‘8 Simple Rules’ Reunion: Kaley Cuoco, TV Siblings Honor James Garner
There apparently was a 8 Simple Rules reunion last weekend, with a heartwarming picture of some of the cast members to prove it.
Actress Kaley Cuoco took a picture alongside her former TV siblings, Amy Davidson and Martin Spanjers, and shared it with her Instagram followers Sunday.
The former Hennessy siblings wanted to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of their fellow 8 Simple Rules co-star, James Garner.
In the picture, each of them are holding a “Grandkids” frame with individual photographs of themselves with the Oscar-nominated actor.
“Today was pretty magical. Siblings for life #8simplerules #grandpagarner”
James Garner became a regular 8 Simple Rules cast member shortly after the tragic death of actor John Ritter. Ritter suffered from an undetected heart ailment and passed away on September 11, 2003, at the age of 54.
Forgot how truly funny John Ritter was especially: 8 Simple Rules Bloopers: http://t.co/LkGPv8XlPX @KateySagal @KaleyCuoco
— Chuck Fiello Jr. (@OrangeChuck) June 4, 2014
Even though the show’s success revolved primarily around John Ritter’s character, ABC decided to continue filming the show after a one-month hiatus. Lloyd Braun, the ABC Entertainment chairman, opened up about the decision to the New York Times in a September, 2003, interview.
“We are in uncharted territory here. I do believe it will be great television. It may not be funny television, but it will be great television. Eventually, it will have to get funny again.”
Ritter’s final three episodes were shown when the second season was initially scheduled to premiere, with an introduction by actress Katey Sagal to start each one. The show was then put on hiatus for one month, and a new direction was taken.
8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, which was shortened to 8 Simple Rules, added John’s death to its story.
Ritter’s character, Paul Hennessy, collapsed and died from a heart problem — which somewhat mirrored the way that John died in real-life.
That was when James Garner came into the picture. The 8 Simple Rules crew added Garner to the cast to play Katey Sagal’s father, Jim Egan — the loving and protective grandfather, Korean War veteran, and divorcee that tried to hide his tobacco addiction from the rest of his family.
8 Simple Rules One of the funniest James Garner Scenes! https://t.co/Kt03havrdk via @YouTube
— Gigi & James Garner (@MavrocksGirl) June 10, 2015
After a successful acting career that lasted nearly 60 years, James Garner suffered a heart attack and passed away on July 19, 2014, at the age of 86.
Kaley Cuoco paid tribute to James Garner after he died with an emotional tweet.
“I say this with a heavy broken heart. Was an honor working beside u receiving ur bear hugs every day. (Heart) u Grampa Jim.”
It is apparently clear that Garner made a significant impact on the lives of his much younger 8 Simple Rules co-stars — which probably explains why Kaley Cuoco felt that reuniting with her former TV siblings to honor his memory made her day “pretty magical.”
[Image Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images]
