July 21 (2009-07-21) – September 22, 2009 (2009-09-22)
Ruby & the Rockits is an American comedy series executive produced by Shaun Cassidy and Marsh McCall.[1] The series premiered on Tuesday, July 21, 2009.
The series was created by Shaun Cassidy, the creator of American Gothic and Invasion, brother of cast member Patrick Cassidy, and half-brother of the show's star David Cassidy. Their youngest brother Ryan Cassidy worked on the show in a behind-the-scenes capacity.
Premise
Ruby & the Rockits follows Patrick Gallagher, a former teen icon, who has chosen to lead a quiet life with his wife Audie (herself an ex-1980s music video dancer) and two sons. But when his former Rockits bandmate and brother, David, shows up unexpectedly with his new-found teenage daughter in tow, the Gallagher family's life becomes anything but normal. David, who refuses to give up his past glory days, comes to Patrick for help raising Ruby while he continues to perform. Patrick must now put the past with David behind them in order to help raise Ruby and keep order within the rest of the Gallagher clan.
On February 2, 2009, ABC Family announced it had ordered a full season of ten episodes,[2] and the series premiere was watched by 1.6 million viewers.[3] However, due to low ratings, the show was canceled at the end of the season.[4]
Ruby & the Rockits received a score of 60 out of 100 from review aggregator Metacritic.[5] Reviews were mixed but generally favorable. Robert Lloyd, from the Los Angeles Times, stated in his review that the show "feels surprisingly ordinary and uninformed, put together out of scraps from the old sitcom drawer."[6] In a review in the New York Daily News, David Hinckley also noted the feeling of a 1950s sitcom but, in contrast, said this "isn't totally a bad thing."[7] Hinckley adds that despite the jokes of rock star life, the show "keeps it all remarkably clean and wholesome."[7] Another reviewer says "it's simple enough for the kids and entertaining enough for the adults."[8]
A review in the Boston Globe stated that Ruby & the Rockits has no right to be as likable as it is, and called the show "a warm intergenerational comedy that never pushes life lessons in your face."[9] Similarly, The Hollywood Reporter's Randee Dawn noted the "same unicorn-and-rainbows flavor Disney has been shilling out for years", but adds that this "makes it practically perfect in every way."[10] In a review for Variety, Brian Lowry called the show "borderline ridiculous" and stated that "there's nothing much to recommend."[11] Furthermore, the Los Angeles Times review said that it was "not especially good."[6]
Story by : Shaun Cassidy & Ed Yeager Teleplay by : Marsh McCall & Ed Yeager
July 21, 2009 (2009-07-21)
In the series opener, teenage Ruby (Alexa Vega) reconnects with her dad, David (David Cassidy) a pop star whose heyday was in the 1980s. David then seeks out his estranged brother and former bandmate, Patrick (Patrick Cassidy) who's now a suburban dad from whom David needs helps.
Songs Featured:"Lost in Your Own Life" (studio version) by Ruby, "Lost in Your Own Life" (acoustic version) by Jordan and "Only a Dream Lasts Forever" by The Rockits.
Songs Featured:"The Way It's Gonna Be" by Ruby and "Chunnel of Love" by The Rockits
3
"Do You Want Me to Blow a Secret?"
Ted Wass
Larry Reitzer
August 4, 2009 (2009-08-04)
Jordan asks Ruby for a ride home from a keg party, but the only vehicle available is Patrick's new car, which Ruby is not allowed to drive. She decides that it is more important to help Jordan than to listen to the rules. The next morning Patrick is upset because he thinks David drove his car, due to alcohol smell and the drivers seat is meant to fit a person in a smaller size. Ruby convinces David to take the blame for Jordan and her. He apologizes to Patrick, and Patrick forgives him. Later, they watch David's interview. Upon describing Ruby, he says she's a rebel, and a crazy person just like he was/is. He then proceeds to go into detail of how she stole his brothers car and saved her drunk cousin. Patrick ends up grounding Jordan for three weeks, Ruby for one.
Ruby throws a party to impress some new classmates, but David throws a bash that outshines hers. Elsewhere, Patrick and Audie embark on a weekend getaway, but end up mad at each other when they share a secret. Audie's secret is that she had kissed David before Patrick, thus making Patrick mad. When he gets over it, she asks what his secret might be, and it is implied that he had kissed one of her cousins at a Christmas party.
Ruby wants to date an older guy, and David and Patrick have opposing views on the matter. David then sneaks Ruby out through her bedroom window. While on her date Jordan shows up and he and Ruby's date start to argue, but it is then revealed that her date is gay and didn't think it was a date in the first place.
David invites a magazine reporter to accompany him and Ruby on a day they spend bonding. Elsewhere, Jordan wants to know if Ruby is indeed David's offspring, so he tries to obtain DNA samples from them.
Ruby gets mad at Jordan when he starts dating her best friend Kristen (Lucy Hale) meanwhile, David and Patrick teach Ben how to defend himself against a bully at school, the dad and the uncle lie, and teach Ben how to fight the bully, he ends up winning. It turns out the bully is a girl.
^ abLloyd, Robert (July 21, 2009). "Ruby & the Rockits". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2010.