Ritchie doesn't seem to be in that many episodes. Some episodes I can understand without him but there are many where he could be in. How many is he in. I wonder if he is in more episodes then he isn't or the other way around.

Ritchie doesn't seem to be in that many episodes. Some episodes I can understand without him but there are many where he could be in. How many is he in. I wonder if he is in more episodes then he isn't or the other way around.

I made this calculation a while back, using the episode-by-episode summaries in "The Dick Van Dyke Show [Book]", which lists the cast, including those credited at the show beginning, instead of just the guest cast, by episode. Ritchie appeared in 80 of 158 episodes, or just one over half the episodes. Season-by-season it breaks down this way:

1st season: 27 eps
2nd season: 22 eps
3rd season: 14 eps
4th season: 10 eps
5th season: 7 eps

So Ritchie appeared less and less as the years went by. I wouldn't have been surprised to see him dropped from the cast altogether if the show had been renewed for season 6. His appearance in the recent DVD reunion show was also very brief.

wow only 7 appearances in the fifth season. Thats amazing. I guess because he was getting older.

I heard that Ritchie wasn't used a lot as he gpot older because producers felt he wasn't as cute and lovable as an older kid as he was younger. I think there could have been a lot fo episodes written with him as he got older..the whole adolescent thing would have made for funny spots with Rob and Laura.

I heard that Ritchie wasn't used a lot as he gpot older because producers felt he wasn't as cute and lovable as an older kid as he was younger. I think there could have been a lot fo episodes written with him as he got older..the whole adolescent thing would have made for funny spots with Rob and Laura.


But even by the time the series ended, I think Ritchie was only 10 or 11 yrs old so they really couldn't do "adolscent" eps. with him.

I loved this show - one of my all time favorites, but frankly Ritchie was one lousy actor and especially as a singer (the Christmas ep. where he sang Little Drummer Boy).

If you watch him closely on a lot of the eps. he could barely keep a straight face while delivering his lines. I thought he was a better actor in the first season. It was like he got worse the older he got (a lot like Ron Howard - his acting in the latter eps. of Happy Days was pathetic)!

Too many.