Rules of Engagement (TV series)

Premise

History

Cast and characters

Main characters

• Patrick Warburton as Jeff Bingham, a financial manager and husband of Audrey since August 12, 1995. He has a rather deadpan, cold and sardonic personality and sense of self, particularly when dealing with Russell and Adam, but he is not sadistic or unkind, thereby rendering these traits as merely ironic and biting humor. He loves sports, shuns anything that might resemble sensitivity and often views his marriage as a competition or war, refusing to let Audrey "win" the upper hand at anything. He frequently complains about Audrey's work stories being boring, often forgets plans they have made or tasks she has asked him to complete and, on many occasions, embarrasses her publicly. He is also very frugal and extremely careful with his money – to the extent where he will buy socks in New Jersey to avoid paying additional tax on them – and tries to discourage Audrey from overspending while planning for their future. He often reminisces about his college days at Syracuse.
• Megyn Price as Audrey Bingham, formerly from Lincoln, Nebraska, an editor at Indoor Living magazine and the assertive, modern wife of Jeff. She likes to do things on spur of the moment, such as when she buys furniture on the Internet or makes Jeff's shirts into a quilt. She tolerates her husband's insensitivity because she knows he is not malicious and will do whatever it takes to make the situation right once he realizes his mistake. As a couple, they both can be very condescending and manipulative towards each other, in order to gain the upper hand, and typically don't like to concede to the other that they were wrong, for example, they both repeatedly lied about their whereabouts during a weekend when Audrey's aunt was supposed to visit but fell ill and Jeff was supposed to be at a bachelor party weekend but the bride cancelled the wedding. They, however, often recognize where both were wrong and apologize. Audrey does not make fun of her friends as much as her friends make fun of each other, but she will frequently save her most-biting criticisms for Russell. She often insists that she is a "people person", but her attempts to prove it usually result in embarrassment, such as having a co-worker lodge a sexual harassment complaint against her. Audrey likes to think of herself as kind, cultured and smarter than her friends. She desperately wants to be liked by persons and/or impress them, but her attempts at being charitable and sociable often end in her becoming frustrated, either as a result of her own awkwardness or due to Jeff's manners. She and Jeff had a baby, Shea, via a surrogate, Brenda, after Audrey assumed she could never get pregnant, only to discover in the series finale that she is in fact pregnant with Jeff's child.
• Oliver Hudson as Adam Rhodes, a sensitive and well-meaning – but extremely naive – co-worker of Russell and Timmy, and Jennifer's fiancé throughout the series until they are married in the series finale. He is a neighbor of Jeff and Audrey, looks up to Jeff, and often acts on Jeff's relationship advice to attempt to receive more frequent sexual relations with Jennifer. This usually results in making the situation worse for himself. As an example, he once revealed to Jennifer his strategies for avoiding her bad moods, because he was proud that Jeff considered them to be a good idea. Oftentimes because of his childlike naivete, people find it hard to explain things to him. He cannot keep secrets and rarely thinks before he speaks. Adam frequently exhibits feminine or flamboyant behavior and characteristics, which make him the target of many barbs from Jeff and Russell regarding his tendencies. Adam, initially, was simply a smooth, charming guy who was a bit naive but over the course of the series, noticeably after Season 2, the writers opted to "dumb-down" his character turning him from naive and sweet to borderline moronic and dim-witted.
• Bianca Kajlich as Jennifer Morgan, the charismatic live-in fiancée and eventual wife of Adam, who endures his faults because of his good looks and underlying good nature. She is very self-conscious of his naivete, and will often try to spare him from embarrassment. She also has a need for thrills and can easily manipulate Adam into doing whatever she wants, but often feels guilty about it afterward. She was openly promiscuous in her past and is often referred to by Jeff, Russell and even Adam as being "easy" and always "good to go". Her love for sex means Adam rarely has to "work for it", a fact that Adam enjoys and the guys envy. Jennifer did, however, attempt to fabricate a clichéd love story of how she and Adam met, due to being slightly embarrassed when Adam continually boasts that they had sex together on their first date. She and Adam are often naive about their relationship as they typically assume they will not end up bickering and resenting each other like Jeff & Audrey, who often laugh at them for being so clueless and optimistic, and they think will be able to agree on everything. However, despite their best efforts, this often backfires specifically when they tried working together, cutting back on expenses or when they got into a big fight while trying to plan their entire future during a weekend getaway.
• David Spade as Russell Dunbar, an acerbic, narcissistic, womanizing single friend of the main characters and boss of Adam and Timmy. Russell is fast-talking, and is an eternal optimist when it comes to women, often ignoring multiple sexual harassment lawsuits leveled against him in the pursuit of sex. He is also an incompetent manager at his father's real estate and development business, Dunbar Industries. If left to his own devices and forced to fend for himself without assistance he would completely destroy his office in minutes. He is often mocked because of his height, choice of wardrobe, hair style, and his penchant for prostitutes and young women with "daddy" issues. He also frequently uses his wealth to lure women and do whatever he wants. In the Season 6 episode "Audrey's Shower", Russell takes a break from women and starts to display many creative talents. It is revealed in a flashback that he was an intelligent child and a musical prodigy, until he saw his piano teacher's cleavage and wound up taking a different path in life. His favorite expression, spoken in a high-pitched voice after incredulous questions about his doing something outrageous, is: "I kinda did". In the series finale, Russell proposes to Timmy and marries him in order to help Timmy avoid deportation.
• Adhir Kalyan as Timir "Timmy" Patel, whom Russell hires as his assistant. He is a mild-mannered man with a quick wit, often matching Russell's jabs in their verbal sparring. Although he is fluent in seven languages and holds an MBA from Oxford University, Timmy is often forced to do menial work or to solve Russell's trivial problems. While many of Russell's schemes disgust him, Timmy will often see them through so that he can enjoy Russell's comeuppance. He plays cricket and is also an avid fan of the Boston Bruins. In the series finale, Timmy's work visa expires and he faces deportation. Russell sets aside his womanizing ways to marry Timmy so he can stay in the country. This brought criticism, however, due to the fact that it had already been established in Season 5 that Timmy had been a US citizen for over 10 years which he revealed when Russell wanted to throw him a "Citizenship Party". This was not the first time there had been an inconsistent discrepancy with Timmy's background as he tells his then-girlfriend, Allison, in the episode "Play Ball", that he was an only child yet in the following season, in the episode "The Set-Up", it is revealed that he has a sister, Simran, who is currently living in Chicago.

  Recurring characters and notable guests

• Diane Sellers as Doreen, waitress at The Island Diner.
• Wendi McLendon-Covey as Liz, a quirky, plain Jane neighbor and friend of Audrey's who lives directly upstairs from the Binghams, and whose mannerisms and conversations frequently repulse Jeff; for a brief story arc in Season 6 she was married to Russell, but they later separated. In Season 7, Episode 7, she admitted to Russell that she is a sex addict and that she cheated on him multiple times during their brief marriage.
• Sara Rue as Brenda, Jeff's lesbian softball teammate and beer-drinking pal 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.
• Beth Littleford as Laura, another man-hungry co-worker of Audrey's.
• Brooklyn McLinn as Dan, a happily-engaged co-worker of Jeff's.
• Taryn Southern as Allison, the object of Timmy's affections, which blossoms into an intra-office romance, then ends when she moves away and breaks up with Timmy.
• Geoff Pierson as Franklin Dunbar, Russell's wealthy, lecherous father.
• Orlando Jones as Brad, Jeff's gay friend from his gym and softball team who eventually makes friends with the rest of the gang.
• Sam Harris as Jackie, Brad's flamboyantly gay partner, whom Audrey becomes good friends with before Jeff causes Audrey to inadvertently insult him, ending the friendship.
• Larry Joe Campbell as Todd, a friendly but socially-awkward co-worker of Jeff's whom Audrey fixes up with Liz.
• Jaime Pressly as Pam Nelson, the Bingham's initial surrogate whom they soon soured on due to her sleeping with Russell.
• Heather Locklear as Barbara, Audrey's sister, on whom Russell has a crush.
• Bob Odenkirk as Mike, an old friend of Jeff's who he reconnects with at a boat show, and whose news of a divorce gives Jeff pause regarding his relationship with Audrey.
• Joan Collins as Bunny Dunbar, Russell's wealthy, superficial mother.
• Brian Dennehy as Roy Bingham, Jeff's very traditional father.
• Peggy Lipton as Faye, Adam's free-spirited mother.
• Ajay Mehta and Anna George as Rahm & Varsha Patel, Timmy's parents.
• Richard McGonagle as Dr Sachs, whom Jeff & Audrey see to further their hopes of having a child.
• Curtis Armstrong as an insecure version of himself, who bonds with Adam and enjoys Adam's adoration.
• Jessica Walter as Constance, an older woman whom Russell had sex with when he was 18.
• Tony Hale as Steve, a quirky former co-worker of Jeff's who is known as "the nuzzler" for his awkward hugs.
• Mark Saul and Tommy Snider as Barry and Tug, Audrey's goofy and immature bosses at a gaming design company.
• Wayne Lopez as Oscar, one of the doormen at the building where the Binghams, Adam, and Jen live.
• Casey Sander as Frank, another doorman at Jeff & Audrey's building.

  Episodes

U.S. ratings

Syndication

Awards and nominations

Home media

International broadcasters

Polish version