...Acknowledging that Ritter was an irreplaceable force, the producers had to overcome the predicament of filling the void of a father figure in the show. Jim(James Garner, Maverick), widowed Cate's father, and his grandson C.J (David Spade, Just Shoot Me) joined the party to add a touch of lighthearted humor to the emotional situation at hand and to all those wannabe boyfriends reinforce Ritter's number one rule: "If you make my daughters cry, I'll make you cry."
But what would life be like on set without Ritter and would the cast cope? Death is an incredibly depressing experience, and the death of the main role often means the death of the show. ."..everyone pulled together, we all just felt fortunate to still be there. Yet it was all so emotional and heartbreaking..."says Garner. After subsequent discussions all parties were convinced that the show, inHollywoodtradition, must go on... for Ritter...
