8 Simple Rules

Premise

1. Use your hands on my daughter and you'll lose them after.
2. You make her cry, I make you cry.
3. Safe sex is a myth. Anything you try will be hazardous to your health.
4. Bring her home late, there's no next date.
5. If you pull into my driveway and honk, you better be dropping off a package because you're sure not picking anything up
6. No complaining while you're waiting for her. If you're bored, change my oil.
7. If your pants hang off your hips, I'll gladly secure them with my staple gun.
8. Dates must be in crowded public places. You want romance? Read a book.

Episodes

Characters

Main

• Paul Hennessy, portrayed by John Ritter, is a former sportswriter who works from home as a lifestyle columnist. He is a protective father whose protectiveness often embarrasses his children and leads them to accuse him of hypocrisy. Paul dies in the second season because of an aortic dissection. He died in a grocery store while buying milk.
• Cate S. Hennessy, portrayed by Katey 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, 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 of Stinky because her father had promise 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 in Korea; to hide this, she claims that the "S" stands for Stacy.
• Bridget Erin "Beach" Hennessy, portrayed by Kaley Cuoco, is the beautiful, ditzy oldest child. She is depicted as a stereotypical 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 is J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. After her father dies, she begins to steadily mature. Bridget initially 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.
• Kerry "Care Bear" Hennessy, portrayed by Amy Davidson, is the disgruntled middle child. She is often seen as unattractive 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 about animal rights. She lost her virginity to Bruno 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 by Martin Spanjers, is Cate and Paul's son and their youngest child. He often takes pleasure in tattling 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, 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 main er of the family.
• Jim Egan, portrayed by James Garner, is Cate's father. Jim served in the Korean War and is proud of his service. 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 by David Spade, is Cate's nephew. He was once in the army and claims to have studied aerial photography during the Gulf War, and to have received a Purple 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 the Paul's expectations and avoided them because of that. He lives with his grandfather, Jim, in the basement. 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 smoked marijuana heavily, but he claims to not have touched it in two years.

  Recurring

• Kyle, portrayed by Billy 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 by Adam 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.
• Coach Scott, portrayed by Dan Cortese, is a high-school coach on whom Bridget had a crush. 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 by Nikki Danielle Moore, is Paul's boss Nick's daughter, and one of Bridget's rivals, who later becomes her friend. She has a younger sister, Rachael, who is a friend of Kerry.
• Missy Kleinfeld, portrayed by Daniella Monet, is Rory's love interest in Season 2. She has a sister, Sissy, who likes C.J.
• Jeremy, portrayed by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, is Bridget's tutor and eventual boyfriend. He is considered a nerd at school, and because of this, Bridget at first denies her interest in him.
• Anthony W., portrayed by Cole Williams, is a student in Bridget's class. He is a white boy who speaks like a black rapper, often resulting in confusion. In "Cool Parent", he is shown to play lacrosse.
• Maggie Barnes, portrayed by Cybill Shepherd, is Cate's sister and C.J.'s mother. Maggie shares the same sensitive, moody nature as Kerry. However, it appears that Cate was the smarter one, as well as being more popular.
• Fred Doyle, portrayed by John Ratzenberger, is a persistent and overly friendly neighbor of the Hennessys, and husband of Mary Ellen. He is the father of Donald "Donny" Doyle, who has dated Bridget for some time. Fred is the head of the neighborhood watch, and his family is religious.
• Mrs. Crupp, portrayed by Suzy Nakamura, is a math teacher at the school.
• Damian, portrayed by Paul Wesley, is Bridget's ex-boyfriend who appears in two episodes.
• Lacey/Lacy, portrayed by Kala Savage, is Bridget's friend who appears in three episodes.
• Laura, portrayed by Suzanne Pleshette, is Cate's mother.

  Production

Ritter's death

Third season and cancellation

Syndication

Home media

Accolades