Rules of Engagement (TV series)
| Rules of Engagement | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Tom Hertz |
| Starring |
Patrick Warburton Megyn Price Oliver Hudson Bianca Kajlich David Spade Adhir Kalyan |
| Opening theme | "How Many Ways" by Señor Happy |
| Composer(s) | Bert Selen George Ritter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 87 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multiple-camera setup |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Happy Madison Productions CBS Paramount Television |
| Distributor | Sony Pictures Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | CBS |
| Picture format | 1080i 16:9 (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original run | February 5, 2007 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007 as a midseason replacement. The series is produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions in association with CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television (SPT controls North American rights; CBS controls international rights).
On May 21, 2012, CBS renewed Rules of Engagement for a seventh season of 13 episodes to air midseason, bringing the total number of produced episodes to 100.[1]
Premise
Two couples and their single friend deal with the complications of dating, commitment and marriage. It looks at different 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 as their still-single friend. They often gather to enjoy a meal at "The Island Diner." The show features writers from the Emmy Award-winning Everybody Loves Raymond.
History
The show was heavily promoted by CBS during Super Bowl XLI [2] 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 midseason 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.[3]
Seasons three and four were both mid-season entries launched in March 2009 and March 2010.[4][5] On May 18, 2010, it was announced that CBS had renewed Rules of Engagement for a 5th season.[6] 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 first 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 $h*! My Dad Says.
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 that the series would air on, with it previously airing on Mondays, Wednesdays (two airings), and Thursdays.[7] 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.[8]
Effective January 12, 2012, CBS removed Rules of Engagement from its Thursday lineup, replacing it with the new sitcom Rob starring Rob Schneider. CBS later announced that Rules would return to its Thursday 8:30 PM time slot at a later date after Rob had finished airing its 8-episode order.[9] David Spade himself revealed on Twitter that the sixth season would resume March 29, which it did.[10] The series was officially renewed for a seventh season of 13 episodes on May 21, 2012.
Cast
Main characters
- Patrick Warburton as Jeff Bingham, a financial manager and overly-macho husband of Audrey. He loves sports and shuns anything that might resemble sensitivity. He is also careful with his money, and tries to discourage Audrey from overspending while planning for their future. He has many "wooby" shirts to represent important memories from his college life, which in the first season finale, "Jeff's Wooby", are made into a quilt.
- Megyn Price as Audrey Bingham (née Curtis), an advertising professional and the stubborn, extravagant wife of Jeff. She likes to do things on spur of the moment, like when she buys a new TV or makes Jeff's shirts into a quilt.
- Oliver Hudson as Adam Rhodes, a sensitive and extremely naive co-worker of Russell and Timmy, and Jennifer's fiancee. He is a neighbor of Jeff and Audrey. Sometimes because of his child-like naivete, people find it hard to explain things to him, and he never thinks before he speaks.
- Bianca Kajlich as Jennifer Morgan, the charismatic live-in fiancee of Adam, who endures his faults because of his good looks and underlying good nature. She also has a need for thrill.
- David Spade as Russell Dunbar, a shallow, he-slutty single friend of the main characters. He is also an inept manager where Adam and Timmy work. It is revealed that he only has the job because of his wealthy father. He is often made fun of because of his love for prostitutes and young women with "daddy" issues.
- Adhir Kalyan as Tamir "Timmy" Patel (recurring Season 3; regular cast Season 4-), an immigrant from South Africa and Russell's assistant. He is often the reluctant go-to guy for solving Russell's problems.
Major recurring characters
- Diane Sellers as Doreen, waitress at The Island Diner.
- Wendi McLendon-Covey as Liz, an unlikeable neighbor who lives directly upstairs from Jeff and Audrey; for a story arc in Season 6, she was the wife of Russell, but the two have since separated.
- Sara Rue as Brenda, Jeff’s lesbian softball teammate who agrees to be a surrogate mother for Audrey and Jeff.
- Nazneen Contractor as Suneetha, Timmy’s fiancée in an arranged marriage, who becomes an object of Russell’s affections.
- Susan Yeagley as Tracy, a man-hungry co-worker of Audrey’s.
- Taryn Southern as Allison, the object of Timmy's affections, which blossoms into an intra-office romance.
- Geoff Pierson as Franklin Dunbar, Russell's wealthy, lecherous father.
Episodes
Timeslot
- Season 1: Mondays 9:30PM
- Season 2: Mondays 9:30PM
- Season 3: Mondays 9:30PM
- Season 4: Mondays 8:30PM
- Season 5: Mondays 8:30PM (September 20, 2010 - February 7, 2011)
Thursdays 8:30PM (February 24, 2011 - May 19, 2011) - Season 6: Thursdays 8:30PM
U.S. ratings
Seasonal ratings
| Season | TV Season | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2006–2007 | February 5, 2007 | March 19, 2007 | #36[11] | 12.4[11] |
| 2 | 2007–2008 | September 24, 2007 | May 19, 2008 | #33[12] | 10.9[12] |
| 3 | 2008–2009 | March 2, 2009 | May 18, 2009 | #23[13] | 11.4[13] |
| 4 | 2009–2010 | March 1, 2010 | May 24, 2010 | #47 | 8.5 |
| 5 | 2010–2011 | September 20, 2010 | May 19, 2011 | #43 | 8.7 |
| 6 | 2011-2012 | October 20, 2011 | May 17, 2012 |
Syndication
In June 2011, it was reported that the series has been picked up for syndication by WGN America and Lifetime (TV network), to premiere in the fall of 2012.[14]
DVD releases
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment owns the rights to release DVDs in Region 1 - so far, the first five seasons are available. The fifth season of the series was made available beginning February 7, 2012, exclusively as a made-on-demand release from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, in conjunction with amazon.com.[15]
Paramount Pictures, in conjunction with CBS Home Entertainment, will start releasing the series on DVD internationally in 2011. Season One was released in the UK (Region 2 DVD) on April 4th 2011 [16]
| DVD name | Release date | Ep # |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | September 4, 2007 | 7 |
| The Complete Second Season | October 14, 2008 | 15 |
| The Complete Third Season | September 14, 2010 | 13 |
| The Complete Fourth Season | January 11, 2011 | 13 |
| The Complete Fifth Season | February 7, 2012 | 24 |
| The Complete Sixth Season | TBA, 2012 | 15 |
International broadcasters
| Country | Network | Series Premiere | Timeslot |
|---|---|---|---|
 Australia
|
Network Ten, Eleven, TV1 | February 13, 2008, May 15, 2012 & 2010 | Sunday 7:00 PM, Tuesday 8.00pm, Wednesdays 7.30pm |
 Belgium
|
VT4 | Monday - Friday, 7:20 PM | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
RTRS | ||
 Bulgaria
|
Fox Life | Wednesday 21:00 PM | |
 Canada
|
Citytv | February 5, 2007 | Thursday 8:30 PM |
 Croatia
|
Fox Life | ||
 Denmark
|
TV2 | Fridays, 02:00 PM | |
 Estonia
|
Fox Life | Weekdays, 05:05 PM (replay) and 07.55 AM, 09.30 AM | |
 France
|
M6 | April 1, 2011 | Monday - Friday 10:15 AM |
 Germany
|
kabel eins Fox Channel |
November 12, 2009 January 2, 2012 |
between seasons Monday - Friday, 11:00 PM |
 Hungary
|
Viasat3 | 12 May 2010 | Weekdays, 07:25 (replay) and 07.55 PM |
 India
|
CBS Love | Monday - friday 9.00 PM | |
 Ireland
|
RTE 2 | Saturdays, 00:30 | |
 Israel
|
Xtra HOT HOT family/yes stars Base |
2007 January 4, 2009 |
Unknown Sundays, 8:15 PM, 11:45 PM |
 Italy
|
Italia 1 | June 21, 2009 | Saturdays & Sundays, 1:00 PM |
 Kosovo
|
Fox Life | September 10, 2009 | Monday - Friday 9.00 PM |
| Latin America | Sony Entertainment Television1 | Mondays, 10:30 PM | |
 Latvia
|
SET | Weekdays, 05.35 PM (replay) 07.30 PM, 03.00 AM and 06.15 AM | |
 Macedonia
|
Fox Life | ||
 Netherlands
|
Veronica | Monday - Friday, 7:10 PM | |
 New Zealand
|
FOUR | Tuesdays, 8:00 PM | |
 Norway
|
TV 2 | Weekdays, Off | |
 Peru
|
Sony Entertainment Television | Mondays, 12.00 AM | |
 Poland
|
Comedy Central Polska | January 6, 2008 | Fridays, 9:00 PM |
 Portugal
|
SET | Mondays, 10:25pm WET/9:25pm (in Azores) | |
 Serbia
|
Fox Life, Nacionalna | July 7, 2009 | Weekends |
 Russia
|
Sony Entertainment Television | 2009 | Weekdays |
 Slovenia
|
POP TV | 2008 | Weekends |
 South Africa
|
SABC 3 | Mondays, 9:40 PM | |
 Spain
|
Paramount Comedy, FDF | Thursdays, 11:15 PM | |
 Sweden
|
Kanal 5 | Tuesdays, 10:00 PM | |
 Switzerland
|
SF zwei | September 9, 2011 | Tuesday - Friday, 7:30 PM |
 Taiwan
|
Star World | Weekdays, 07:35 PM | |
 Thailand
|
True Series | Tuesdays, 9:00 PM | |
 Turkey
|
ComedyMax | Weekdays, 08:00 PM | |
 United Kingdom
|
Comedy Central UK E4 |
Weekdays 7:00 PM Weekdays, 3:00 PM - 4:00PM |
- 1 Rights in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Polish version
Polish channel TVN started filming its own version of the show, called Reguły Gry (literally meaning Rules of Game in Polish). It premiered on 16 February 2012 on TVN sister channel TVN 7 as its first original production.[17][18][19]
References
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-renews-rules-engagement-324986
- ^ TV Tonight
- ^ "CBS Sets Series Return Dates". http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-cbsreturndates,0,7656374.story. Retrieved 2008-02-13.
- ^ CBS plans return of 'Rules of Engagement' - The Live Feed | THR
- ^ Breaking News - CBS to Keep "Case," "Rules"; Adds Two More Dramas | TheFutonCritic.com
- ^ "CBS: Renewed and Cancelled". http://www.atvnewsnetwork.co.uk/today/index.php/atv-today/2981-cbs-renewed-and-cancelled-. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ http://www.deadline.com/2011/05/cbs-schedule-why-are-csi-good-wife-moving-original-series-on-saturday
- ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/10/07/cbs-rules-of-engagement-moving-to-thursdays-how-to-be-a-gentleman-banished-to-saturdays-effectively-canceled/106537/
- ^ Harnick, Chris. "CBS Announces 2012 Midseason Schedule."
- ^ David Spade Twitter announcement at Google+
- ^ a b "Season Program Rankings from 09/18/06 through 06/03/07". ABC Medianet. June 3, 2007. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=060507_05. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ a b "Season Program Rankings from 09/24/07 through 05/25/08". ABC Medianet. May 28, 2008. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=052808_06. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ a b "Season Program Rankings from 09/22/08 through 05/17/09". ABC Medianet. May 19, 2009. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=051909_05. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
- ^ http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/469903-Sony_Clears_Rules_of_Engagement_in_Nearly_Half_the_Country.php
- ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Rules-Engagement-Season-5/16404
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.filmweb.pl/news/Pawe%C5%82+Wilczak+i+Maciej+Zako%C5%9Bcielny+w+polskiej+wersji+%22Sposobu+u%C5%BCycia%22-80155
- ^ http://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/index.php?url=artykul/tvn-wyprodukuje-polski-sitcom-dla-tvn-7
- ^ http://film.interia.pl/galerie/galerie-zdjec/reguly-gry-pierwszy-serial-tvn7/zdjecie/duze,1564481,5,29
External links
- Rules of Engagement - Official Site
- Rules of Engagement at the Internet Movie Database
- Rules of Engagement at TV.com
- Rules of Engagement - bridestelevision.com
- THRFeed
- Rules of Engagement on Comedy Central UK
