Looks like ABC plans to continue with John Ritter’s sitcom 8 Simple Rules despite the death of its lead cast member. The show writers are going to write out Ritter’s character by having him die and then go on to show how the family deals with the loss.
“We are going to stick with it,” Susan Lyne, president of ABC Entertainment, said in a conference call with reporters.
Each of the first three episodes already shot will start with a special introduction, featuring the cast members. The next new show will deal with the death of Ritter’s character, Paul Hennessy.
“Future episodes will take viewers into the Hennessy household as they experience the loss of a father and construct a new life together,” said Lloyd Braun, chairman of the ABC Entertainment Television Group. “We will play out the situation as real life.”
I’ve never watched the show, but this could make for a very compelling bit of television if handled properly. It’ll be interesting to see how well this works with fans of the show.
Posted on 09/17/2003 at 06:48 AM 
We started watching it this summer after one or two tries last year, and it grew on us. Ritter was very likeable, and I could easily see myself becoming his character.
Kudos to ABC for giving it a go, as the cast is decent.