Ruby & the Rockits appears to be a modern day version of The Partridge Family. I’m sure David Cassidy would cringe at the comparison, but the fact that he has signed up to star in an ABC Family sitcom hopefully means he has come to terms with his past. Ruby & the Rockits is a half-hour comedy starring Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Patrick Cassidy (Smallville), Katie Amanda Keane (Eli Stone), Austin Butler (Zoey 101), Kurt Doss (Role Models), and former teen idol David Cassidy (The Partridge Family).

Patrick Cassidy plays Patrick Gallagher while David Cassidy plays David Gallagher (they sure made it easy to remember their names!). Being half brothers in real life, David and Patrick are naturals playing the role of brothers. On Ruby & the Rockits, Patrick and David are former rock stars from a band called The Rockits. Patrick has moved on from his teen idol days and has settled into family life with his wife, two sons, and his job as a car salesman. However, David is still holding onto the dream and performing as a solo act at small venues, milking every last bit of his fame. The brothers parted ways long ago and weren’t on the best of terms. But then Ruby comes along — David’s teenage daughter who, due to her lack of family, searches out her father and intends to live with him. David is still living a rock star life and realizes that he needs Patrick and his family to help raise Ruby. This forces the brothers to make amends, though their tension is obviously going to be a source of comedic conflict throughout the series. Meanwhile, Patrick’s son Jordan is a budding musician and it turns out Ruby has a talent for music as well. I sense a band brewing… but this is just a hunch, since all I’ve seen is the first episode.

Ruby & the Rockits is reminiscent of the good old days of the classic TGIF line up on ABC (Boy Meets World, Family Matters, Full House, etc.). The writing is cute and amusing, the storylines focus on family values, and the show appeals to a wide variety of people, from young to old. That’s family friendly entertainment in a nutshell. And what’s best of all, Ruby & the Rockits is actually good! Many shows have attempted to capture the elements of family friendly entertainment while pushing the limits to make it “edgier” only to fail miserably because it reduces the range of audience appeal. From what I can see of Ruby & the Rockits, it looks like they’re sticking to the classic formula, and I say it’s about time for its return! The formula may be a classic, but this storyline is definitely a new twist. As long as they keep to the essentials of the family friendly sitcom formula, this show could be a huge success.

Another element essential to the show’s potential success is the character of Ruby. I think it’s fantastic that she’s a sweet, polite, talented girl that just wants to be part of a happy family and insists on reminding everyone of how valuable family is. It’s fantastic to see a female teen character that isn’t a bratty snot without respect for anyone (especially toward the parents). Ruby is definitely a regular teenager, and I’m sure that will be factored into future scripts, but her initial character development shows what most real normal teenagers are — a nice kid with only moments of bratty teenager tendencies. It’s refreshing to see a much better role model option for teenage girls.

Ruby & the Rockits premieres on Tuesday, July 21 at 8:30PM ET/PT after 10 Things I Hate About You. I’m loving this original series comedy lineup on ABC Family Tuesday nights! But if you’re like me and you prefer to watch TV on your own schedule, but sure to check out ABCFamily.com to catch recent episodes. Right now, you can even watch sneak peeks of the new show Ruby & the Rockits.