8 Simple Rules

Season 32002

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.

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28 Episodes

E01 Pilot

As Cate decides to go back to work as a nurse, Paul undertakes the responsibility of watching the kids.

September 17, 2002

E02 Wall of Shame

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.

September 24, 2002

E03 Bridget's First Job

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.

October 1, 2002

E04 Wings

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.

October 8, 2002

E05 Son-In-Law

A sports-struck Paul lets Bridget do whatever she wants when she starts dating Travis, star basketball player and son of baseball legend Steve Smith. Meanwhile Kerry resents the fact that Paul still thinks of her as a little girl.

October 15, 2002

E06 Cheerleader

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.

October 22, 2002

E07 Trick or Treehouse

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.

October 29, 2002

E08 By the Book

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.

November 5, 2002

E09 Two Boys for Every Girl

After Paul convinces Bridget to tell Kyle the truth about her date with another boy, Kyle breaks up with her. Meanwhile, Kerry's first date turns out to be a dream, but she is devastated when the boy doesn't call her back.

November 12, 2002

E10 Give It Up

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.

November 19, 2002

E11 Paul Meets His Match

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.

November 26, 2002

E12 All I Want for Christmas

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.

December 10, 2002

E13 Rory's Got a Girlfriend

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.

December 17, 2002

E14 Career Choices

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.

January 7, 2003

E15 Kerry's Big Adventure

After Kerry and her boyfriend break up, Paul tries to cheer her up by getting Bridget to take her little sister with her to a party. Meanwhile, Paul and Cate try to discover what is hidden in Rory's secret box.

January 21, 2003

E16 Come and Knock on Our Door

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.

January 28, 2003

E17 Drummer Boy (1)

Bridget defies the rules of the house after Paul forbids her from going out on a date with Ben, her college-age drum instructor. Meanwhile, Kerry is mad at Cate when her ex-boyfriend confesses that he thinks her mother is pretty.

February 4, 2003

E18 Drummer Boy (2)

Bridget takes the car and follows her older boyfriend, drum instructor Ben, to his college dorm.

February 11, 2003

E19 Cool Parent

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.

February 18, 2003

E20 Every Picture Tells A Story

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.

February 25, 2003

E21 Kerry's Video

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.

March 11, 2003

E22 Good Moms Gone Wild

While vacationing in Florida at Cate's parents' 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.

March 25, 2003

E23 Career Woman

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.

March 28, 2003

E24 Queen Bees and King Bees

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.

April 8, 2003

E25 Bake Sale

For a health class assignment, Bridget and Kyle have to take care of a sack of flour as if it were a baby. Kerry and Rory bake cookies for the Great American Bake Sale to help put an end to childhood hunger in America.

April 29, 2003

E26 The Doyle Wedding

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.

May 6, 2003

E27 Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman (1)

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.

May 13, 2003

E28 Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman (2)

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.

May 20, 2003

8 Simple Rules

E01 Pilot

E02 Wall of Shame

E03 Bridget's First Job

E04 Wings

E05 Son-In-Law

E06 Cheerleader

E07 Trick or Treehouse

E08 By the Book

E09 Two Boys for Every Girl

E10 Give It Up

E11 Paul Meets His Match

E12 All I Want for Christmas

E13 Rory's Got a Girlfriend

E14 Career Choices

E15 Kerry's Big Adventure

E16 Come and Knock on Our Door

E17 Drummer Boy (1)

E18 Drummer Boy (2)

E19 Cool Parent

E20 Every Picture Tells A Story

E21 Kerry's Video

E22 Good Moms Gone Wild

E23 Career Woman

E24 Queen Bees and King Bees

E25 Bake Sale

E26 The Doyle Wedding

E27 Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman (1)

E28 Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman (2)

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E01 Pilot

E02 Wall of Shame

E03 Bridget's First Job

E04 Wings

E05 Son-In-Law

E06 Cheerleader

E07 Trick or Treehouse

E08 By the Book

E09 Two Boys for Every Girl

E10 Give It Up

E11 Paul Meets His Match

E12 All I Want for Christmas

E13 Rory's Got a Girlfriend

E14 Career Choices

E15 Kerry's Big Adventure

E16 Come and Knock on Our Door

E17 Drummer Boy (1)

E18 Drummer Boy (2)

E19 Cool Parent

E20 Every Picture Tells A Story

E21 Kerry's Video

E22 Good Moms Gone Wild

E23 Career Woman

E24 Queen Bees and King Bees

E25 Bake Sale

E26 The Doyle Wedding

E27 Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman (1)

E28 Sort of an Officer and a Gentleman (2)