Airing on ABC from 2002 to 2005, the sitcom 8 Simple Rules, also known by the far more complicated title 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter, went through one of the biggest transitions in recent sitcom history midway through its run. Originally, the series chronicled the life of the Hennessy family through the perspective of father Paul Hennessy (John Ritter), a stay at home father and columnist for a local paper.

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But tragically, at the beginning of the series' second season in 2003, Ritter passed away, leading the series to incorporate his passing into its own storyline. The show reinvented itself from that point onward, introducing new characters and storylines, for better or worse. The show ran for a total of three seasons, with some real highlights occurring both before and after Ritter's passing. Here, we're looking back at the series' top ten episodes.

"The After Party" (7.7)

Regardless of what season the series was in, the Hennessy children acting out and rebelling against their parents was always a common theme. In particular, eldest daughter Bridget (Kaley Cuoco) was a problem child, popular and partying and getting herself into trouble more often than not. The third season episode "The After Party" is yet another example of that.

With prom approaching, Bridget goes against Cate's strict forbidding and rents a hotel room to throw an after-party where the kids can party safely. Of course, chaos ensues, especially when cousin CJ gets involved. The episode also features a noteworthy guest appearance from future Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester.

"The Doyle Wedding" (7.7)

The first two seasons of 8 Simple Rules made frequent use of the neighborhood's quirkiest and most annoying family, the Doyles. But it's the season one episode "The Doyle Wedding" that really fans the flames of this conflict heavy relationship, as the Hennessy clan gets roped into taking part in the wedding of one of the Doyle daughters.

Along the way, another of the series' key - albeit short-lived - storylines begins, when Bridget finally meets the post-puberty Donny Doyle - the once nerdy son of the Doyle clan who has grown up to be quite handsome and charming.

"Donny Goes AWOL" (7.8)

Speaking of Bridget's complicated relationship with Donny, the relationship between the series' two most dim-witted characters comes to a dramatic, memorable end in the second season episode "Donny Goes AWOL." With Bridget tiring of being in a long-distance relationship with Donny, who is away in training for the military, she impulsively breaks up with him via video message.

In traditional over the top sitcom fashion, Donny immediately goes AWOL upon receiving the video, returning home in a desperate attempt to win Bridget back. Surprisingly, the gesture fails, as Bridget shows a rare moment of learning from her father's guidance. This also served as John Ritter's last episode.

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"First Day of School" (7.9)

The third season premiere "First Day of School" represents one of the many times the series tried to reinvent itself and upend the status quo in its final two seasons. With a new school year upon them, the Hennessy kids find themselves dealing with major changes. Kerry wants to break up with Kyle, but can't actually commit to doing so. Intending to help her sister out, Bridget breaks up with Kyle on her behalf, only for Kerry to realize she never wanted to break up with him in the first place.

Another major change for the series occurs in the episode, as matriarch Cate is hired as the high school's new school nurse, which gives her a new purpose and role for the remainder of the series.

"Old Flame" (8.0)

It's almost always enjoyable when a series reunites two actors who had worked together on a previous series. The third season episode "Old Flame" allows 8 Simple Rules star Katey Sagal to have a truly sweet, hilarious, and poignant reunion with longtime Married... with Children costar Ed O'Neill, who appears as Cate's former bad boy ex-boyfriend, Matt.

The episode allows Cate one of the rare moments in the series to take time for herself, to exist free of the responsibilities of being a mother and caregiver and nurse, and to take time to breathe and feel free. It also largely benefits from O'Neill and Sagal's long-perfected chemistry.

"Halloween" (8.4)

Holiday inspired episodes are usually either a real hit or a big miss for series, regardless of whether they're sitcoms or dramas. 8 Simple Rules' third-season episode "Halloween" manages to be a big hit, thanks to its focus on parallel storylines and allowing its characters to get truly silly and in the spirit of the spooky holiday.

At the high school Halloween party, Bridget struggles with a familiar mistaken identity crisis thanks to some common costumes and a truly useless chaperon C.J. plots to foil Rory's prank plot to no avail. But the episode's biggest laughs come from Grandpa Jim's subplot of waging war against trick or treaters.

"The School Nurse" (8.4)

The third season premiere might have set up the new conflict-filled storyline of Cate becoming the high school's new school nurse, but it's the aptly named third episode "The School Nurse" that finally takes this conflict to a new level. Cate's first day on the job brings plenty of drama to her relationship with her daughters - and plenty of humiliation for both of them, too.

Cate being at the school with the girls all day only increases their tendency to argue and yell at one another, and during one of these heated arguments, Bridget reveals to her mother that so-called good girl Kerry lost her virginity while traveling over the summer. And thanks to Cate's carelessness, the news is shared with the entire student body via intercom.

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"Secrets" (8.6)

Miscommunications and poorly kept secrets are pretty common tropes in sitcoms, so it's no surprise that one of 8 Simple Rules' best-rated episodes is simply titled "Secrets" and finds the extended Hennessy family making total fools out of themselves to keep their shameful secrets hidden.

Among the episode's many secrets include Kerry and Bridget's stereotypical teenage adventure into using fake IDs, C.J. failing to pick up medication Rory needs, Cate's romantic life gets interesting, and Rory trying to hide the truth about his embarrassing injury.

"Goodbye Part 1" (8.6)

As we previously mentioned, 8 Simple Rules was changed forever after John Ritter tragically passed away in 2004. Faced with the unthinkable, the series took two episodes to pay tribute to the loss of its patriarch, and produced two of the most profoundly moving and deeply emotional episodes in sitcom history, starting with "Goodbye Part 1."

After learning that Paul passed away while on a trip to the supermarket, the Hennessy family is forced to find a way to move forward, all while dealing with the loss in their own ways. In the first half of the two-parter, each Hennessy goes through their pain alone, as Cate struggles to feel at home without Paul, and Bridget blames herself for telling her father she hated him the last time she spoke to him.

"Goodbye Part 2" (8.6)

While each member of the Hennessy family dealt with their pain and loss alone in the first half of the two-part arc, "Goodbye Part 2" finds the family finally coming together again and looking to the future. The episode features Paul's wake and allows characters from the series' first season to pay tribute to the man they all knew and loved.

But it's the episode's closing act, which finds Cate and her three children coming together to read Paul's final article, which stands out as the series' best moment by far. It's a beautiful scene, that allows them to honor Paul's memory and Ritter's memory, to understand the endless nature of his love for them, and to fortify themselves for a future - and a series - without him.

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