Ruby and The Rockits

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 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 Cassidy (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.

Cast and characters

Critical reception

Ruby & the Rockits received a score of 60 out of 100 from review aggregator Metacritic. 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 1950s 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."

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.

1. "Lost in Your Own Life" (released on June 30, 2009)
2. "You are Where I Live" (released on July 21, 2009)
3. "The Way It's Gonna Be" (released on July 28, 2009)
4. "Forever Your Song" (released on August 4, 2009)
5. "Too High a Price" (released on August 11, 2009)
6. "Possibilities" (released on August 18, 2009)
7. "When I Close My Eyes" (released on September 1, 2009)

Unreleased songs that have only been featured in the series include:

1. "Where Should I Be?" (heard on July 21, 2009)
2. "Lost in Your Own Life (acoustic)" (heard on July 21, 2009)
3. "Lost in Your Own Life (duet)" (heard on July 21, 2009)
4. "Only a Dream Lasts Forever" (heard on July 21, 2009)
5. "Chunnel of Love" (heard on July 28, 2009)
6. "Let's Make Love" (heard on August 11, 2009)
7. "Forever Your Song (instrumental)" (heard on August 25, 2009)
8. "Humming Medley" (heard on September 8, 2009)

Cancellation

On September 12, 2009, ABC Family announced the cancellation of Ruby & the Rockits. The last episode aired on September 22, 2009.