Those were John Ritter’s touching last words as he ended his final, posthumous appearance Tuesday on ABC’s “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.”
The show was watched by 17.5 million people, ABC said yesterday.
It was the last of three new episodes the beloved star filmed before he died suddenly Sept. 11 at age 54.
Airing from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., “8 Simple Rules” was the highest-rated program of the evening.
Fox won the night overall, however, with Game 1 of the National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Florida Marlins. The 11-inning thriller, which the Marlins won 9-8, attracted an average audience of 15.6 million, Fox said yesterday.
In Ritter’s final frame – taken from an episode seen last season – he watches wistfully as one of his TV children, 16-year-old Bridget (Kaley Cuoco), leaves the house for a driving lesson.
He crooked his index finger in an expression of farewell and said gently, “Off you go.” The frame froze and the words “John Ritter 1948-2003” appeared on screen, followed by, “We will never forget you.”
The image capped a brief montage of loving scenes and outtakes featuring Ritter and his co-stars warmly laughing and embracing, accompanied by soft music, as the episode’s final credits rolled.
With plans for continuing the show still being formulated, ABC will commence airing repeats of “8 Simple Rules” from last season next Tuesday night at 8.