According to Jim

Synopsis

Jim is a lovable suburban father. Much like his real-life counterpart, Jim's character is noted as a fan of blues music, as well as the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks. Together with his wife Cheryl, they have three children, daughters Ruby and Gracie and son Kyle. In the seventh season they become parents of twins Jonathan and Gordon.

Jim often finds himself in messy situations, because his laziness inclines him to search for alternative ways to get things done with less effort. While Cheryl's brother Andy may be Jim's best friend, her sister Dana frequently teams up with Cheryl against Jim. He also prefers to lie to Cheryl and Dana to do his own activities but they end up backfiring on him. He hates losing to women, especially if Cheryl or Dana find out. He doesn't like people interrupting him when he talks, so he speaks over them to shut them up. Jim often makes an example of Andy, who for most of the series does not have a steady girlfriend. Dana and Jim bicker constantly, but Dana flirts with Jim when she's drunk, discovering after one such event that she respects Jim as a loving father despite his flaws.

History

The show first aired following the surprise hit comedy My Wife and Kids and quickly developed an audience of its own. For its second season ABC placed it on its revitalized Tuesday line-up, which also included John Ritter's 8 Simple Rules, Bonnie Hunt's Life with Bonnie and Sara Rue's Less Than Perfect. Week by week, the show attracted more and more viewers, becoming ABC's second most watched sitcom. The show performed so well that the network made a risky move: putting Jim opposite the NBC juggernaut Frasier. Although Jim did not beat the competition, it performed well enough to secure itself that spot on the 2003 fall schedule.

On May 15, 2007, it was announced that According to Jim would not be renewed for another season. ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson said, "We are talking to the studio to see if there's something financially, a deal that would make sense for us". But on June 27, 2007, ABC renewed the show for a seventh season with 18 episodes.

According to Jim returned to ABC's schedule on Tuesday January 1, 2008, with two episodes at 9 pm and 9:30 pm. After that, the series moved to its regular time slot at 8 pm. Despite the writer's strike, ABC announced that the show would produce all 18 episodes ordered for this season.

On February 27, 2008, it was reported that ABC was close to renewing According to Jim for an eighth season. On May 13, 2008, ABC officially renewed the series and season eight began airing on December 2, 2008. Kimberly Williams-Paisley left the show's regular cast at the beginning of season eight, to devote her time to motherhood. She only made a guest appearance in the season finale.

In December 2008, co-star Larry Joe Campbell said that the sets had been destroyed, indicating that the series was cancelled, but that a series finale had been recorded. After the first six episodes of Season 8 all aired in December, According to Jim returned to ABC's schedule on April 14, 2009, for the final 12 episodes. The series finale of According to Jim aired on June 2, 2009, on ABC, and was titled "Heaven Opposed to Hell".

DVD releases

Lionsgate Home Entertainment (under license from ABC Studios) has released the first five seasons on DVD in Region 1.

U.S. television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of According to Jim on ABC.

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

Syndication