James Garner is joining ABC’s sitcom “8 Simple Rules” as a recurring character. Mr. Garner will play the father of Cate (Katey Segal) and will help the family deal with the death of the late John Ritter’s character, Paul Hennessy. Mr. Garner is expected to appear in four episodes. Suzanne Pleshette will guest star as Cate’s mother in the first episode of “8 Simple Rules” that deals with Paul’s death. Production on new episodes resumes Monday, Oct. 20. The first post-hiatus episode will be expanded to one hour and broadcast in November.
Couric Gets Smarts
In an exclusive prime-time interview airing Friday, Oct. 24, on NBC, Katie Couric talks to Lois and Ed Smart about their daughter Elizabeth’s nine-month kidnapping ordeal. Ms. Couric also interviewed Elizabeth Smart at the family’s ranch outside Salt Lake City.
Spike to air GQ Awards
Spike TV will air the eighth annual GQ “Men of the Year” Awards on Tuesday, Oct. 21. The telecast kicks off live at 9:30 p.m. (ET) from an evening-long event at The Regent Wall Street in New York. The awards, say Spike and GQ, are meant to recognize “men of distinction from the worlds of music, fashion and style, film and sports, comedy and television.” The honorees will be profiled in the November issue of GQ, which features Adrien Brody and Colin Farrell on its cover.