Austin Tripper
09-18-2003, 05:25 AM
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=3462476
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An ABC television tribute to its late comedy star, John Ritter, led all Tuesday night shows as the most watched program in prime time, Nielsen Media Research reported.
The one-hour special "John Ritter: Life of Laughter," averaged more than 14 million viewers, far and away the night's biggest audience, and scored a No. 1 rating of 5.0 in the key demographic of viewers aged 18 to 49, according to preliminary figures issued on Wednesday.
The robust ratings come as a seemingly good omen for the future of the ABC sitcom "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," which starred Ritter as a family man coming to terms with his children's coming of age.
Ritter, 54, died last Thursday of a previously undetected heart ailment after he collapsed on the set while filming the fourth episode of the show's upcoming second season.
ABC announced on Tuesday the series would return as planned with its Sept. 23 season premiere, followed by two other episodes completed before Ritter's death. The network will then air reruns until fresh episodes incorporating the sudden death of Ritter's character into the story line are ready.
The show had become one of the most promising new offerings on ABC's schedule, and Walt Disney Co.-owned broadcaster was counting on "8 Simple Rules" to anchor its Tuesday night lineup.
The Ritter special featured highlights from the career of the former "Three's Company" star and testimonials from his peers, producers and friends.
The second most watched program of the night, averaging 11.2 million viewers, was the Whoopi Goldberg comedy "Whoopi," the new NBC show going up against "8 Simple Rules" on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. "Big Brother" on CBS was No. 3 with 9.9 million.
:cool:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An ABC television tribute to its late comedy star, John Ritter, led all Tuesday night shows as the most watched program in prime time, Nielsen Media Research reported.
The one-hour special "John Ritter: Life of Laughter," averaged more than 14 million viewers, far and away the night's biggest audience, and scored a No. 1 rating of 5.0 in the key demographic of viewers aged 18 to 49, according to preliminary figures issued on Wednesday.
The robust ratings come as a seemingly good omen for the future of the ABC sitcom "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter," which starred Ritter as a family man coming to terms with his children's coming of age.
Ritter, 54, died last Thursday of a previously undetected heart ailment after he collapsed on the set while filming the fourth episode of the show's upcoming second season.
ABC announced on Tuesday the series would return as planned with its Sept. 23 season premiere, followed by two other episodes completed before Ritter's death. The network will then air reruns until fresh episodes incorporating the sudden death of Ritter's character into the story line are ready.
The show had become one of the most promising new offerings on ABC's schedule, and Walt Disney Co.-owned broadcaster was counting on "8 Simple Rules" to anchor its Tuesday night lineup.
The Ritter special featured highlights from the career of the former "Three's Company" star and testimonials from his peers, producers and friends.
The second most watched program of the night, averaging 11.2 million viewers, was the Whoopi Goldberg comedy "Whoopi," the new NBC show going up against "8 Simple Rules" on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. "Big Brother" on CBS was No. 3 with 9.9 million.
:cool: