Editing 8 Simple Rules (section)

== Production ==

===Ritter's death===
The first three episodes of the series' second season had been completed when Ritter experienced discomfort during a rehearsal on the afternoon of September 11, 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-ritter-legacy-lives-in-ritter-rules/|title=John Ritter Legacy Lives in "Ritter Rules"|date=March 17, 2010|publisher=cbsnews.com}}</ref> Crew members took him to a nearby hospital, [[Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center]], where he was misdiagnosed as having a [[heart attack]] and, as a result, his condition had worsened when physicians later diagnosed him with an [[aortic dissection]]. He died that night at the age of 54.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/id/22989512#.UpxHNOI8rIU|title=John Ritter's widow talks about wrongful death suit|last=Considine|first=Bob|date=February 4, 2008|publisher=today.com|access-date=June 12, 2017|archive-date=December 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205013834/http://www.today.com/id/22989512#.UpxHNOI8rIU|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,628262_2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320114343/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,628262_2,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 20, 2008|title=John Ritter: 1948–2003|date=September 18, 2003|publisher=[[People (magazine)|People]]|page=2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/actor/john-ritter|title=John Ritter|website=Biography|date=October 15, 2021 }}</ref> Two days after Ritter’s emotional funeral, Disney CEO, [[Michael Eisner]] weighed in with an email to [[ABC Entertainment]] Chairman, [[Lloyd Braun]], and President, [[Susan Lyne]], outlining how they should resume the series; Eisner proposed that Cate, Ritter’s wife in the show, played by [[Katey Sagal]], be pregnant (she’d had a pregnancy scare in an earlier episode). Then she could give birth for the May [[sweeps week]]. Before the TV executives could respond, Eisner’s number-two (Disney’s President and COO), [[Bob Iger]], weighed in with an email, cheerleading his boss’s proposal. Nevertheless, Braun and Lyne were both appalled; they were still undecided about resuming the series at all, but to suggest that Ritter’s character would be leaving a baby behind was going too far. It seemed unspeakably exploitative to capitalize on Ritter’s death by making his wife pregnant and having her give birth during the May sweeps. After highly emotional arguments between both factions, where Eisner accused Braun and Lyne of behaving as [[Elitism|elitists]], the pregnancy pitch eventually faded.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stewart |first=James |title=Disneywar: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom |date=February 14, 2005 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=9780743263818 |location=New York City, New York |pages=470–472 |language=English}}</ref>

Following Ritter's death, ABC announced that ''8 Simple Rules'' would continue after a hiatus and would incorporate the death of Ritter's character. The three new episodes that Ritter had completed were aired with an introduction by Sagal.

''8 Simple Rules'' returned two months after Ritter's death with a one-hour episode, "Goodbye", which was turned into a tribute to Ritter's character. Subsequent episodes dealt with the family's reaction to his death and how they moved on from it. The first four post-Ritter episodes were shot without a live audience with [[James Garner]] and [[Suzanne Pleshette]] guest-starring as Cate's strict but loving parents and [[David Spade]] guest-starring as Cate's wayward nephew, C.J. Barnes. Garner and Spade later received starring roles in order to fill the void left by Ritter for the remainder of the series' run.

===Third season and cancellation===
Before Ritter's death, ''8 Simple Rules'' ranked 42nd in the [[Nielsen ratings]]. After Ritter's death, it had slipped to 50th, but was renewed for a third season, in which ABC moved the series to Friday at 8:00&nbsp;p.m. as part of its ''[[TGIF (ABC)|TGIF]]'' comedy line-up. The series' creator and show-runner, Tracy Gamble, left the series for a time over creative differences prior to the third season, but he later returned as a consulting producer midway through the season. Gamble was replaced by Judd Pillot and John Peaslee, who had performed the same role in the final season of Spade's sitcom ''[[Just Shoot Me!]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Show Must Go On: How the Deaths of Lead Actors Have Affected Television Series|last=Snauffer|first=Douglas|publisher=McFarland|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7864-3295-0|location=Jefferson, NC|pages=17}}</ref> The series plunged to 94th in the ratings. Even before the third-season finale's airing, rumors began circulating that ''8 Simple Rules'' was facing cancellation because of Ritter's death and poor ratings. The Friday night "death slot" ratings took their toll on ''8 Simple Rules''. The third-season finale was not aired for May [[sweeps]]. The finale received a 3.9/8 rating share, which gave ABC a third-place finish behind [[NBC]]'s ''[[Dateline NBC|Dateline]]'' (5.8/11) and [[CBS]]'s ''[[Joan of Arcadia]]'' (4.9/10), which starred Ritter's son, [[Jason Ritter|Jason]]. ABC officially cancelled ''8 Simple Rules'' in May 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/8-simple-rules-for-dating-my-teenage-daughter-last-episode/|title=8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter last episode|date=August 2, 2009}}</ref>