Ruby and The Rockits
Encyclopedia
Ruby & The Rockits is a short lived ABC Studios half-hour multi-cam comedy series executive produced by Shaun Cassidy
and Marsh McCall. 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
. Also, their youngest brother Ryan Cassidy worked on the show in a behind-the-scenes capacity.
On September 12, 2009, it was announced that ABC Family
had canceled Ruby & the Rockits. The last episode aired on September 22, 2009.
(The Partridge Family
), his brother Patrick Cassidy
(Smallville
), Katie A. Keane
, Alexa Vega
(Spy Kids
), and Austin Butler
(Zoey 101
) star in the series.
ABC Family announced on October 8, 2008 that the pilot had been greenlit
and, on February 2, 2009, announced it had ordered 10 episodes for a full season. The series premiere of Ruby & the Rockits was watched by 1.6 million viewers.
In September 2009, ABC Family
decided not to order any additional episodes, effectively canceling the series after one season.
. 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." In a review in the New York Daily News, David Hinckley also noted the feeling of a '50s sitcom but, in contrast, said this "isn't totally a bad thing." Hinckley adds that despite the jokes of rock star life, the show "keeps it all remarkably clean and wholesome." Another reviewer says "it's simple enough for the kids and entertaining enough for the adults."
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." 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." In a review for Variety
, Brian Lowry called the show "borderline ridiculous" and stated that "there's nothing much to recommend." Furthermore, the Los Angeles Times review said flatly that "it is not especially good."
Unreleased songs that have only been featured in the series include:
Shaun Cassidy
Shaun Paul Cassidy is an American actor, singer, writer, and producer. He is the eldest son of Academy Award winning actress Shirley Jones, and the second son of Tony award-winning actor Jack Cassidy...
and Marsh McCall. The series premiered on Tuesday, July 21, 2009.
The series was created by Shaun Cassidy, the creator of American Gothic
American Gothic (TV series)
American Gothic is an American horror series created by Shaun Cassidy and executive produced by Sam Raimi. The show first aired on CBS on September 22, 1995, and was cancelled after a single season on July 11, 1996.-Plot:...
and Invasion
Invasion (TV series)
Invasion is an American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for only one season beginning in September 2005. Somewhat similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the show told the story of the aftermath of a hurricane in which water-based creatures infiltrate a small Florida town and...
, brother of cast member Patrick Cassidy
Patrick Cassidy
Patrick Cassidy may refer to: * Patrick Cassidy , Irish classical composer of movie soundtracks* Patrick Cassidy , U.S. actor in musical theatre and television...
, and half-brother of the show's star David Cassidy
David Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
. Also, their youngest brother Ryan Cassidy worked on the show in a behind-the-scenes capacity.
On September 12, 2009, it was announced that ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
had canceled Ruby & the Rockits. The last episode aired on September 22, 2009.
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-'80s music video dancer) and two sons. But when his former Rockits band mate and brother, David, shows up unexpectedly with his new-found teenage daughter in town, 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.Production
Ruby & The Rockits was written by former teen idol Shaun Cassidy and Ed Yeager, with teleplay by Ed Yeager and Marsh McCall. Former teen idol David CassidyDavid Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
(The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
), his brother Patrick Cassidy
Patrick Cassidy (actor)
Patrick Cassidy is an American actor best known for his roles in musical theatre and television.-Personal life:...
(Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
), Katie A. Keane
Katie A. Keane
Katie A. Keane is an American actress.Keane received her M.F.A. with honors from California State University, Long Beach. In addition to a number of theatrical credits , she is best known for her role as Audie Gallagher in the television series, Ruby and The Rockits...
, Alexa Vega
Alexa Vega
Alexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
(Spy Kids
Spy Kids
The Spy Kids series is a series of family action adventure films written, produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The main plot follows the adventures of two Cortez children who become involved in their parents' espionage. The rest of their family are spies as well, including their estranged...
), and Austin Butler
Austin Butler
Austin Robert Butler is an American actor, singer, and model. He is best known for his feature films roles as Jake Pearson in Aliens in the Attic and as Peyton Leverette in the High School Musical spin-off film Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, as well as for his television roles as James on Zoey 101,...
(Zoey 101
Zoey 101
Zoey 101 is an American television series that ran from January 9, 2005 to May 2, 2008 starring Jamie Lynn Spears as teenager Zoey Brooks, produced for Nickelodeon and syndicated worldwide. The show was initially filmed at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, then at stages in Valencia,...
) star in the series.
ABC Family announced on October 8, 2008 that the pilot had been greenlit
Greenlight
To green-light a project is to give permission or a go ahead to move forward with a project. In the context of the movie and TV businesses, to green-light something is to formally approve its production finance, thereby allowing the project to move forward from the development phase to...
and, on February 2, 2009, announced it had ordered 10 episodes for a full season. The series premiere of Ruby & the Rockits was watched by 1.6 million viewers.
In September 2009, ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
decided not to order any additional episodes, effectively canceling the series after one season.
Cast
- Patrick CassidyPatrick Cassidy (actor)Patrick Cassidy is an American actor best known for his roles in musical theatre and television.-Personal life:...
as Patrick Gallagher - Ex-Rockit band member now owns a car dealership. Held a grudge with David that caused the Rockits to break up. Married to Audie and father of Jordan and Ben. - David CassidyDavid CassidyDavid Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
as David Gallagher - Ex-Rockit member and now works in a Native American casino as a nightly performer. Ruby is his daughter that he placed in the care of his brother and former band mate Patrick. - Katie A. KeaneKatie A. KeaneKatie A. Keane is an American actress.Keane received her M.F.A. with honors from California State University, Long Beach. In addition to a number of theatrical credits , she is best known for her role as Audie Gallagher in the television series, Ruby and The Rockits...
as Audie Gallagher - Ex-music video dancer. Met Patrick on the set of a Rockits music video. Married to Patrick and mother to Jordan and Ben. - Alexa VegaAlexa VegaAlexa Ellesse Vega is an American actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for playing Carmen Cortez in the Spy Kids film series and Shilo Wallace in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. In 2009, she starred as the title character Ruby Gallagher in the ABC Family series Ruby & The...
as Ruby Gallagher - Her mother died when she was 12, so she went to move in with her grandparents, who she claims forgot she was there, so she went to go find her dad. She is typically a polite, well-meaning girl. - Austin ButlerAustin ButlerAustin Robert Butler is an American actor, singer, and model. He is best known for his feature films roles as Jake Pearson in Aliens in the Attic and as Peyton Leverette in the High School Musical spin-off film Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, as well as for his television roles as James on Zoey 101,...
as Jordan Gallagher - Jordan is a typical teenage boy. He has a crush on Ruby even though they are cousins. He likes to write songs and play guitar and post them on the internet. He and Ruby often get into trouble by going against Patrick and Audie's wishes. - Kurt DossKurt DossKurt Doss is an American child actor, best known for playing Frred in Happy Monster Band, and playing the youngest son Ben Gallagher in Ruby & The Rockits.-Biography:...
as Ben Gallagher - The youngest of the family, who possesses a notable sarcastic wit. He often teases Jordan for liking Ruby.
Critical reception
Ruby & the Rockits received a score of 60 out of 100 from review aggregator MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Reviews were mixed but generally favorable. Robert Lloyd, from the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, stated in his review that the show "feels surprisingly ordinary and uninformed, put together out of scraps from the old sitcom drawer." In a review in the New York Daily News, David Hinckley also noted the feeling of a '50s sitcom but, in contrast, said this "isn't totally a bad thing." Hinckley adds that despite the jokes of rock star life, the show "keeps it all remarkably clean and wholesome." Another reviewer says "it's simple enough for the kids and entertaining enough for the adults."
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." Similarly, The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
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." In a review for Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, Brian Lowry called the show "borderline ridiculous" and stated that "there's nothing much to recommend." Furthermore, the Los Angeles Times review said flatly that "it is not especially good."
Episodes
| # | |Directed by | |Original air date |
|---|
Music
Each week, a song from the episode was released onto iTunes. As of August 5, 2009, there have been no announcements from ABC Family regarding a full soundtrack album.- "Lost in Your Own Life" (released on June 30, 2009)
- "You are Where I Live" (released on July 21, 2009)
- "The Way It's Gonna Be" (released on July 28, 2009)
- "Forever Your Song" (released on August 4, 2009)
- "Too High a Price" (released on August 11, 2009)
- "Possibilities" (released on August 18, 2009)
- "When I Close My Eyes" (released on September 1, 2009)
- "Life I Love You, Not " (released on September 8, 2009)
Unreleased songs that have only been featured in the series include:
- "Where Should I Be?" (heard on July 21, 2009)
- "Lost in Your Own Life (acoustic)" (heard on July 21, 2009)
- "Lost in Your Own Life (duet)" (heard on July 21, 2009)
- "Only a Dream Lasts Forever" (heard on July 21, 2009)
- "Chunnel of Love" (heard on July 28, 2009)
- "Let's Make Love" (heard on August 11, 2009)
- "Forever Your Song (instrumental)" (heard on August 25, 2009)
- "Humming Medley" (heard on September 8, 2009)