 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| "You don't remember me?" | Friendship | Jealousy! | Acceptance? | Possibilities.. |
8 SIMPLE RULES (FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER)
|
|
|
|
|
| "You don't remember me?" | Friendship | Jealousy! | Acceptance? | Possibilities.. |
In 2002 ABC launched a new sitcom in the hope of reviving their flagging ratings. They cast in the leading male role, an actor they knew could be counted on to pull in TV audiences...John Ritter. They were right to do so; Eight Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter (latterly abbreviated to Eight Simple Rules) was a ratings hit. It was a simple premise; a father of 3 teenage children is exasperated by the way his beloved little kids, 2 girls and a boy, have turned into 'monsters' who he barely recognises any more. They're moody, temperamental, incomprehensible and...worst of all...hormonal! Parents everywhere no doubt identified with Paul Hennessey's predicament. His wife Cate (played by Katey Sagal), a nurse, handled the teens more easily, but since she was at work most of the day, it was Paul (a sports journalist) working from home, who suffered most of the dramas and tantrums from his offspring.
Tragically in September 2003 John Ritter died very suddenly and the producers of the show took the decision to continue, casting new roles and adding James Garner (as Cate's father), David Spade as her wayward nephew, and...Adam Arkin...as the kids' school Principal Ed Gibb. The way Adam was introduced to the audience was simple; he asked to see Cate because her daughter Bridget had been getting into trouble at school. When she goes to his office, Ed Gibb recognises her from when they were teenagers themselves. He tries to jog her memory, even pointing out that they actually went out together for a while, but even when Cate does vaguely remember, her memories of their relationship are very different from Ed's, believing she dumped him. The meeting is not a huge success, but after their somewhat acrimonious start, the two become more friendly towards each other, and when a vacancy arises Ed invites Cate to join the staff as the school nurse. Adam was cast in the 3rd season, not as a replacement for John Ritter, but as a character for whom Cate might possibly develop feelings at some point in the future. Adam was perfectly cast; Ed Gibb had a slightly diffident personality yet he was also in a position of authority...hence the combination of vulnerability and power to which women are attracted. When the two did start to become closer, Cate was naturally paranoid about the kids finding out. Not only would they be upset that their mother was friendly with another man, but the man was their school Principal! How embarrassing was that?! Eventually of course, after they'd got over the initial shock, followed by the shame of having their Principal share Thanksgiving with them, the teens slowly grew more comfortable with the idea.
The path to romance was never going to be easy for Cate and Ed; she had been happily married, and losing her husband so suddenly and unexpectedly was devastating for her and the children (John Ritter's death was handled unusually sensitively by the show's writers, and the Goodbye episode was cathartic for the actors). Cate was suddenly the sole breadwinner and had 3 grieving children to look after while she was trying to work through her own grief. When she met Ed Gibb the last thing on her mind was a future romance. Ed knew the odds were stacked against him and he must have wondered at times if the whole situation was just too difficult. But he gently persevered. At one sticky point in the relationship he resorted to trying to make Cate jealous by introducing guest star Pamela Anderson as his girlfriend. It worked, and Cate realised that life did, indeed, go on and that maybe she could find happiness again with Ed.
Adam appeared in 12 episodes right up to the end of season three, after which it was decided the show had run its course.