14% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Generally Favorable Based on 7 User Ratings
7.0
71% Positive
5 Ratings
14% Mixed
1 Rating
14% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

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