Final Ritter episode boosts ABC ratings
NEW YORK -- ABC's ratings soared in the opening half-hour of primetime with John Ritter's third and final "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" episode. Ritter was working on the fourth episode when he died last month. Daily Variety said the show would resume shooting in a few weeks with new episodes that address the death of his character. The Tuesday 8 p.m. sitcom averaged 17.5 million viewers and 6.9 rating share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. "8 Simple Rules" gave a big boost to the rest of ABC's 8-10 p.m. comedy block but Fox was still poised to win the night on the strength of its post-season baseball coverage, the Hollywood Reporter said. ABC's 8:30 p.m. newcomer, "I'm with Her," hit 12.2 million, and had the benefit of the "8 Simple Rules" windfall as its lead-in, but it sank seven share points.
NEW YORK -- ABC's ratings soared in the opening half-hour of primetime with John Ritter's third and final "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" episode. Ritter was working on the fourth episode when he died last month. Daily Variety said the show would resume shooting in a few weeks with new episodes that address the death of his character. The Tuesday 8 p.m. sitcom averaged 17.5 million viewers and 6.9 rating share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research. "8 Simple Rules" gave a big boost to the rest of ABC's 8-10 p.m. comedy block but Fox was still poised to win the night on the strength of its post-season baseball coverage, the Hollywood Reporter said. ABC's 8:30 p.m. newcomer, "I'm with Her," hit 12.2 million, and had the benefit of the "8 Simple Rules" windfall as its lead-in, but it sank seven share points.
Charles Mims
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