8 Simple Rules: A Re-Run Guide

8 Simple Rules (originally titled 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter) aired on ABC for three seasons. It's a unique show- especially if you're a John Ritter fan. The show was forced to take a different direction with the death of John Ritter during the second season (which is why the title was changed.) If you're watching 8 Simple Rules here's everything you need to know, regardless of which episodes you watch.

The original premise for 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter was focused around John Ritter's character cutting back on his job and spending more time with his daughters. His wife went back to work and it gave Ritter more time to spend with the children. He learns quickly that he doesn't know as much as he should about his children and has to brush up on his fathering techniques. After his death the show took a different turn focusing on his death and how to overcome such a tragedy.

The main characters on 8 Simple Rules is the Hennessy family. The father, Paul Hennessy (John Ritter) was a sports writer until his wife, Cate (Katey Sagal) goes back to work as an RN. As he spends more time with his daughters Bridget (Kaley Cuoco) and Kerry (Amy Davidson) he realizes that they need more guidance (especially in the area of dating). As he spends more time with his girls he eventually has 8 rules for dating. His only son, Rory (Martin Spanjers) loves tattling on his older sisters and is normally found playing video games. When John Ritter died, two characters were brought in. Cate's father Jim Egan (James Garner) moves in with the family after Paul's death because he just went through a divorce. C.J. (David Spade) is a nephew of Cate and Paul and also moves in with the family.

The first and second seasons of 8 Simple Rules is available on Amazon, however the third season is not. If you're a fan and don't have the third season, be sure to pick it up before it's too late!