My Top 10 this week is Top 10 8 Simple Rules Characters!
One of Jonathan Taylor Thomas' few post-Home Improvement acting roles came on 8 Simple Rules in a three episode arc as a tutor and then love interest for Bridget. The opposites attract story was pretty strong and the Thomas arc was one of the better post-Paul 8 Simple Rules things. There was a natural chemistry between Thomas and Kaley Cuoco that I wish could have developed more.
9. KYLE
Kyle was a character who dated both daughters and also was friends with Rory. I always felt the show forced things a little bit when Kyle got together with Kerry though I guess it was sort of means to an end because that story was ore about the dynamics between the sisters. He was at his funniest though in the early days when he was Bridget's dim boyfriend sparring often with Paul.
David Spade is definitely a small dose comedian for me. I think he can be quite funny at times but he grates on me very quickly. So adding CJ as a regular character, while I understand the circumstances were terrible, was not my favorite move the series made. He still makes the list at #8 though because David Spade is always capable of a couple funny lines and moments.
7. FRED DOYLE
The great John Ratzenberger has made a career playing similar characters to his iconic Cliff Clavin on Cheers. This was one of his funnier post-Cheers efforts on a recurring role playing a neighbor who is just way too much most of the time. It seems like the part was written for Ratzenberger, perhaps it was. Either way, he brought his usual rock solid comic timing.
6. JIM EGAN
Grandpa Jim had a really tall order because James Garner joined the cast in the aftermath of John Ritter's death. He could never replace Ritter, but he did provide a calming presence who could function in some of the same ways as Ritter. He wasn't a great character when he got messed up in plots with CJ, but he was sweet with the kids and his early episodes were the best.
Now we're into the main family. Rory is not a bad character but he's the least interesting of the nuclear family. I think that's because he was rarely more than a wisecracking kids during the show's best episodes (the John Ritter ones). He was always good for a couple funny lines but not much more. As he started to have more to do, the show was less interesting. Not his fault but it's just how it happened.
4. KERRY HENNESSEY
It gets real close with these top four characters. Kerry was given a lot of emotional depth as the moodier of the two sisters and the polar opposite of the popular Bridget. But I just don't know if Amy Davidson was always up to the task. She had good episodes but there were other times that she seemed to just be playing a type. Maybe that was the fault of the writing but I would say Kerry had higher highs and lower lows than some of the other main characters.
Katey Sagal's character started as a bit of a straight woman to a cast full of wacky family members. She was in a pretty thankless role in the first season but making the most of it. However, Sagal stepped up big time after John Ritter's death. She became a moral center for the show and did particularly good work in the famous "Goodbye" episode. Her character perhaps had the biggest emotional arc on the show, a big change from the beginning to the end.
2. PAUL HENNESSEY
Paul deserves to be at least this high because the show was never the same after star John Ritter's untimely death as he was rehearsing for the fourth episode of Season Two. During his one season plus a few episodes, he had a tremendous energy and showed a knack for the comedic timing that he made famous on Three's Company. Ritter had a manic energy that he brought to eh show that could never be matched by James Garner, David Spade or anyone else.
Before she hit in big on The Big Bang Theory and was Emmy nominated for The Flight Attendant, Kaley Cuoco had a breakout role as the most rebellious teenage daughter and the source of much difficulty for her parents under the original title of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. Bridget was a very stereotypical early 2000s teen but Cuoco elevated the role to something more than that with great comedic timing and a great ability to blend sentimentality with humor. We should have known then she was going to be a big star.
Tomorrow: A One Season Wonder look at Winnetka Road!
Next Tuesday: Top 10 7th Heaven Characters!
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