PRIME TIME Sarcasm's king continues his reign on TV

David Spade enters second season on '8 Simple Rules.'
By DEBORA SHAULIS
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Still deciding who to support in this presidential election? So is comedian David Spade.
Unlike most voters, Spade is doing his homework a little differently. A few months ago, he performed at an event for President Bush. A week later, he was on stage at a fund-raiser for Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic Party's presumed nominee.
"I got to meet them both, which is not anything other than a quick deal," Spade said in a telephone interview to promote his Thursday night show in Youngstown.
Like the rest of us, Spade is "trying to decide who I believe in ... I thought you had to agree 100 percent" with a candidate, he says. Now he realizes "It's just what you agree with more."
New time slot
Decision, decisions ... Spade has had to make quite a few of 'em.
Take, for example, his joining the cast of the ABC sitcom "8 Simple Rules" after John Ritter's death last fall. Some people thought ABC was gambling just by keeping the show going without its central character. Even Spade believed it would be "an uphill battle," he said.
The first time ABC executives called Spade to make him an offer, "I said no, that's just an odd time for the show," Spade recalled. He was in talks with all of the networks about an idea he had for a show that involved kids. He hadn't worked much with youngsters until the 2003 feature film "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," about an actor who tries to revive his career by learning to embrace the family life he never had.
Ritter's death was written into the show. Then James Garner joined "8 Simple Rules" as the father of Katey Sagal's character and a stabilizing force in the fictional Hennessy household. People were tuning in. "I thought well, this is kind of a challenge," following a family in the aftermath of its patriarch's death, Spade said. When someone from ABC called again, Spade was ready to talk.
Easy transition
What Spade found was a good cast in "8 Simple Rules," good writers "and a network that liked us," he said. He enjoyed the cast and writers on his previous sitcom, but "NBC lost passion for 'Just Shoot Me,'" he added.
So Spade took a gamble that the show was ready to be funny again. He signed on as C.J., Cate Hennessy's homeless, trouble-making nephew. "We knew after a few episodes that if it wasn't working, I'd go my own way," he said.
Instead, Spade and "8 Simple Rules" returns to ABC this fall in a new time slot -- Friday nights, instead of competing Tuesdays against "American Idol."
"It's fun again," Spade said of the show, "and we're in a good mood."
If the show's fans see similarities between Ritter's and Spade's comedic styles, Spade doesn't. Remembering Ritter from the sitcom "Three's Company," Spade described Ritter's style as "a little broader, a little bigger, more physical. I'm kind of a different vibe, but I'm kind of glad because if I was going on a show with my exact vibe it would look like I was trying to take his place. This is kind of a switch."
Spade appreciates the show's family values, too. "There's something to be said about a show that isn't dirty and isn't a ridiculous reality show," he said. "To me, it's OK to have a show like that. That's one you don't have to worry about." He's no fan of heiress Paris Hilton's reality show on Fox, "The Simple Life": "I get that she's sexy and dumb, but that's not enough. There's no story."
Funny man
Back when he was a regular on "Saturday Night Live," Spade wrote his own material and coined a few catch phrases that entered the national vernacular. Asked if that could happen again on "8 Simple Rules," Spade isn't sure: "They write it. If I want to make stuff up, they hear me out. I don't have to do that heavy lifting."
On TV and in movies, Spade has been called upon often to portray wise-cracking or sarcastic characters. "I get tired of it, but it's what works for me," he said. It was how he established his identity on "Saturday Night Live."
"I can't get that mad about it. I'm not going to do heavy dramas. Maybe one day.
shaulis@vindy.com