8 Simple Rules (originally 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter for the first season) 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. While 8 Simple Rules was renewed for a second season and production had begun, Ritter's sudden death in September 2003 left the series in an uncertain position. After a hiatus, the series returned and continued without Ritter, choosing to kill off his character. James Garner and David Spade later joined the main cast as, respectively, Cate's father Jim Egan and her nephew C.J. Barnes The series ran on ABC from September 17, 2002 to April 15, 2005.

The rules are:

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 (Alternative rule #5: Only delivery men honk. Dates ring the doorbell. Once.)

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.

The third season (after Ritter's death) took a creative turn, revolving more around cousin C.J. (David Spade) and grandfather Jim (James Garner), than the immediate Hennessy family, more specifically not revolving around the raising of the Hennessy children. After the novelty of newly added ensemble characters wore off, the series returned to its original format.