Forget “Roots.”

Forget “The Winds of War.”

Forget “The Thorn Birds.”

No mere miniseries could hope to match the spectacle, the grandeur and the exploitation of “The Death of John Ritter.” This production is of a scale unrivaled in the annals of television. It promises to thrive long after other TV shows have been forgotten.

Or so it seems, based on what has happened since the tragic death Sept. 11 of one of the most popular stars in the history of the medium. Ritter, 54, died of a heart ailment at St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank just hours after complaining of chest pains and a sick stomach on the set of his hit series, “8 Simples Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.”

Ritter’s death stunned the nation. It also stunned ABC.

Of course, I’m sure network officials were genuinely devastated by the loss of one of their own. But they also lost one of their most important weapons in the battle for prime-time supremacy. Ritter’s show was expected to be the cornerstone of the network’s comeback season.

ABC was placed in an unenviable position. After the emotional shock wore off – I won’t speculate on the actual length of the mourning period – network officials had to make some difficult decisions.

Well, I assume they were difficult decisions. Not surprisingly, they decided to exploit Ritter’s death for all it’s worth.

Yes, I know that sounds terribly cynical. And the high ratings for the actor’s final three episodes demonstrated how much the TV audience loved him and his show. But I believe those final episodes served as part of the grieving process. It was a chance for audiences to say goodbye, and to admire Ritter’s work one last time.

The network took it as a sign to exploit the situation.

In case you haven’t heard, James Garner and Suzanne Pleshette have been hired to join the show as Katey Sagal’s recently separated parents.

Not surprisingly, these new episodes with Garner and Pleshette will air – TRUMPETS BLARING, CYMBALS CRASHING – during the November “sweeps” period.

This is the period during which networks showcase their best programs to secure the best advertising rates for the rest of the season.

Have we mentioned that “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” was one of the network’s top earners in advertising revenue?

Shortly after Ritter’s death, network executives found themselves in a predicament. They considered the possibility of replacing their star, but history was against them.

Although many shows have survived the loss of a supporting cast member, shows that lost their star did not fare well. Remember what happened to “Chico and the Man” after the suicide of Freddie Prinze?

So the network quickly determined that Ritter would not be replaced. But they were not ready to cook the golden goose.

It was announced that the show would return with episodes that deal with the father’s death and its impact on the family.

Speaking to Daily Variety, ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne said of the discussions to kill the show: “That was our initial instinct because John is clearly irreplaceable.

“But the more we talked about it, the more we saw the impact of his death not just in our family, but across the country, and felt there was another way to go here, that there was an opportunity to do something maybe that would break out.” The key word here is “opportunity.”

The addition of two hugely popular TV legends and the traffic-accident-by-the-side-of-the-road curiosity factor should send ratings through the roof during November sweeps. But that doesn’t make it right. Those ratings should not be a mandate to continue this distasteful exploitation of the death of a beloved entertainer.

I’m sure a TV movie on the life of John Ritter is in the works. I’m sure some clever station manager already is planning to rerun episodes of Ritter’s earlier series, including “Three’s Company,” “Hearts Afire” and even “Hooperman.” Maybe they’ll open the actor’s home for public tours and call it Ritterland.

Nothing will surprise me when it comes to finding ways to make money off “The Death of John Ritter.”

Of course, I should note that Ritter’s wife, actress Amy Yasbeck, has urged that the show go on. At the time of her husband’s death, she released this statement:

“John always dealt with anything that life threw at him with humor. He felt so lucky to be working with such wonderful people every day. They all had such a warm friendship, and I know John would want his friends to be able to continue doing what they love.”

I don’t doubt the sincerity of Ritter’s widow. But I find it interesting that it was the network that released her statement and then persuaded her to be interviewed by Diane Sawyer for the ABC show “PrimeTime.”

I think the network is trying desperately not to seem crass.

I don’t think it’s working.



Barry Koltnow: (714) 796-5051, Ext. 1110, or bkoltnowocregister.com



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