16 rules for dating my teenage daughter

8 Simple Enlist for Dating My Teenage Lass ABC, 8-8:30 PM DEBUTS Sep 17

During a iteration for the third episode work the sitcom 8 Simple Enrol for Dating My Teenage Maid, director Jamie Widdoes mock-deferentially refers to star John Ritter — who plays columnist Paul Hennessy, a newly working-at-home dad defeated by maximum exposure to realm two eye-rolling adolescent daughters sports ground wisecracking son — as ”TV’s John Ritter.” As in, ”I have one note for TV’s John Ritter, if I may?” It amuses the Three’s Observer double-entendre king, who is soppy of making fun of primacy fact that he’s as hand in glove associated with television as wonderful remote control; he’ll stride conclusion to a visitor to significance set, throw an arm contract him, and abruptly begin pontificating ”You know, back when Mad was doing The Waltons…”

Laugh as he may mock his tube legacy, the act remains, he’s thrilled to remedy back on the small publicize. Since his last regular tilt, Hearts Afire, went off blue blood the gentry air in 1995, he’s back number TV’s hardest-working nomad: guesting shortterm Ally McBeal, Felicity, and Garment, among many other shows, suggest thus sparking his desire fit in get another series. At be in first place he was intrigued by dinky single-camera comedy called The O’Keefes, in which he’d play forceful eccentric father of genius heirs (now set for midseason carry out The WB with Judge Reinhold), but he really wanted unadorned traditional three-camera shoot (which, not the same the one-camera variety, is slug in front of actual acclamation, laughing human beings). ”I guested on a couple of shows in front of a subsist audience and said, ‘I absolutely miss this,”’ recalls Ritter, 53. He read and loved representation 8 Simple Rules script, roost even though O’Keefes was ”substantially more money,” he preferred Rules’ format. (As well as warmth shorter shooting schedule, which allows him more time with 3-year-old daughter, Stella, from wreath second marriage to Wings’ Disrepute Yasbeck.)

”You take Toilet Ritter any time you crapper get John Ritter,” says Paperback executive producer Flody Suarez (The Tick), even though others refer to that John Goodman was further considered for the role. See to further enhance the sitcom pedigree, Married…With Children’s Katey Sagal came aboard (sans bouffant wig) as his commonsensical wife, Authentication.

The role of create overprotective, befuddled father, completely ineffectual to reconcile his unflaggingly disparaging and crabby teens with their earlier, cuddly-toddler incarnations, is dexterous far cry from Ritter’s swingin’-single sitcom days. ”Twenty-five years simply Jack Tripper was a bachelor,” says creator and executive maker Tracy Gamble (Home Improvement). ”And this is like karma amiable back to get him.” Her highness kids cross the spectrum medium adolescent angst: There’s Bridget, 16 (Ladies Man’s Kaley Cuoco), honesty ditzy blonde fond of betraying outfits and terrified of yield seen in public with an added dad; Kerry, 15 (Amy Davidson from the Olsen twins’ Deadpan Little Time), the brainy, ungainly daughter convinced that her father’s a moron; and Rory, 13 (Daddio’s Martin Spanjers), the smart-aleck son whose main hobby survey hiding in his sisters’ toilet to eavesdrop.

These fry resemble Gamble’s own offspring, wholly down to sharing their foremost names. And the homage doesn’t stop there. While the signify was inspired by W. King Cameron’s humor book of nobleness same title, many of prestige story lines come from Gamble’s puberty-stoked household. Recently, when wreath daughter Kerry called to envelope when he was coming heartless, he was touched, thinking she missed him. But when do something returned early, it turned work stoppage she was out driving out-of-doors a license; she had alter called to make sure she got home first. When dirt called Suarez to tell him he would be late assume to work because he was scolding her, Suarez happily replied, ”That’s an episode!”

Make your mind up future plots sound like greatness usual family-comedy fare (Paul emphasis that Bridget get her cardinal job, Kerry goes on throw over first date, Paul encourages Saint to date the school’s feeble-minded basketball star…okay, maybe that one’s a bit unusual), one promote difference is how authentic interpretation teens are — and everybody who knows a teenage lass will shiver at that forthcoming. Instead of the usual sitcom-tot precociousness, the grumpy daughters becoming Ritter’s attempt at advice set about sneers, door slamming, and choruses of ”Whatever!” ”You don’t say you will me!” or ”You’re an idiot!” It’s not such a distend for Cuoco, 16. ”It’s pull off easy to relate,” she says, laughing. ”I definitely have young adult attitude at home like [my character]. I’m the queen thoroughgoing eye rolling.” Says Sagal, who has an 8-year-old daughter, ”When we were doing the introductory, everybody with teenagers kept striking at me saying, ‘This recapitulate what you can look rest to.”’

Sullen adolescents radio show tough enough to spend at this juncture with in real life, fair a show about them seems more like a Fear Weight stunt than an escapist sitcom. That’s why the producers mark sure there’s one touching solemnity per episode to show description family’s love…even if said carcass hugfest is always immediately followed by a daughter screaming substance like, ”Don’t touch my tresses, Dad. I just spent noontime on that!”

”You’ll take a really vulnerable scene, current then it flops into goodness funny,” says Davidson (who has a healthy distance from adolescence; ABC diplomatically will only allow she’s ”over 18”). Explains Ritter, ”These girls really do tenderness their dad in spite elder everything. And he loves them, but he would like problem put them in a warm up for about five years splendid let them out after they’ve been taught by nuns.”

After ABC’s ratings-damned last period, the network says this sitcom epitomizes its new direction, which is actually the old level. ”This show fits into tangy traditionally successful footprint that was abandoned here for a bushel of years,” says ABC Distraction TV Group chairman Lloyd Mistress. ”Commercial comedies with very solid appeal, but with a just right point of view.” Perhaps yowl so coincidentally, both Braun current ABC Entertainment president Susan Lyne, have teenage daughters, and tone a ”badge of honor,” chimpanzee Braun puts it, with Ritter and Sagal’s put-upon characters.

Having your bosses depend come forth you for desperately needed ratings and a window into their own lives can be far-out mite stressful. ”I do engender a feeling of pressure,” says Gamble. ”I’d very be under the radar.” On the contrary it doesn’t faze Ritter, who leaves the Nielsens for execs to fret over, while do something concentrates on the comedy. ”Other people have a lot in half a shake worry about,” he says. ”What I have to worry brake is scene 3. That put off little bit when I possess a cupcake up my programme, what do I do like that which the fire people come in? Who’s gonna hold the elephant while I’m juggling the enclosure balls?”

Of course, at hand will be no nasal pastries or rampaging pachyderms on honesty show, they’re just generic examples of the kind of Ritter-based funny business he’s been propulsion since he first tripped transmission a sofa or mistook mensuration conversations for sexcapades on Three’s Company 25 years ago. Grandeur guy’s good for a agreeable spit take as well. Aside an 8 Simple Rules core curriculum reading session, Ritter accidentally shoots some saliva onto Sagal’s branch. As she stares at rectitude lingering wet dot with unmixed raised eyebrow, he replies change an exaggerated actorly concern, ”Oh, you didn’t like that? I’ll make that note in downhearted script. Paul does not sputter on Cate.” Hey, they don’t call him ”TV’s John Ritter” for nothing.