User reviews

John Ritter from Three's Company and Katey Sagal of Married With Children were teamed as the Hennessys in 8 Simple Rules For Dating M Daughter. John Ritter's sudden death took the heart from this show sadly although they carried on with a bunch of new episodes with James Garner as Sagal's father tried to carry on.

Watching 8 Simple Rules I couldn't help thinking that the wolfish Jack Tripper from Three's Company was just the kind of man that Paul Hennessy from this show would have been warning his daughters about.

The daughters are the popular Kaley Cuocco and the scholarly Amy Davidson. He watches them like a hawk, there isn't a member of the male species that he doesn't view as predator material. Sagal just rises above it all.

Ritter could have really burlesqued the part, but he played it quite straight and the audience might laugh, but they felt his concern.

There was a younger son played by Martin Spanjers in the Hennessy household, but he was probably grateful the daughters got all the attention.

Tried as the producers could to keep it going, 8 Simple Rules had the heart knocked out of it when John Ritter died. Just one of those tragic things.

Treasure the surviving stories.

I could always depend on this show for a laugh and when I was younger I didn't really realise how impressive it's cast truly was. It's hard not to mention what happened with John Ritter, at the time you thought that would be the end of the show. The writers handled it well and was able to make a fresh approach to give the show an extension. It would be interesting to know where the show could have ended up, we have definitely missed out on more great comedy but would it have limited the eventual range of the show? Maybe not, i'd like to imagine we'd have seen Paul see his kids grow up and be proud of them.

What the writers did brilliantly was they didn't just gloss over the loss of a major character in the way that, That 70's Show (for example) tried to. They acknowledged it, and in a way that it is a tribute to not only the character but Ritter himself. That alone makes it stand out from the crowd, you also get to see Kaley Cuoco begin the launch of her career.

8 Simple Rules is a funny show but it also has some life lessons especially one mature lesson about moving on after a lose which was the episode where Paul died which was the first episode I have ever watched of the show that comes on ABC. The Hennessy clan -- mother Cate (Katey Sagal), daughters Bridget (Kaley Cuoco) and Kerry (Amy Davidson), and son Rory (Martin Spanjers) -- look to one another for guidance and support after the death of Paul (John Ritter), the family patriarch. Cate's parents (James Garner and Suzanne Pleshette) lend a hand. I am glad later in the 2nd season of this show they decided to put David Spade in this show since he was done with the NBC series, Just Shoot Me! But all and all this show is pretty good. This show reminds me a lot of the classic family sitcoms from the 80's and 90's that used to be on ABC.

The writers of "8 Simple Rules" should be commended for the manner in which they handled John Ritter's death. There was a lot of speculation about merely replacing the star with another actor. The people at the show chose instead to go out on a limb and let the show mirror reality. They showed the pain of a family goes through when losing a loved one. "8 Simple Rules" is showing the family adapting to the hole that has been torn in their lives that can never be filled. They are showing the truth. And showing that there still is humor in life. Most sit-coms now-a-days shy too much away from reality and give us a syrupy-sweet, trite twenty minutes of simulated laugh tracks and simulated humor. The writers go for the easy sells and go cash their sponsor checks. "8 Simple Rules" has gone beyond such shallow ends to bring us a show we can all appreciate. Thank you, ABC.

Eight Simple rules started as a very entertaining series. I love John Ritter and his character Paul Hennessey and the relationship he had with his children was the best part of the show.

I have always preferred Kerry to Bridget, Bridget has been done before, Kerry is quite unique and i can relate to her in many ways, although i'm not sure i like the direction her character went in later series.

Early episodes were fun, good simple teenage plots about Paul and Cate disciplining the kids, however i think the show lost it's sparkle when John Ritter died. I admired the cast and crew for wishing to continue the series but when he died, i felt the programme did to. To me the whole point of the show was based around the guide of the '8 simple rules of dating my teenage daughter' it was written by a real man with teenage daughters and the relevance and the angle of the show had changed without the Hennessey dad.

Bridget seemed to get more annoying, Rory stayed the same and Cate was always giving her offspring life's lessons which before seemed funnier when it was all left to Paul. I think the Granddad is funny (Especially when he's watching Great escape) but feel C.J is unnecessary to the show. He is funny in parts but I felt the story lines at the time of his arrival were very similar to other American comedy series. Over all the newer ones aren't bad just missing excitement and does anyone else find it irritating that Cate works at the school and C.J and Granddad's always there too? I would always recommend this show to friends as it was very strong at the beginning and well worth watching for Paul and Kerry, but later ones were about average at best.

This has to be one of the best comedies on the television at the moment. It takes the sugary-sweet idea of a show revolving around a close family and turns it into a quite realistic yet funny depiction of a typical family complete with sibling and parent spats, brat brothers, over-protective fathers and bimbo sisters. I'm almost surprised it's Disney!

To its credit, '8 Simple Rules' knows it's a comedy and doesn't try to be more. Too many shows (eg, 'Sister, Sister' and 'Lizzie McGuire') think just because its lead characters are now teenagers then they should tackle social issues and end up losing their humour by being too hard-hitting. This is a trap '8 Simple Rules' has avoided; it does tackle some issues (such as being the school outcast) but it has fun while doing so. In fact the only time it has really been serious was understandably when it sensitively handled the tragic death of John Ritter and his character.

And I think, although John Ritter will be sadly missed since he was the reason the show made its mark, '8 Simple Rules' can still do well if it remembers its humour and doesn't make Cate's father a second version of Paul Hennessy.

This show was great, it wasn't just for kids which I thought at first, it is for the whole family.

The first season was mostly about the father looking after is two daughters and son, he sadly passed away in season 2, I Could believe it when I heard it.

I am clad they carried on with the show as that what would really happen in really life and I need to mention The Goodbye Episode it was so well made, it must of be so hard for them to film this , you could tell they were real tears in theirs eyes. I am 24 year old male and this episode did make me cry me as I know how they felt as my father died when I was 13 years too just like Roy.

Season 2 and Season 3 had great comedy in there also season 3 had some of my Favorites such Freaky Friday, Secrets.

I Still think the show was Strong enough to go on, I was disappointed that it ended, it was one the best no it was the best Family comedy show ever since Home Improvement and it could have been the next Friends.

it should never have ended but still love watching the repeats everyday.

8 Simple Rules for the first season had a lot of promise of being a really good show that they could've easily milked out about 5-7 seasons from the show. But unfortunately the demise of John Ritter put the show in a situation where it would be impossible to succeed.

I'll give them credit they made a valiant effort trying to keep the show going. For them it was good luck they had the talented Katey Sagal in the wife role who could be bumped up to the #1 parent role. If they had just an average actress in that role they wouldn't even have been able to get through season 3.

As much as they tried to keep the show going the show just wasn't the same without Ritter it just changed the dynamic of the show too much. It was supposed to be about a dad losing his mind trying to keep his daughters under control. But once Ritter passed away they replaced him with James Garner as the grandpa and David Spade as the nephew to Katey's character.

ABC has done more for this show by allowing television veterans James Garner and David Spade to join the cast of this show. At first, the show was watchable and even predictable with John Ritter and Katey Sagal. John's loss shocked the world. Katey and the three kids are really a solid professional cast. The hour lesson after John's death in real-life struck home to me. I lost my father at 17 years old and could sympathize and understand their pain and agony. ABC should be proud to maintain this show and even preserve this as John's final wish. This show has matured and developed because of such impossible circumstances. They should be rewarded with Emmys.

I just rewatched thos show and I totally had forgotten how great it was I absolutely loved it. This kidn of humor isn't around anymore and writers are scared to be funny nowadays but this show was super funny.

The first 30 episodes are great. John Ritter plays a surprisingly realistic terrible father, the kids are great, Katey Sagal makes a great mother. It's funny. It's raw. 9 Stars.

Then they lose John Ritter and the show never recovers. The central figure being gone the whole premise is lost. It's a solid zero after that. They should have just stopped production.

Network: ABC; Genre: Family Sitcom; Content Rating: TV-G; Classification: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4);

Season Reviewed: Season 2+

Unfortunately, '8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter' (based on the book by W. Bruce Cameron) will most likely be remembered as the last series that comedian John Ritter worked on before his tragic, sudden death in 2003. It couldn't have happened to a more pleasant and unlikely series. Before that startling jolt of reality intruded on its world '8 Simple Rules' was as passive and insignificant as family sitcoms get. A show that kept its head down, churned up warm and fuzzy feelings and got a few laughs in the process. From a purely creative standpoint Ritter's death slashed right at the heart of this show. It was him that was the star, he was much of the reason I was drawn to the show, and it was his impeccable comic delivery that was able to elicit a laugh-out-loud response.

In the wake of the tragedy, the show attempted what at the time might have been unthinkable. Not only continued without Ritter but wrote his death dramatically into the series. And they pulled it off - something without a successful precedence in a TV series. Katey Sagal ('Married…With Children', 'Futurama') was pushed into the lead role and after years of trying to shed her Peg Bundy supporting-role image she has stepped up to the task with steadfast assurance. The show follows the Hennessey family lead by Cate (Sagal), her son Rory (Martin Spanjers, little seen and limited to cliché one liners in season 1), and two daughters - the tall, tall, blonde, vein, popular Bridget (star in the making Kaley Cuoco) and (as trite as it may sound) spunky, red-headed, equally pretty Kerry (a great Amy Davidson) who the show couldn't even go for one season pretending she wasn't attractive and engaging enough to get dates. James Garner was brought in as Cate's father for a little insurance but wisely not as a replacement. I have a problem with the addition of David Spade to the cast, but I've never liked Spade anyway. His bratty nephew role here is just Spade doing his same old tired shtick.

I've criticized ABC in the past for recklessly mismanaging its shows for years - sending great shows on the chopping block far too soon - but in this case they and the "Rules" show-runners did exactly the right thing. Faced with impossible decisions no show should have to make they didn't turn tail and run as so many people wanted them to, but stuck it out and proved that even something so often looked at as disposable as a sitcom can still deal head-on with true life-altering issues in a genuine and intelligent way. More than that, it became a graceful love-note to its late star.

Family sitcoms are a dime a dozen, but '8 Simple Rules' is better than we're used to from the genre. It's got moments that are so lame and broadly played they are clearly only for the kids, but most of the time it is cute and kind of funny without being embarrassingly stupid, and genuine without being maudlin sap. It is familiar but in a warm and cozy way. It doesn't try to be artificially edgy or plugged with wacky dysfunctional family humor. It is charming, smoother, richer and more resonant as a character comedy without relying on condescending clichés ("the dotting wife and idiot husband" for one aren't present). Plus, it's ambitiously titled in a current TV climate where people think audiences get confused if a show title is longer than 3 words. This type of show isn't generally my cup of tea, but if you're in the market, '8 Simple Rules' is one of the better ones.

* * * / 4

There are few TV shows I've ever really loved, but this is the one I think that lead the pack for years.

I had two teenaged daughters so I could completely relate to so much of the show's humor. I felt that all the roles were played to perfection, parents and all the children.

It wasn't just some hokey lame junk like so many were. Yes, it had it's fluff sometimes, but it also handled some issues parents and kids really face, even if it wasn't drowning in the heavy issues every week.

The characters were so well fleshed out, that you really did get to know them in depth. That is something that many shows never really get a chance to do well. They focus on the non stop laugh track and often fail to find the depth.

Even now, nearly 20 years later, I'm binge watching the first season and a half again, since my son, now 17, loves it and wants to see it.

When John Ritter passed away, it was a great loss to the industry as well as to us fans, some of us who have known him for decades. He was from a previous generation for me but I still remember seeing some episodes as a kid of Three's Company. (And of course when the 8 Simple Rules show did the parody, I laughed because they captured so much of it so well).

Few shows can survive the loss of a major character like that though. He brought his own magic to this show that just wouldn't work with any other actor, so they did the smart, daring thing, and played his loss out in the show as well rather than write over it somehow or put someone else in his place. I don't think I have ever seen, before or after, any show that did such a heart felt tribute to a cast member's passing, but this show handled it just beautifully. And you could clearly see that they weren't just acting the loss, they all felt it, deeply. Which was one reason this show did so well, they really DID come across as a family, and it was easy to relate to the love / frustration that is part of ALL family life.

But after John passed away, the show never was the same. I felt that James Garner really did bring a good element to the show, and he also did a great job with the role, especially with the grieving daughter. But David Spade, as usual, really seemed to be the death knell for the show . He never fit in, and what used to be a wonderful series became a cringeworthy, bad sitcom that we already had too many of. I didn't even bother finishing the series out on live TV, and it wasn't until a few years later that I tried again. And realized after finishing it up that I could've skipped it and not missed much.

The first season is phenomenal, absolute 10 stars all the way, and they opened the second season with some of the most gut busting laughs I've EVER had for a TV show with their season opener. This show was on such an upward path, and then they lost John. And nothing, no show that starred John Ritter, could ever survive his loss...

"8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter" is a heartwarming and humorous family sitcom that aired from 2002 to 2005. Created by Tracy Gamble and based on the book of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron, the show revolves around the Hennessy family as they navigate the ups and downs of family life, adolescence, and the challenges of parenting.

At the center of the series are Paul (played by John Ritter) and Cate Hennessy (played by Katey Sagal), loving parents to three teenagers: Bridget (played by Kaley Cuoco), Kerry (played by Amy Davidson), and Rory (played by Martin Spanjers). Ritter's portrayal of Paul, a caring and somewhat overprotective father, strikes the perfect balance between warmth and humor, while Sagal shines as Cate, the strong-willed and compassionate matriarch of the family.

The show's premise revolves around Paul and Cate's efforts to raise their three children with love, discipline, and a healthy dose of humor. Each episode tackles relatable issues faced by families everywhere, from teenage rebellion and sibling rivalry to dating woes and the challenges of balancing work and family life. What sets "8 Simple Rules" apart is its ability to address these universal themes with honesty and humor, making it a beloved favorite among viewers of all ages.

One of the show's greatest strengths is its ensemble cast, whose chemistry and comedic timing elevate the material to new heights. Cuoco, Davidson, and Spanjers deliver standout performances as the Hennessy siblings, each bringing their own unique quirks and personalities to the table. The dynamic between the three teenagers is both endearing and authentic, capturing the complexities of sibling relationships with wit and charm.

Tragically, the series faced a major setback with the unexpected passing of John Ritter in 2003. The show's writers and producers handled Ritter's death with grace and sensitivity, incorporating his passing into the storyline in a way that honored his memory while allowing the characters and viewers to mourn his loss. Despite this heartbreaking turn of events, the show continued for an additional season, with James Garner and David Spade joining the cast as Cate's father and nephew, respectively.

In conclusion, "8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter" is a timeless sitcom that continues to resonate with audiences for its heartfelt portrayal of family life, its relatable characters, and its blend of humor and heart. With its winning combination of laughs and life lessons, this series remains a beloved favorite among fans of all ages, serving as a reminder of the enduring power of love, laughter, and family bonds.

Let me say first that this show was top tier when John Ritter was there. Upon his death, the show did drop off a bit, but the producers didn't give up on the show, adding James Garner and David Spade to the regular cast from 2003 to 2005.

The show centers around the Hennessy family, Paul (John Ritter, may he rest in peace), his wife Cate (Katey Sagal), their daughters Bridget (Kaley Cuoco), Kerry (Amy Davidson), and their son, Rory (Martin Spanjers). When Ritter was on the show, I would shriek in laughter (and proud to admit it, I am), but now that he's gone, I'll only laugh a little with the occasional hearty laugh. I'm very glad that I fell for this show's trance after Ritter's untimely death, because it made the eps with Ritter so much better.

Ritter's character is just so well acted and well rounded, that you can't help but love him. He is always bossing the girls around about dating, but he really wants them to be happy. It's the ultimate daddy hates boyfriend entertainment.

Katey Sagal is great as well, and she too is a likable character. After Ritter's death, her character provides such good influence and strength for not only her kids, but I believe Sagal has shaped the lives of Cuoco, Davidson, and Spanjers, because she and Ritter had been friends for a long time.

The funniest person on the show would have to be Bridget Hennessy, played by Kaley Cuoco. She is the ultimate blonde: gorgeous, slow, dim-witted, yet she is a smart person. She is off the wall hilarious with her innocent 'blonde' humor and how conceited she is.

Amy Davidson can get a tad annoying as Kerry, but that's the purpose of her character. The only fault of the show is that the show never really gives Kerry anything to be happy about. She's always after Bridget, and her character feels like it's just thrown in there.

Martin Spanjers as the lone Hennessy son is hysterical, and when Ritter is on the show, he's mostly comic material. Upon the death of Ritter, the show does provide some story lines for Rory.

David Spade and James Garner are all nothing but laughs, with the occasional side story for C.J., Spade's character. Garner plays Cate's father, as a bit of background information.

All in all, I give this show a great review because it is a great show that had a tragic event happen that crippled it. You'll enjoy it.

9/10 --spy

8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter had an auspicious start. The supremely-talented Tom Shadyac was involved in the project. This meant that the comedy would be nothing less of spectacular, and that's exactly what happened: the show remains one of the freshest, funniest, wittiest shows made in a very long time. Every line, facial expression, casting choice, scene, all wreaked of perfection. There was not one episode after which I thought, "Man that wasn't as good as the rest". Each one was a standout. Again, this is the kind of perfectionism that we've come to expect from Tom. For those who don't know, Tom Shadyac is the director of Ace Ventura (first movie), The Nutty Professor (first one) and Liar Liar. Quite a résumé. He's a producer here not a director, but his magic touch is felt in every episode.The family consists of:

The Father: Paul Hennessy (John Ritter): nice, slightly neurotic, can be a pushover from time to time, works as a sports writer. John unfortunately passed away in 2003 leaving a fond memory and near-sure cancellation contemplations by the suits.

The Mother: Cate (Katey Sagal): come on, who didn't fall in love with Katey when she played Peg on Married With Children? Al Bundy was our hero. We viewers gave him the respect and love he never had. But without Peg's nonchalant, parasitic, lazy lifestyle, Al would've probably been just another Chicago dad instead of the mess that Peg (life, actually) caused him to be. Katey was a MILF back then and still is: a brune now (instead of a redhead) and just as buxom as ever. Cate is the conservative mom and loving wife. I know it sounds boring, but comedically, she fits perfectly.

The Ditzy Blonde Daughter: Bridget (played to perfection by Kaley Cuoco): almost never has an idiot been played so well. Aside of Gob on Arrested Development, Bridget may well be a shoe-in for any awards given to this archetype. Bridget is shallow, self-centered, not very bright and a tad slutty in his look. She plays the dumb blonde role better than absolutely anyone IMO. Perfection. One of the high-points of the show.

The Overlooked Geeky Daughter: Kerry (Amy Davidson): a brune and a geek, she gets no love from life or circumstances. Feels overlooked, under-appreciated and neglected most of the time. She's Bridget's younger sister (in reality she's older than her) and the two's extremely opposite personalities and brains cause endless clashes, to much of our amusement.

The Son: Rory (Martin Spanjers): was the second funniest character IMO before the passing of Ritter, then John passes, new characters come and Rory is not the wise-cracking verbal-trouble-maker that he used to: that went mostly to David Spade's character.

Those characters were the main ones at the time of John Ritter. Unfortunately enough, the insanely hilarious Larry Miller (one of my favorites) did not get lots of screen time. He played Paul's co-worker/competitor. After an aortic dissection cost Ritter his life in 2003 (September 11th), the show was on hiatus for a while. No one thought it could come back, but it did later on, with a couple of new additions. This began the second phase of the show, and the new characters were:

The strict, confident school principal: Ed (Adam Arkin): I saw Adam here and there on talk shows. This was the first time that I saw him do anything. Impressed, is the word I use. His performance was very impressive. Sad he wasn't brought in earlier. He also plays Cate's potential love interest after Paul passes. The gradual progress towards this point (which would've sounded crazy at the beginning) earns the creators lots of praise. It was done slowly, carefully and excellently, with constant respect paid to the Paul (Ritter).

The Attitude Grandpa: Jim Egan (James Garner): a surprisingly welcome addition to the series, he was cannon fodder for endless 'old' jokes, mainly by...

The 35-year-old unemployed wise-cracking half-brother of the mom: CJ (played to insanely funny heights by David Spade): I knew Spade was funny, I just didn't know he was THIS funny. Somehow, Spade's very familiar presence is sensed inside his character (as opposed to a separable character), which is understandable, since he's a comic and he's on a comedy show. This eerie feeling is kinda like seeing someone borrow lots of material from David Spade's appearances in movies, talk shows and functions (award shows, etc.) and delivering a superb impersonation of Spade's voice and comedy style, except, that it IS Spade. By that I mean you realize he's not trying to play someone else, or a whole new character: he's being the goofy, funny Spade we've come to know, and he takes this pleasantly humorous formula to the absolute top. Every line he uttered, every sarcasm he begot, all classics, literally. Spade was CRAZY-funny; so, SO funny.

The show's humor and drama were both upped after the show was back, but audiences thought, "John passed, it ain't gonna be the same anymore". This is understandable, considering we are talking about a group of people (American viewers) who gave 'Yes Dear' a free ride but caused Andy Richter Controls the Universe to be cancelled in no time. As the show's quality increased, its ratings declined. Soon it was no more, sadly.

And I saved the best for last: fans of Married With Children are in for a treat. And boy, what a treat it was. I still shiver just remembering it. It's a surprise so good that it would be crazy for me to spoil it, even if I legitimately do it under the "spoiler..." pretext. Suffice it to say that it's something you'll NEVER forget. I know I won't :-)

There are so many family sitcoms that are popular but just weren't that good or funny. I've read a lot about how people loved this show but I just don't get it. The jokes always fall flat and the whole premise of the show is incredibly dumb. To base a whole show around a father whose not ready for his daughters to be dating seems so silly to me but somehow it seemed to win people over. And aren't there enough sitcoms out there about cookie cutter families? I mean that is just not interesting to me. I did, however, love John Ritter (may he RIP) and I was disappointed that he would do this show when I felt he was capable of doing more challenging, sophisticated roles. This is another example of why I feel people have bad taste in tv.

I live in the UK and have watched this sitcom in bits and bobs when it has been on The Disney Channel. And I really enjoy it, its a bit like an old-school family sitcom but updated and not afraid to cross a few boundaries.

When it first started it had it's full title 8 Simple Rules for dating my teenage daughter. It all focused around the dad's insecurity about trying to raise his two teenager daughters who were growing daily and how he couldn't connect with them in the way he did with his son. In these first episodes John Ritter's character dominated the show (and rightly so) but was pumped up so much that Katey Segal, who is one of my favourite actresses, was pushed to the sidelines until they decided to focus on the relationship between husband and wife as well as father and daughters.

After the untimely death of John Ritter I thought this series may have been cancelled but they carried on and I'm glad they did. Now Katey Segal's been given more to do and they've introduced two new characters one played by James Garner and the other by one of my favourite comedy actors David Spade (who I'm glad's back on TV now Just Shoot Me's finished). These two new male characters fill the gap in the parental hole for the dad. Where James Garner's grandad character is the strict oldie who wants to discpline the kids, Spade's character is the chilled out cousin who wants to be down with the kids and tell them how to be cool but also is looking out for them. These two characters demonstrate both sides of the dad but at the same time are conflicting views on how the mother should raise her children.

A great sitcom and long may it continue

"8 SIMPLE RULES... FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER," is my opinion, is an absolute ABC classic! I'm not sure I haven't seen every episode, but I still enjoyed it. It's hard to say which episode was my favorite. However, I think it was always funny when a mishap occurred. I always laughed at that. Despite the fact that James Garner and David Spade were good, I liked the show more when John Ritter was the leading man. If you ask me, his sudden passing was very tragic. Everyone always gave a good performance, the production design was spectacular, the costumes were well-designed, and the writing was always very strong. In conclusion, I hope some network brings it back on the air for fans of the show to see.

I really enjoyed watching this series it's such a shame there wasn't a 4th series