diff --git a/docs/docsite/_static/ansible.css b/docs/docsite/_static/ansible.css
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3fea13034ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/docsite/_static/ansible.css
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+/* Fix for read the docs theme:
+ * https://rackerlabs.github.io/docs-rackspace/tools/rtd-tables.html
+ */
+/* override table width restrictions */
+@media screen and (min-width: 767px) {
+
+   .wy-table-responsive table td {
+      /* !important prevents the common CSS stylesheets from overriding
+         this as on RTD they are loaded after this stylesheet */
+      white-space: normal !important;
+   }
+
+   .wy-table-responsive {
+      overflow: visible !important;
+   }
+}
diff --git a/docs/docsite/rst/conf.py b/docs/docsite/rst/conf.py
index 62f565eae44..c49108b1aa7 100644
--- a/docs/docsite/rst/conf.py
+++ b/docs/docsite/rst/conf.py
@@ -112,17 +112,14 @@ highlight_language = 'YAML+Jinja'
 
 # Substitutions, variables, entities, & shortcuts for text which do not need to link to anything.
 # For titles which should be a link, use the intersphinx anchors set at the index, chapter, and section levels, such as  qi_start_:
+# |br| is useful for formatting fields inside of tables
+# |_| is a nonbreaking space; similarly useful inside of tables
 rst_epilog = """
-.. |acapi| replace:: *Ansible Core API Guide*
-.. |acrn| replace:: *Ansible Core Release Notes*
-.. |ac| replace:: Ansible Core
-.. |acversion| replace:: Ansible Core Version 2.1
-.. |acversionshort| replace:: Ansible Core 2.1
-.. |versionshortest| replace:: 2.2
-.. |versiondev| replace:: 2.3
-.. |pubdate| replace:: July 19, 2016
-.. |rhel| replace:: Red Hat Enterprise Linux
+.. |br| raw:: html
 
+   <br>
+.. |_| unicode:: 0xA0
+    :trim:
 """
 
 
@@ -148,7 +145,9 @@ html_context = {
     'current_version': version,
     'latest_version': '2.8',
     # list specifically out of order to make latest work
-    'available_versions': ('latest', '2.7', '2.6', 'devel')
+    'available_versions': ('latest', '2.7', '2.6', 'devel'),
+    'css_files': ('_static/ansible.css',  # overrides to the standard theme
+                  ),
 }
 
 # The style sheet to use for HTML and HTML Help pages. A file of that name
diff --git a/docs/docsite/rst/porting_guides/porting_guide_2.8.rst b/docs/docsite/rst/porting_guides/porting_guide_2.8.rst
index 17c4ab1e5ad..2829002bcc2 100644
--- a/docs/docsite/rst/porting_guides/porting_guide_2.8.rst
+++ b/docs/docsite/rst/porting_guides/porting_guide_2.8.rst
@@ -100,32 +100,32 @@ If you prefer to use the Python interpreter discovery behavior, use
 one of the four new values for ``ansible_python_interpreter`` introduced in
 Ansible 2.8:
 
-+---------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
-| New value                 | Behavior                                      |
-+===========================+===============================================+
-| | auto                    | | If a Python interpreter is discovered,      |
-| | (future default)        | | Ansible uses the discovered Python, even if |
-| |                         | | :command:`/usr/bin/python` is also present. |
-| |                         | | Warns when using the fallback list.         |
-+---------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
-| | **auto_legacy**         | | If a Python interpreter is discovered, and  |
-| | (Ansible 2.8 default)   | | :command:`/usr/bin/python` is absent,       |
-| |                         | | Ansible uses the discovered Python. Warns   |
-| |                         | | when using the fallback list.               |
-| |                         | |                                             |
-| |                         | | If a Python interpreter is discovered, and  |
-| |                         | | :command:`/usr/bin/python` is present,      |
-| |                         | | Ansible uses :command:`/usr/bin/python` and |
-| |                         | | prints a deprecation warning about future   |
-| |                         | | default behavior. Warns when using the      |
-| |                         | | fallback list.                              |
-+---------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
-| | auto_legacy_silent      | | Behaves like ``auto_legacy`` but suppresses |
-| |                         | | the deprecation and fallback-list warnings. |
-+---------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
-| | auto_silent             | | Behaves like ``auto`` but suppresses the    |
-| |                         | | fallback-list warning.                      |
-+---------------------------+-----------------------------------------------+
++---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
+| New value                 | Behavior                                    |
++===========================+=============================================+
+| auto |br|                 | If a Python interpreter is discovered,      |
+| (future default)          | Ansible uses the discovered Python, even if |
+|                           | :command:`/usr/bin/python` is also present. |
+|                           | Warns when using the fallback list.         |
++---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
+| **auto_legacy** |br|      | If a Python interpreter is discovered, and  |
+| (Ansible 2.8 default)     | :command:`/usr/bin/python` is absent,       |
+|                           | Ansible uses the discovered Python. Warns   |
+|                           | when using the fallback list.               |
+|                           |                                             |
+|                           | If a Python interpreter is discovered, and  |
+|                           | :command:`/usr/bin/python` is present,      |
+|                           | Ansible uses :command:`/usr/bin/python` and |
+|                           | prints a deprecation warning about future   |
+|                           | default behavior. Warns when using the      |
+|                           | fallback list.                              |
++---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
+| auto_legacy_silent        | Behaves like ``auto_legacy`` but suppresses |
+|                           | the deprecation and fallback-list warnings. |
++---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
+| auto_silent               | Behaves like ``auto`` but suppresses the    |
+|                           | fallback-list warning.                      |
++---------------------------+---------------------------------------------+
 
 
 In Ansible 2.12, Ansible will switch the default from :literal:`auto_legacy` to :literal:`auto`.
diff --git a/test/lib/ansible_test/_data/sanity/rstcheck/ignore-substitutions.txt b/test/lib/ansible_test/_data/sanity/rstcheck/ignore-substitutions.txt
index 393fcfb2f46..961e9bd9fd0 100644
--- a/test/lib/ansible_test/_data/sanity/rstcheck/ignore-substitutions.txt
+++ b/test/lib/ansible_test/_data/sanity/rstcheck/ignore-substitutions.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,5 @@
 version
-versiondev
+release
+today
+br
+_