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Rating: Country: USA Release Date: May 19, 2009 Distributor: Lionsgate Cast: · Katey Sagal · Kaley Cuoco · Amy Davidson · Martin Spanjers · James Garner · John Ritter Related Sites: · IMDb: 8 Simple Rules Grade: B

8 Simple Rules is a testament to the old showbiz tenet, "The Show Must Go On." Initially a comedy vehicle for it's star, John Ritter, the series took a sudden and unexpected turn when Ritter died of heart failure with only three episodes completed. Suddenly it was up to co-star Katey Sagal to take charge of the Hennessy household, raising the three children: Bridget (The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco), Kerry (Amy Davidson, and Rory (Martin Spanjers).

After Ritter's passing, however, it just wasn't the same show anymore. Nor, really, should it have been. It remained a comedy, but now it was more of a sad one, as the family took several episodes to cope with the loss of a father -- and the actors mourned on-screen the loss of a beloved cast member. And a series that had once been light comedy suddenly became one almost constantly tinged with a sometimes onerous melancholy.

Deciding that the sitcom family still needed a patriarch, the writers brought in Cate Hennessy's father, Jim, played by veteran actor James Garner. Garner supplied the fatherly support and gentle humor, but he didn't quite pull off the goofy charm of Ritter; so the producers overstretched in the other direction, and brought in David Spade as Cate's lackwit slacker nephew C.J. to balance things out -- proving to all that it took two, in all other ways, fine actors to almost equal what John Ritter did effortlessly.

Quite naturally, the events kick off some drastic changes in the personalities of the characters. The usually flighty Bridget begins to take some serious turns, trying too hard to remain the perpetually-perky and airheaded popular girl. She lucks into the role of Anne Frank for the school play, treating the role flippantly until Cate gives her the actual book to read. On debut night, Bridget shines as she taps into the sadness of her father's death and channels it into her character. She also takes a position as a lifeguard at the local YMCA, where she converts all of her little blonde swim students into miniature versions of herself -- which you'd think would be a bad thing until you see Bridget prove herself surprisingly capable at rebuffing unwanted advances from older men.

The more studious Kerry, on the other hand, finds herself growing in popularity at school, which is something new for her to adapt to. She's dating Bridget's ex-boyfriend Kyle (Billy Aaron Brown), only to break things off with him when he tells her he loves her, because she believes it's out of pity for her.

Youngest child Rory begins acting out, first trying to fill the shoes of his father by acting authoritarian and protective over his sisters, then later employing a ventriloquist dummy to vent his inner feelings with impunity, lying to his family that it was recommended by the school guidance counselor.

The season takes more unexpected turns near the conclusion, as the writing starts to herd Cate's character into looking for someone to date. The girls find her in a seeming embrace with their father's replacement at his newspaper, and take a road trip to sort out their feelings. Much later, Adam Arkin is brought on board as the new high school principal, who shares a past with Cate that she has difficulty remembering.

Notable guest appearances this season include Tatum O'Neal as a PTA parent Jim falls for, and Home Improvement's Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Bridget's tutor, whom she starts to take a liking to, prompting others to call her out on her fickleness with the opposite sex.

Easily the most difficult season of the short-lived series, this collection is a case study for a cast and production crew in transition, forging ahead when beset with a catastrophic interruption. It wasn't always great comedy, but it did serve up a fitting remembrance of a beloved actor. Unfortunately, this DVD set misses the boat by not having any special features at all, where a cast reunion to share memories would have seemed blindingly obvious.