John Ritter, television comedian and star of ABC’s “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter,” died last week from an undetected heart ailment that caused a massive tear in his aorta. [ABCNews.com]. Also star of the 1970s-era “Three’s Company” a generation ago, Ritter had a talent for delivering hilarious lines with absolutely no affect and specialized in gender-related comedy.
And his comeback last year was massive. More than 25 million people tuned in to the 2002 debut of 8 Simple Rules to see Ritter’s return to TV comedy. It was ABC’s largest audience in the time slot with a sitcom since the debut of Roseanne in Fall ’88. The network, of course, cynically says that the current show — the top sitcom in ABC’s line-up — may not be cancelled. Well, maybe “the show must go on,” but Tuesday nights will not be the same, that’s for sure.