Actor James Garner is going to be a regular on the ABC sitcom, 8 Simple Rules For Dating My Teenage Daughter. The 75-year-old former Rockford Files star had joined the series on a temporary basis after the unexpected death of series lead John Ritter in September. But, The Hollywood Reporter says that Garner closed a deal last week that will keep him onboard for the rest of the season as Grandpa Jim, the father of the character played by Katey Sagal.

Garner will begin taping new episodes of 8 Simple Rules on January 5th. He was forced to take a brief hiatus from the show after he fell on the set a couple of weeks ago. Garner was diagnosed with a badly bruised hip, but was deemed well enough to return to work in the New Year.