History YMMV / EightSimpleRules

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Kerry in the episode with her video project. She's essentially making a film showcasing her sister's shallowness and is clearly hoping to make it as hate-filled as possible. She delights in watching the clip of Bridget's nose being broken and is clearly hoping that the rest of the students will turn on her when they see her. [[spoiler:When they don't]] she's ''furious''. While Bridget does ruin Kerry's initial project, Kerry is incredibly mean-spirited throughout the whole episode.

* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Bridget often got less screen time than Kerry -- at least in the first season - but was far more memorable. Kaley Cuoco became the breakout star of the show.
** Rory was also beloved, which led to him getting featured more in Season 2.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment:

* HarsherInHindsight: The fact that Creator/KateySagal and Adam Arkin's characters dated certainly seems strange in the light of Season 2 of ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy''. In that show, Arkin plays a white supremacist who [[spoiler:orders his lieutenant to repeatedly rape Sagal's character]].

* BrokenBase: The episodes after John Ritter's death. Some people hated the idea of the show continuing, as the central premise was gone. However some fans feel the other characters gained a lot more depth as a result.
* CreatorsPet: Kerry arguably, though mostly in season 1. Half the episodes seem to focus on her being moody because of Paul's attempts to relate to her and Paul continually learning to let her have her space. In the episodes after his death, she undergoes CharacterDevelopment and becomes a little less one-dimensional.

** Bridget often got less screen time than Kerry - at least in the first season - but was far more memorable. Kaley Cuoco became the breakout star of the show.

** "Sex Ed" has a scene where - after Paul and Kerry talk about the awkward movie they saw together - Kerry says they'll have to wait a few years for their next father/daughter activity. Paul cheerily says "it's a date". He dies two episodes later. It's either tragic or a little funny that the aforementioned movie could have been their last father/daughter activity ''ever''.

* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Ironically the PartingWordsRegret between Bridget and Paul - where Bridget's last words to her father were "I hate you". In 2018 Creator/KaleyCuoco revealed that John Ritter's last words to her were "I love you".

* {{Wangst}}: Kerry was guilty of this early on, though one episode post-Ritter has her defying the trope. She is caught with a bag of weed and Cate assumes she is acting out over Paul's death. Kerry angrily replies that she is sick of people assuming that is her reason for doing anything. She mentions a day when the school food was disgusting so she threw it in the trash - and got called to the principal's office for a talk on how she shouldn't starve herself to feel better after his death.

* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Ironically the PartingWordsRegret between Bridget and Paul - where Bridget's last words to her father were "I hate you". In 2018 CreatorKaleyCuoco revealed that John Ritter's last words to her were "I love you".

* HarsherInHindsight: The fact that Katey Sagal and Adam Arkin's characters dated certainly seems strange in the light of Season 2 of ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy''. In that show, Arkin plays a white supremacist who [[spoiler:orders his lieutenant to repeatedly rape Sagal's character]].
* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Ironically the PartingWordsRegret between Bridget and Paul - where Bridget's last words to her father were "I hate you". In 2018 Kaley Cuoco revealed that John Ritter's last words to her were "I love you".

** ''Series/GossipGirl'''s Leighton Meester appears as Rory's prom date in a Season 3 episode.

** In his introductory episode, slacker C.J. is flat out asked by his Cate why it took him so long to come and pay his respects to his uncle. C.J. responds that he didn't want to, because Paul was the only person who ever told C.J. he could go on to do great things and he felt that showing up as a loser living in his van would simply be disrespectful.

** In his introductory episode, slacker C.J. is flat out asked by his grandfather why it took him so long to come and pay his respects to his uncle. C.J. responds that he didn't want to, because Paul was the only person who ever told C.J. he could go on to do great things and he felt that showing up as a loser living in his van would simply be disrespectful.

** Similary, Kerry. Sympathetic put-upon woman who has to put up with constantly being in [[TheUnfavorite her sister's shadow]], being unpopular at school, and feeling [[IntelligenceEqualsIsolation constantly misunderstood by people around her?]] Or whiny egotistical bitch who [[ItsAllAboutMe always has to be right about everything]], [[UngratefulBastard doesn't appreciate what she has in life]], and drives people away because by [[JerkWithAHeartOfJerk being so antisocial?]]