Garner to Stick Around on 8 Simple Rules Source: The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday, December 23, 2003

James Garner has signed to continue to star as Grandpa Jim in ABC's comedy 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. He'll be appearing in all the remaining episodes of the season.

Garner was first brought on board to guest star in four episodes this fall to help take the series through the transition from a show that revolved around the travails of a harried dad and newspaper columnist played by John Ritter, who died of a heart ailment in September, to a new focus on a family coping with the sudden loss of its patriarch.

Garner plays the father of Katey Sagal's character, the widowed Cate Hennessy, who came to support his daughter and three teenage grandchildren as they grapple with grief and the harsh realities of becoming a single-parent family.

Garner will return to the set on January 5 to tape scenes for an episode which also marks the first guest appearance of David Spade, who signed on to do a multiple-episode arc.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news.php?id=2811

That's wonderful news! Garner is great on 8SR and works really well with the cast.

Heres another article about it if you wanna read it came out of our local newspaper website http://www.startribune.com/stories/459/4287830.html

Awesome! I had been hoping that he would.

Cool

Ugh...personally, I don't really like the character...he just seems to get in the way sometimes...

Originally posted by bb25
Ugh...personally, I don't really like the character...he just seems to get in the way sometimes...
I disagree. But it's all in opinion.

Well, I mean, why does Cate's father always have to be there? I thought from the time he was on more than 2 episodes that he should be dropped and the show should revolve around only Cate and the kids trying to survive and get along without Paul. Isn't that what a real family would do? Jim wouldn't be living there if Paul were still alive. Maybe they just feel they need another principal male actor in the show, who knows...

Originally posted by bb25
Well, I mean, why does Cate's father always have to be there? I thought from the time he was on more than 2 episodes that he should be dropped and the show should revolve around only Cate and the kids trying to survive and get along without Paul. Isn't that what a real family would do? Jim wouldn't be living there if Paul were still alive. Maybe they just feel they need another principal male actor in the show, who knows...

I understand what you're saying. And I agree to a point. I just happen to find his character to be very funny and so I'm glad he's staying. But I thought he should have been just a visiting relative. I didn't think he was going to leave his own home to move in with Cate and the kids.

I guess they need an adult for Cate to talk to.

to be honest with you a real family going through this sort oof trauma does sometimes have someone stay with them for support trust me

Well speaking from my familys views of death, I have an uncle who had to have surgery for a very bad intestinal infection. he got out of the hospital, and about a week later something went wrong and he was in intensive care and expected to die. Well he recovered but i can tell you this, if he did die, i know no one from our family would go down there and live with her after his passing. i know people would show all the care and do anything they could to get her on track with being alone. but no one would live with her, because they all got their own lives. ive always looked at the show from their fathers death like this, the kids are old enough where they dont need a real strong male figure around. they could easily do away with James Garner if they wanted but i think for a tv shows sake, it needs someone there..

you have good points

I think grandpa living with his dd & her children is a good idea for the show. It is realistic. My mother died yrs ago & my dad's mom moved from Ca. & into our house in Ohio. She stayed till I was out of high school. Cate's dad can be shown as helping with life & doing what most would call rediculous & funny. Such as when he thought fixing the doorbell was a much needed & important thing or he could do 'old' things, such as, my grandma often called the refrigerator an icebox (that is what she grew up with). Maybe one day in the future there will be another man in Cate's life & they will get married, then grandpa will move out but still show up in many of the episodes. (Do any of you remember "All in the Family"? Mike & Gloria moved out but were still in the show.)

Im glad he's staying.

Next to Rory.... he's my favorite character.
(not including Paul)

I'm glad that he will be continuing to work with the cast of 8SR. :)