Legendary sitcom stars John Ritter and Katey Sagal team up in 8 Simple Rules, ABC's hit family comedy that is laugh-out-loud funny. "If you make my daughters cry, I'll make you cry." That's the rallying cry of Paul Hennessy. A little rusty in the parenting department, Paul is forced to meet fatherhood head-on when his wife Cate returns to work. Two teenage daughters and a wisecracking son make Paul's new situation daunting but never dull.
Bridget doesn't tell the truth about where she's going and Kerry is suspended from school.
Paul's goal to watch a football game runs into interference from the kids.
Bridget gets a job at a clothing store to learn the value of a dollar, but she's more interested in the value of the employee discount.
Paul keeps trying to prevent Bridget from taking a driver's test; Kerry enters an art competition.
Paul fully approves of Bridget's new boyfriend, whose father is a baseball legend.
Bridget jumps at the chance to try out for an opening on the school's cheerleading squad.
The rest of the family tries to get out of spending one last family Halloween in their treehouse, while Paul tries everything to make them stay.
When they find out that Paul is reading a book on parenting, the girls try to get a chapter ahead of him.
After learning about Kyle's new job, Bridget dates another boy; Kerry wants to be allowed to have a first date.
Paul starts a contest to see who in the family can last the longest without a favorite thing. The winner chooses their vacation site.
Paul meets his new editor, who has twice as many daughters and double Paul's concerns.
As the Hennessys prepare for Christmas, Paul wants to have the brightest house lights and Kerry finds a stray dog.
The girls are not pleased when Paul bends the rules that applied to them and allows Rory to go on a date.
Bridget says that, instead of going to college, she wants to attend beauty school; Paul shows Kerry's artwork to the principal.
Paul agrees to let Bridget attend a party only if she brings Kerry, who's unhappy after breaking up with her boyfriend.
Paul has a dream in which his daughters are living "Three's Company"-style with Kyle.
Bridget's upset because Paul won't let her date a drum instructor; Kerry's angry at Jason over a compliment.
Bridget and Kerry drive to see Ben at his dorm; Rory reads "To Kill a Mockingbird."
After Paul becomes a "cool parent" to his daughters' friends, Cate warns him that it may not last long.
Paul's all revved up at the prospect of writing the biography of a race-car driver.
When Bridget tapes over a video Kerry was using for a school project, Paul insists that Bridget cooperate on Kerry's replacement project. Kerry's theme: how the "beautiful" Bridget uses her looks to get her way. This annoys Bridget because she thinks it makes her look shallow (it does). So she takes up tennis---to give her "depth."
The Hennessys vacation at Cate's parents' Florida condo, where Rory befriends a senior citizen and Cate's old boyfriend turns up.
Cate has to work more hours at the hospital; Paul tries to interest Rory in baseball trading cards.
Bridget and Paul have problems with rivalry; Bridget with Paul's boss's daughter, Paul with his boss.
Bridget plays mother to a sack of flour for a health-class project; Kerry gets involved in baking to raise money for charity.
The annoyingly cheerful Doyles dine at the Hennessys and ask them to be part of a wedding.
Cate's moody sister pays a visit. Meanwhile, Bridget dates Donny Doyle; and Kerry pursues Kyle.
Maggie returns with a new look and a cheery disposition; and Paul finds a home pregnancy test.
The family reacts to Cate's possible pregnancy.
Bridget is upset when the sex-education teacher for her class is Cate; Kerry's a changed person since she's been dating Kyle.
The Hennessys have problems with the Doyles when Bridget breaks up with Donny.
Knowing that Kerry is dragging her feet over breaking up with Kyle, Bridget takes it upon herself to do it for her sister -- which only makes matters worse for Kerry. Meanwhile, Cate is offered the position of school nurse by Principal Ed Gibb, and Rory's first day of high school proves embarrassing when he has to hit the showers after gym class.
The kids question Cate's motives when they return from their summer getaways and discover that she has bought a new bed and changed her hairstyle. Meanwhile, after traveling through Europe over the summer, Kerry met and had a fling with a boy - which leaves Bridget jealous and Kerry wondering what to do about boyfriend Kyle; new high school Student Body President Bridget is convinced even further that life is a popularity contest after taking a trip to Washington, DC over the summer; and after a depressed Jim fails to win back the affections of his wife in Florida, Rory attempts to help him quit smoking -- which is complicated by Jim's discovery that C.J. was responsible for their irreconciliation.
Complete episode guide for 8 Simple Rules with detailed information about every season and episode including air dates, summaries, ratings, and streaming availability in United States.
This episode guide is organized by seasons, making it easy to track your viewing progress or find specific episodes. Use the episode information to plan your binge-watching sessions or catch up on missed episodes.
Following Paul's death, Cate's separated parents come to visit and offer emotional support to the family.
Cate's separated parents offer emotional support to the family after Paul's death.
Returning to school following their father's death, Bridget acts happy and Kerry feels guilty about expressing any joy.
Cate's bothered by everyone's sympathy; Kerry and Bridget agree not to argue; Jim and the family go to a memorial dinner.
Cate wants to celebrate Thanksgiving with her kids and folks, but the girls want to be with their boyfriends.
Bridget surprises everyone when she gets the lead in the school play; Rory brings home a puppet.
Bridget gets a job at the gym and Cate suggests that the family would benefit from exercise.
The Hennessys are not pleased that Cate's nephew is back from the Army; among other things, he owes Jim money.
Inspired by C.J., Rory steals a high school's mascot, a drug-sniffing dog; Bridget won't wear a motorcycle helmet while riding on her boyfriend's bike.
On Valentine's Day, Bridget's boyfriend takes ill and Kerry awaits Kyle's gift.
Bridget tries to attract Jeremy; after his van burns, C.J. must share a bedroom with Jim.
Bridget's ex-boyfriend returns; Kerry defies a ruling about dancing; Jim's attracted to a PTA member.
The family therapist advises Cate to sing; C.J. tries to bond with Jim; Bridget dyes Kerry's hair blonde.
While Rory tries to make money selling stuff on the Internet, C.J. takes a job as a mall cop and Kerry works in a fast-food store, where she becomes her grandfather's boss.
After the Hennessys decide not to vacation as usual at a cabin, the girls devise a plan and get a surprise concerning Cate.
Cate tries to locate her daughters, who are driving but are unsure to where.
After she learns that Bridget attended one of CJ's college parties, Cate grounds her daughter and asks her nephew to move out.
Cate becomes suspicious about her daughters' actions; Rory begins a car-detailing service; Jim takes apart a car engine.
Adam Arkin joins the series as the girls' new high-school principal, who once dated Cate; Jim needs a massage and C.J. volunteers.
Jim dates a bar owner and Cate sees more of the principal.
Jim contemplates a reconciliation and Cate making a "first date" with Ed.
After Cate accepts the position of school nurse from Principal Gibb, Bridget and Kerry are convinced that she only took the job to spy on them -- while Rory is ecstatic that his mom might be able to protect him from a school bully. Meanwhile, after Bridget inadvertently spills the beans about Kerry losing her virginity in Europe, a shocked Cate accidentally switches on the school's P.A. system and lets the whole student body in on their ensuing conversation.
Kerry is livid when Bridget unintentionally makes a mockery out of her art project at the mall. But she quickly forgets about Bridget when fellow artist and young hottie Tyler asks her out on a date. However Tyler's intentions may not be completely genuine. Meanwhile, while C.J. finds himself striking out at speed dating, Jim discovers that he's a hit with the ladies-which further humiliates his socially inept grandson.
Bridget and Kerry are ecstatic when Cate hands them the keys to the minivan, except for one provision -- they are responsible for driving Rory wherever he needs to go. But when the girls fail to deliver on their promise to chauffeur their little brother, he takes matters into his own hands and attempts to drive himself -- and wrecks the car in the process.
Kerry doubts Bridget's ability to put together the school's Halloween party as part of her Student Body President duties. Meanwhile C.J. is hired as the party's security guard and sets his sights on catching Rory pulling off a prank, and Jim finds himself under attack by the neighborhood kids when he refuses to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters.
Bridget is psyched to join the high school tennis team when she develops a crush on Coach Scott. But her infatuation soon turns to disgust when she learns that Scott has a crush on Cate. Meanwhile, Kerry and Rory begin to question the authenticity of Jim's war stories while rummaging through his war chest.
Everyone in the Hennessy family fears the ringing of the phone when they all find themselves keeping secrets from one-another. Rory refuses to divulge the identity of the student responsible for bullying and beating him up at school, which leads Principal Gibb on a mission to find the culprit and tell Cate; Bridget and Kerry use fake IDs to get into a club, where Bridget meets a cute guy and gives him her phone number -- before discovering that he's a cop; Cate doesn't want the family to know that Bridget's tennis coach, Scott, is in hot pursuit to get her to go out on a date with him; and C.J. is distracted and forgets to pick up Rory's pain medication, which leads the pharmacist to call the house to find out if Rory's OK.
While the family prepares Thanksgiving dinner for Cate to give her some much needed time off, she's left with nothing to do until she brings home an unexpected guest while on an errand -- Principal Ed Gibb. Meanwhile, while C.J. deep-fries the turkey, Bridget and Kerry spar over pie recipes; Jim disassembles the TV in a shocking attempt to repair it; and Cate finds herself with an insurance adjuster the day after the holiday to find out who was responsible for burning down the garage.
After Bridget is turned down for a role in a sports car commercial, Jim discovers that the head of the modeling agency who rejected her is his old flame, Jackie. When he tries to persuade her to reconsider his granddaughter, Jim soon finds himself reminiscing about old times -- and possibly rekindling their romance. Meanwhile, Kerry and Rory discover a secret about C.J.'s past modeling experiences.
Bridget is ecstatic when she learns that tennis scouts from Princeton are coming to her school to watch her play for a possible scholarship. But when Bridget's school forbids her to play because of a poor grade, Cate has to decide whether to use her clout as school nurse to help her daughter out. Meanwhile, Jim promises a nervous C.J. that he'll give up his room if he can spend one night alone in the attic.
To keep C.J. from spending Christmas alone in Las Vegas, the Hennessy household bends over backwards to recreate one of Cate's first holiday memories to entice him to stay. Meanwhile, Rory decides to break up with his wealthy girlfriend when he fears that he won't be able to buy her a Christmas gift worthy of her upper class status.
Cate is shocked to discover that Principal Gibb has hired C.J. to be a substitute teacher at the high school. But when C.J. catches Rory cheating on a test, he is torn about reporting it when Cate tries to persuade him to look the other way. Meanwhile, when Bridget breaks her leg because of Kerry's blunder, she makes her little sister's life a living nightmare.
While Cate finds herself becoming jealous of Principal Ed Gibb's new girlfriend, Cheryl, C.J. is asked by Ed to help tutor Cheryl for her G.E.D.s -- and finds himself unwittingly being hit on by her. Meanwhile, Rory feels awkward after Cate accidentally interrupts him during a private moment.
After sending an email to former college flame Matt to see how he's been doing over the years, Cate becomes fed up with the unreasonable demands of her family and locks herself in her room for some alone time. But she's shocked when Matt shows up at her window and whisks her off to re-live some adventurous, old times - then she begins to question if his rebel lifestyle is just a front.
When Cate and C.J. discover that Kerry has been e-mailing Bruno -- the boy she had a fling with in Europe -- they secretly try to snoop in her computer to find out what the two have been up to. But unbeknownst to them, Bruno is in the house and hidden in the attic by Kerry, while Bridget tries her best to talk her little sister out of doing something she may regret. Meanwhile, Jim discovers Rory's clandestine poker game and decides to deal himself in to teach Rory and his friends a lesson about gambling.
Cate's alleged antics at Kerry's volleyball game threaten to make her team forfeit the match. Meanwhile, C.J. has a crush on Kerry's volleyball coach, and Bridget becomes upset when one of her friends begins dating her ex-boyfriend.
After watching the film "Freaky Friday," Cate awakens to find that she has switched bodies with Bridget, C.J. has changed places with Jim, and Rory has swapped places with his hamster. The only one not affected is Kerry - who begins to find the entire mishap amusing.
Valentine's Day finds C.J. in a predicament when he commits to two different Valentine's Day dates - Principal Gibb's ex-girlfriend, Cheryl, and Bridget and Kerry's uptight math teacher, Mrs. Krupp. Meanwhile, Bridget's excitement over being elected to the court of the Valentine's Day dance -- with a chance to be crowned Queen of Hearts -- quickly turns to shock when she discovers that Cheryl is also in the running.
C.J. is shocked and delighted when his biological father - a motivational speaker and "little person" - reveals himself for the first time to his wayward son. But Jim doesn't trust the man and thinks he may have ulterior motives for the visit.
After turning down Bridget's request to throw a "harmless" after-prom party in a hotel room, Cate decides to throw a school-sanctioned party at the house - which totally embarrasses her kids. Meanwhile, Kerry tries to make a political statement by inviting a girl to the prom, and Rory is overjoyed when a hot senior asks him to the dance.
Officially a full-time teacher, C.J. is overjoyed to finally get access to the teachers lounge. But he soon finds himself being bullied out of the room by the school's overzealous Home Ec instructor, Mr. Edwards. Meanwhile Rory wants to impress a girl, so Bridget and Kerry take it upon themselves to give him a full-fledged makeover.
After Principal Gibb and Cate fall asleep at the house while watching a movie, the family catches them and falsely assumes that the two are having a relationship. Meanwhile, Bridget, Kerry, Rory and C.J. are forced to go ice-fishing with Jim in order to spend quality time with their grandfather - but unbeknownst to them, Jim would much rather be left alone and is forced to keep up a happy fagade.
After C.J. discovers that Cate may be starting a clandestine relationship with Principal Gibb, he blabs it to Bridget. An angry Cate gets even by having Gibb put C.J. in charge of the detention of students on Ditch Day, and C.J. gets even by detaining Bridget. Meanwhile, because she is stuck in detention and can't complete the ditch day prank herself, Bridget convinces Kerry and Rory to steal the rival school's mascot.