Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is an American sitcom television series created by Tom Hertz that ran on CBS from February 5, 2007, to May 20, 2013, originally airing as a mid-season replacement. The series was produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions in association with CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television (SPT controls the North American rights while CBS controls the international rights).
For other uses, see Rules of Engagement (disambiguation).Rules of Engagement
"How Many Ways"
by Señor Happy
- Bert Selen
- Evan Frankfort
- George Ritter
United States
English
7
100 (list of episodes)
- Cheri Tanimura
- Jack Giarraputo
- Tom Hertz
- Barbara Stoll
- Vanessa McCarthy
- Doug Robinson
- Adam Sandler
21 minutes
- Game Six Productions
- Happy Madison Productions
- CBS Paramount Network Television (2007–09)
- CBS Television Studios (2010–13)
- Sony Pictures Television
February 5, 2007
May 20, 2013
Although the show received negative reviews throughout its run,[1][2][3] it earned 3 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and always earned reasonably good ratings,[2] helping the show reach 100 episodes (typically the minimum needed for syndication) over seven seasons.
Premise[edit]
Two couples and their single friend deal with the complications of dating, promise and marriage. It portrays different interpersonal relationships in various stages, starring Patrick Warburton and Megyn Price as a long-married couple, Oliver Hudson and Bianca Kajlich as newly engaged sweethearts, and David Spade and Adhir Kalyan (the latter added in season 3) as their still-single friends. They often meet at "The Island Diner."
History[edit]
The show was heavily promoted by CBS during Super Bowl XLI[4] and launched the following night, the first of seven episodes in its first season. The pilot episode remains the highest rated episode of the show. The series was renewed for a second season, which began as a mid-season replacement for The New Adventures of Old Christine on Monday, September 24, 2007, with production halted after nine episodes on November 6, 2007, in the wake of a writers' strike. After the strike ended, CBS announced that the show would return April 14, 2008, with a further six episodes.[5]
Seasons three and four were both mid-season entries launched in March 2009 and March 2010.[6][7] On May 18, 2010, it was announced that CBS had renewed Rules of Engagement for a 5th season.[8] It was later announced that this season would start in September, in contrast to its usual midseason start, and received an expanded 24-episode order. (The fifth season was the only season to have a full-season order.) The first 15 episodes aired on Monday nights, usually in the 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 pm Central time slot following How I Met Your Mother. Then on February 24, 2011, the series moved to Thursdays at 8:30 pm Eastern/7:30 pm Central, following The Big Bang Theory, after the cancellation of $#*! My Dad Says. On January 31, 2011, CBS ordered an additional two episodes of the series to prepare for the possibility of Two and a Half Men going into hiatus following Charlie Sheen's real-life issues, taking the episode order to 26.[9] Two of these episodes were held back and aired as part of the sixth season.
On May 17, 2011, the series was renewed for a sixth season to begin airing in fall 2011. One day later, CBS announced that Rules of Engagement would move to Saturday nights at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central as part of the network's new Comedytime Saturday block; the first time in six years that an original CBS program would air on that night. It also marked the fourth night on which the series would air, with it previously airing on Mondays, Wednesdays (two airings), and Thursdays.[10] On October 7, 2011, however, it was announced that Rules of Engagement would move back to its 8:30PM EST Thursday timeslot following The Big Bang Theory, replacing new sitcom How to Be a Gentleman which was moved to the new Saturday time slot.[11] The episode order was cut from the original 18, down to 13 (plus two unaired episodes from season five) on November 14, 2011.[12]
Effective January 12, 2012, CBS removed Rules of Engagement from its Thursday lineup, replacing it with the new sitcom Rob starring Rob Schneider. Rules would return to its Thursday 8:30 PM time slot on March 29, after Rob had finished airing its 8-episode order,[13] resulting in a total of 15 episodes in season 6.
On May 21, 2012, CBS renewed Rules of Engagement for a seventh season of 13 episodes to air mid-season, bringing the total number of produced 100 episodes.[14] Season 7 began airing on Mondays at 8:30, starting February 4, 2013.[15]
On May 10, 2013, Rules of Engagement was cancelled by CBS after seven seasons and 100 episodes.[16] The series finale episode aired on May 20, 2013.
Syndication[edit]
In June 2011, the series was picked up for syndication by local network affiliates, The CW Plus, and WGN America, making its debut on September 10, 2012.[49] On January 2, 2013, the series began airing weekdays on TBS.[50] All 7 seasons were available for streaming on Netflix until September 2018 when they were removed.[51] The Roku Channel offers all 7 seasons for free. As of March 2021 all seven seasons of Rules of Engagement are available for streaming via subscription on FuboTV, Starz, and Amazon Prime Video.
In Canada, the series is syndicated on CMT.[52]