Entertainment Weekly is reporting that James Garner is joining the cast as the father of the widow. The first episode will be in November, just in time for sweeps. There was some talk about whether or not ABC will try and cash in on Ritter's death. The sweeps move may be fuel for that fire. ABC is actually doing a better job this year and with the strategy of using primarily sitcoms, the ship seems to be righting itself, however slowly.
I think Garner will be a good fit. He's a fun actor to watch. As far as cashing in on the sweeps: Is it cashing in or just timing ? How long does it take to find someone to replace JR, rewrite scripts, get those shows filmed,etc. I think if people want to see everything ABC does as bad, then they're going to insist that ABC is cashing in.
Let's see... November is 2 1/2 weeks away. The cast was traumatized (I'm sure) by a good friend nearly dying in front of them (where they will continue to work). Said friend did die, and the employees of the show needed a little time to return and begin working again. Then they had to find another actor for the show (almost said replacement - impossible ), get scripts together and all cast members and begin rehearsing and filming. No, ABC is not "cashing in " on the sweeps. Too bad he didn't die at a more convenient time for the conspiracy theorists. Erin
There is a link on Yahoo that says Suzanne Pleshette will play Garner's wife and that they are separated but get back together for the sake of the family. The article made it sound like Pleshette will be the long term replacement, not Garner.
