8 Simple Rules

Who knew the dumbed-down domestic sitcom could be fun again? ... OK. It's not "Seinfeld." But "Eight Simple Rules" does just what it's supposed to - amuse, entertain, disperse a few laughs and warm fuzzies. [17 Sep 2002]

Successfully cross-breeding "Three's Company" and "Full House" may be achievement enough to earn the show's creators a Nobel Prize in genetics, but the audience for a family sex farce may be limited. ... Misgivings about the sexual content aside, "8 Simple Rules" is, indeed, one of the better sitcom prospects of the 2002-03 season. The writing is uneven, but Ritter is a rarity, an actor who doesn't need funny things to say because he can say things funny. [17 Sep 2002]

Not flashy, not spectacular, "8 Simple Rules" is a cute show that will appeal to its intended audience.

It's surprisingly sweet and cleverly hilarious. ... The show may not exactly blaze new trails, but it treads some old ones with finesse and veracity -- and even, thanks largely to Ritter, an endearingly rumpled charm. [17 Sep 2002]

No one is likely to mistake ABC's "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" for the next great comedy, but it is nicely written, decently paced, solidly performed and ably directed. [16 Sep 2002]

Ritter has a well-honed sense of comedic timing, and some of the lines are clever, for a change. This one could grow on you. [15 Sep 2002]

A lot of this material may be hackneyed, but Ritter puts it over with energy and a slathering of shtick. It's simple, really: Like him, like the show.

I find Ritter's performance -- as a father besieged by a pop culture he no longer understands -- to be, within the confines of the series' dumb-dad punchlines, rousingly substantial.

It has a few naughty jokes, lots of good-looking youngsters, and is watchable family-entertainment. [17 Sep 2002]

Ritter ... still has the same deceptively innocent face, the same way with a line, the same gift for a great double take or a bit of physical business. And he's still surrounded by pretty women who invariably get the better of him. Unfortunately, he's also still working with scripts that aren't up to the comic effort he pours into them.

Ritter remains in top comic form ... But his show ... is a mediocre effort that falls short of such ABC milestones as Roseanne and Home Improvement.

Unoriginal but brisk and occasionally poignant, its biggest selling point is Ritter himself, who can still turn minor problems into charm points via stammers and double takes.

Not the best comedy you've ever seen, but the best chance for a new hit. [17 Sep 2002]

This is one of those broadly played comedies that needs reining in and writing sharper than having Ritter play super dad in what, essentially, is a single-parent comedy.

Fortunately, Ritter is such a seasoned pro at this sitcom thing that he makes "8 Simple Rules" vaguely watchable, and at times actually funny, when in lesser hands it would be thoroughly unpleasant. [17 Sep 2002]

There are bits of "8 Simple Rules..." that are genuinely funny and hint at better things to come. But the full 22 minutes doesn't stick together well and ends up feeling like a comedy that's been overdone.

Ritter and Segal are better than their material, but this is the sort of show (like "Home Improvement" or "Full House") that ABC used to do so well. [13 Sep 2002]

The two episodes of 8 Simple Rules that were available for review contained tantalizing hints of a better show that might have been (or might yet be).

Moments of sweetness, but too few laughs - and way too many sexual references. [8 Sep 2002]

Fairly likable in a bland sort of way - a very, very bland sort of way. [17 Sep 2002]

The most banal family-sitcom setup possible. [17 Sep 2002]

Ritter and Sagal are old pros, but they can't salvage material this weak. [17 Sep 2002]

Nothing in this show has not been seen before. And nothing particularly deserves to be seen again. [17 Sep 2002]

Watching dad fend off guys while the girls strut around in thongs is going to get old fast. [17 Sep 2002]

Ritter, in his Three's Company days, played a career womanizer and there are a few laughs watching him on the other side of the door. A few laughs as in three, but not company enough. [14 Sep 2002]