8 Simple Rules

- Season 1

(2002)

In the Pilot episode, Cate decides to return back to work while Paul tends with the family. Paul discovers that his oldest daughter, Bridget, is dating his co-worker's Tommy's son Kyle. Paul sees that Kyle might hurt his daughter's heart, and gives Kyle a little talk about the way he feels. Kerry, Paul's second daughter, is suspended from school for ditching school.

Cate attends a seminar, while Paul stays home to watching the big Michigan/Ohio State football game. Bridget is accused of shoplifting at a local drugstore, while Kerry is upset over the treatment of animals during circus shows.

Paul gets angry at Bridget for spending too much money on fashion, and tells her to find a job to learn more about money responsibility. Bridget gets a job at a local clothing store. Bridget receives a 40% discount off merchandise for being an employee of the store. She abuses the discount and overspends and receives no money on her first paycheck.

Paul's worried about Bridget wanting to take a driver's test & Kerry,at his urging,enters an art competition with an unusual entry.

Paul is upset when he walks in on Bridget and Kyle alone on the couch, unaware that they are in the process of breaking up. He then walks upstairs and finds Kerry alone with her study partner Guy. Kerry is annoyed when Paul remarks that he doesn't have to worry about Kerry alone in a bedroom like he does Bridget. Later that night, Rory informs Paul that Bridget is out past curfew on a date with some basketball player. After realizing that Bridget's date is none other than Travis Smith, AKA "The Rainman" - one of the best high-school basketball point guards in the ...

Bridget learns that there's a tryout for the cheer leading squad and thinks she has it in the bag. But Kerry goes with her and Bridget tells her she doesn't have what it takes but Kerry tries out and is the one they pick.

Paul is looking forward to a traditional family Halloween, but the kids have each made plans of their own. A saddened and dejected Paul announces that he's retiring his man-with-ax-in-head costume and is done with holiday. For his final Halloween request, he asks the family to have one last campout in the treehouse. The event turns into a disaster. The kids fight and Cate doesn't enjoy the experience either. Paul finally gives in and lets everyone leave. While he and Cate look at all of the memories that fill the treehouse, Kyle appears, attempting to sneak out with ...

Paul and Cate come home to find Rory rolled up in a carpet in the living room. Bridget and Kerry are punished for what they did to their brother. Later on, the doorbell rings and Paul answers it to meet Anthony, a white kid acting and dressing ghetto. Anthony asks for Bridget and Kerry in a ghetto lingo unfamiliar to Paul who slams the door on him. Cate discovers Paul is reading a parenting book - Paul says he's tired of always being the bad guy and reveals some of what he has learned from reading the first five chapters. Later on, Rory comes to Paul claiming to have ...

It's Friday night and everyone is home. Paul has just kicked Kyle out of the house leaving Bridget home for the night. Kerry is unusually happy because a boy she is interested in, Jason, asked her out but Paul won't let her date yet because she is not old enough. To take advantage of the whole family being together, Paul decides they should all go out to a movie. Back at home later that night, Bridget announces she is going out with Parker, a boy she met in the food court who works at a cool clothing store. Paul is happy to see Kyle out of the picture. Cate talks Paul...

Paul announces to the family that he wants to go to the cabin on the lake for their annual family vacation. No one else is happy about the location or spending two weeks together. Paul challenges everyone in the family to give up a bad habit for a week and the winner gets to choose the vacation spot. Paul can't use the TV remote control, Cate gives up drinking coffee, Bridget can't talk on the phone, Kerry has to curb her sarcasm, and Rory must stop telling tales on his sisters. They all try to trick each other into doing their bad habits, but it's not working. ...

Paul wants to have a quiet Thanksgiving with just the family. Kerry comes downstairs with boyfriend Jason and irritates her father. Paul reinforces the rule about no boys upstairs when Bridget comes in from the basement with Kyle. At Paul's workplace, Paul and Tommy discuss the rudeness of new editor Nick Sharp. Nick shows up and meets Paul. The two hit it off because they are both dads of teenage daughters. Bridget and Kerry tell Paul that he is overprotective of them and he needs to stop being a "psycho dad" like Nick. Paul decides to get to know the girls' ...

Paul decides that he is going to make this Christmas the best one ever. As he and Cate decorate the Christmas tree the kids tell him what they want for Christmas. Rory wants a motorcycle, Bridget wants to be with Kyle on Christmas Eve, and Kerry wants to keep a lost puppy that she just found wandering in the street. Paul wants to win the brightest lights competition in the neighborhood, but it seems like the neighbors are winning.

Kerry and Bridget are sitting in the living room reading. Paul, Rory and his friend Sabrina and enter the house after playing basketball. Sabrina thanks Paul for the ride home. After she leaves, Paul reprimands Rory for teasing Sabrina. The girls find this amusing and begin to tease Rory about his new girlfriend. Cate comes in with the mail which contains Bridget and Kerry's state aptitude test results. Kerry opens hers first and proudly announces that she got an eighty-eight. Then Bridget opens her envelope and screams out that she received a ninety-two, beating her ...

Bridget needs one of her parents' signatures for a permission slip that will allow her to drop her college prep courses. She gets Kerry to distract Paul so he won't read the permission slip, and he signs it quickly. Later the school calls Cate notifying her that Bridget has dropped all of her college prep classes. Paul finds Kerry's sketchbook and thinks she is really talented. He decides that he will take her drawings to show the principal what a great artist Kerry is. Paul, Cate and Bridget have a meeting with the principal, Mrs. Connelly. Bridget announces that she...

Cate comforts Kerry because she has just broken up with her boyfriend, Jason. Paul comes down to talk to Kerry after Cate is done and ends up making her feel worse. While Bridget tells Paul about the party she is going to that night, Kerry enters with her friend, Christina. Christina is just as cynical and moody as Kerry, and Kerry has renewed their friendship because she is depressed over her breakup with Jason. Paul doesn't like it that they are friends again. He talks to Cate about it, and she tells him not to get involved. Paul also wants to find out what is in ...

Paul is trying to get Kerry and Bridget to talk to each other after they both date Kyle. Kyle tries to get Bridget back and has his brother's apartment for the weekend. Paul, frustrated by the whole thing, dozes off and dream Kyle is Jack Tripper, his daughters Kerry and Bridget are Janet and Chrissy respectively, He and Cate are the Ropers with Rory is Larry Dallas from Vivre à trois (1976).

Bridget comes home, past curfew, after a night out at a music concert and finds her parents asleep on the couch. Rory sneaks downstairs and wakes up his parents to reveal that his sister is late again. An upset Paul questions Bridget who acts as if she has done nothing wrong. Paul and Cate decide to handle this situation differently and together. Cate proposes that Bridget pick up a hobby, like playing music. Paul suggests taking her down to the music store so they can pick out an instrument for her to play. Later that day in the garage, Bridget plays the drums wildly...

Paul and Cate force Rory to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" for a book report instead of watching the movie. Bridget pretends to pine over Ben going off to college, while Kerry covers for her. In reality, Bridget is in a great mood and has been calling and messaging Ben at college in Ohio and thinks she's in love with him. Paul had discouraged any further relations with Ben because he was too old for Bridget. Kerry covers for her sister because Bridget keeps throwing a guilt trip on her for kissing Kyle.

Paul drives Rory to school, who begs his dad not to leave the car - ever - after dropping him off. Paul decides to investigate Rory's behavior and confronts the boys in the school that have been calling Rory names. During this conversation, the boys realize that Paul is wearing slippers and they laugh and call him Slipper-Dad. Paul's actions and slippers mortify Rory. That night, Bridget and Kerry tell Paul that they heard about his slippers at Rory's school through the grapevine. The girls insist that they have been scarred for life - again - because of this.

Bridget is taking psychology at school and is annoying Kerry by psycho-analyzing her actions and words. An excited Rory and Paul come home from Rory's basketball game, talking about meeting famous racecar driver Carter Tibbits. Rory spoils his father's good news by announcing to Cate that Carter wants Paul to write his biography. Paul also tells Cate that Carter has invited their whole family to dinner at his mansion. Paul is thrilled with the idea of writing a book on Carter, but his hero worship and subsequent attempts to impress the driver lead to some very awkward...

Bridget has taped over Kerry's video project for school. Kerry is enraged because Bridget taped herself dancing in her new leather pants over Kerry's footage of a meteor shower, which comes only once every 60 years. Paul jokingly suggests she do her project on Bridget, and Kerry decides she make a film about how beautiful people have a much easier life.

Kerry and Bridget are caught partying on the evening news while the family is vacationing at Cate's parents home in Florida. The news also runs an archived video that features a young Cate, who is very drunk at a bar.

Rory wants a monkey, so Paul gives him baseball cards instead. But Rory won't give up so easily... Cate is about to get a promotion, which means more work and less time for Bridget, of which she is not happy, so Paul tries to help Bridget.

Paul is now left out from the sports writers' poker nights, so he enlists Bridget to help get him back in. On "take your children to work" day Paul takes the girls and Cate takes Rory.

Cate brings Kerry home after giving her a tour of the hospital. Kerry tells Paul about the starving twins she saw and how disappointed she is in the state of the world. Cate suggests that Kerry become involved with the Great American Bake Sale, an event Cate's hospital is participating in where people volunteer to bake goods to give to the hungry and homeless. Kyle and Bridget come home carrying a sack of flour bundled in a baby blanket. They have been paired up in heath class with an assignment to take care of the sack like it is a real baby. Kerry and Rory spend an ...

Everyone in the neighborhood uses every possible excuse to distance themselves from the religious weirdos, The Doyles. However, despite their best efforts, the Hennessys end up in central roles in the wedding of one of the Doyle girls.

Donny takes Bridget out on a date, then invites her to a formal. Kyle just keeps spending time at the Hennessys' and then... with Kerry. Cate's sister, bitter after her husband left her, comes for a visit.

Maggie has decided to change her attitude (and dress style). Then she gives Kerry some provocative clothing. Bridget misses Donnie. Paul finds a used pregnancy test.