Ruby and the Rockits on ABC Family
The Cassidy Family’s New Venture
The Partridge Family was about a singing family. And one of the stars of that show was David Cassidy. Now David Cassidy stars in the summer series about two singing brothers, one is still holding onto his fame from the 1980s (David Gallagher) and the other (Patrick Gallagher) has left that part of his life in the past. Patrick (played by Patrick Cassidy) is now a car salesman with a wife and two sons of his own. The two brothers are basically estranged, but when David’s fifteen-year-old daughter arrives out of the blue, he doesn’t know what to do with her.
The Pilot Episode
The pilot episode sets up the background for the rest of the season. Alexa Vega stars as Ruby, David’s long-lost daughter who comes to live with her father. But he is not father material. He is still a lounge singer and his life isn’t set up for a child. So Patrick and his family end up taking her into their home.
Ruby has a profound influence on everyone. She brings the whole family together, and even gets the two brothers to sing together again. And, to the amazement of the rest of the family, Ruby and her cousin Jordan (Austin Butler) have inherited the singing gene.
Each episode contains a flash-back to the 80s with David and Patrick singing songs dressed in the typical 80s music video garb. And Alexa will be singing along with Austin.
The Cassidy Brothers Working Together
This is a real Cassidy family venture. Shaun Cassidy (The Hardy Boys and former teen singing star himself) is the Executive Producer and youngest brother Ryan Cassidy is the set dresser. David’s wife Sue co-wrote some of the songs used in the show, and Patrick’s wife Melissa is the choreographer for the music videos. And, to top it all off, Shirley Jones (the mother of Shaun, Patrick, and Ryan) attends every taping of the show, which is always taped in front of a studio audience.
Ruby and the Rockits is loosely based on the real lives of the Cassidy family. As fans of David Cassidy know, he introduced his daughter to his family when she was a young girl. They had no idea she existed. So, Ruby is a representation of Katie Cassidy. And all four of the Cassidy brothers sing and dance. They are the second generation of actors/singers in their family, much like Ruby and Jordan are in the series. The parallels between the real Cassidy brothers and the characters on the show are the backbone of the series.
Young Kurt Doss plays Patrick’s youngest son Ben, and Katie A. Keane plays his wife Audie.
On the Set of Ruby and the Rockits
Off screen the cast and crew are one large, happy family, which transcends to their on-screen life as well. They laugh and joke all the time, both on and off camera. Watching a day in the life of this group of people, it is evident that they are really enjoying being together.
Ryan says, “The only downside I can see is that if it doesn’t work out, it’s going to be a big disappointment.” But Patrick quickly adds with a bit of humor, “The biggest upside is that we’re getting paid for therapy.”
“In truth, this show is so much like our lives, at various different times in our life, and experiences, relationships that they’ve had with each other,” explains Ryan. “So there’s a lot of truth to this show and how we grew up.”
Executive Producer Shaun Cassidy comments, “This is sort of a throw back to Cosby and Family Ties in that, it’s not really aimed at kids and it’s not completely aimed at adults, it’s for really for everybody.”
This series starts off rather slowly, but as the weeks progress the episodes improve. Even David Cassidy admits the show gets “better and better and better every week.” So, if viewers aren’t overly excited about the show after the pilot, they should definitely give it another chance.
Ruby and the Rockits is a combination of The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, and the feature film Music and Lyrics.
It's corny, but corny isn't always bad. And just knowing the family connection adds a great deal for the viewers.
Ruby and the Rockits airs Tuesdays at 8:30 PM ET/PT on ABC Family.
Click here for more about Shaun Cassidy.
Click here for more about Austin Butler.
Click here for more about Patrick Cassidy.
David Cassidy Stars in Ruby and the Rockits
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