John Ritter's son remembers dad's legacy with new sitcom
John Ritter's son has praised his late dad's comedic talents as he prepares for a starring role in new sitcom The Mccarthys.
The beloved Three's Company star died from an undiagnosed aortic dissection in 2003 when son Tyler was just 18 years old, and now 29, he is following in his father's footsteps into the sitcom world with a new comedy about a family in Boston.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about his dad's legacy in TV
history, Tyler says, "I really got to see my dad enjoy every day
that he was working. Everybody should be able to have this much fun
when they go to work. He really paved that way for us and so here I
am."
He adds, "It feels very kind of surreal because he didn't see a lot
of my acting abilities. I do feel his presence and I know somewhere
he's proud of me."
In The McCarthys, Tyler plays a gay man, which has prompted
comparisons to his dad's role as Jack in Three's Company - a
straight guy pretending to be gay to his landlord in order to live
with two girls.
Tyler acknowledges the resemblance, saying, "It's a similar enough
character, we're both kind of goofy. We trip every once in a while,
whether it's physically, or over our words, or just socially. So
there are enough similarities between Ronny and Jack."
Tyler's co-star, former Roseanne actress Laurie Metcalf, is
impressed with the young actor and his uncanny likeness to his
famous father, adding, "The resemblance is so strong. I know that
his dad's reputation of having such a big heart is what everybody
remembers him for, and Tyler's the same way."