A Comedy Classic!
The great Three’s Company ran on ABC from 1977 to 1984.
The original cast consisted of John Ritter (Jack), Suzanne Somers (Chrissy), Joyce Dewitt (Janet), Norman Fell (Stanley Roper), Audra Lindley (Helen Roper), and Richard Kline (Larry).
The show was a remake of a successful British series called “Man about the House“.
Due to it’s sexy young characters, plotlines revolving around sexual innuendo, and some of the revealing wardrobe worn by the female characters, the show was pretty controversial for it’s period but is real tame by today’s standards.
John Ritter, Richard Kline, and Joyce Dewitt were the only actors to last the entire 8 seasons of the show. Suzanne Somers left after a nasty contract battle with the network after season 5. She was replaced by Jenilee Harrison who played Chrissy’s clumsy cousin Cindy. Harrison lasted one season and then was replaced by Priscilla Barnes who played new roommate Terri. Norman Fell and Audra Lindley starred as landlords “The Ropers” for the first 3 seasons and then left to star in their own sitcom “The Ropers” which was later cancelled after just one season. Veteran actor Don Knotts, best known as “Barney Fife” on “The Andy Griffith Show” was brought in for season 4 to play new landlord Ralph Furley, a role he played for the remainder of the series. After season 8, it was decided that Jack would get married and move out and a spin-off called “Three’s a Crowd” was developed for him. Like “The Ropers”, it too was cancelled after just one season.
Three’s Company has been in syndication ever since it went off the air and has gone on to become one of the most popular sitcoms in Television History.
The show placed in the top-8 in the ratings during six of it’s eight seasons.
John Ritter won an Emmy Award for his role as Jack Tripper, while Norman Fell won a Golden Globe Award for his role as Stanley Roper.
While this great show lives on, we have lost beloved cast members John Ritter, Don Knotts, Audra Lindley, and Norman Fell. They are all greatly missed.
All seasons are currently available on DVD and the show can be seen in reruns on TV LAND.
I absolutely love the show and am in the process of downloading all the seasons. The actors are just classic. It’s sad that they all left the show in search of their own ventures, but I guess it’s understandable.
John Ritter is the cousin of the man with the highest rank in military history, George Washington!
Definitely one of the best shows on tv, if not, the best! I absolutely adore all of them especially John Ritter. They are all such wonderful actors and it pains me whenever I recall the conflict with John/Joyce and Suzanne.
I still wasn’t born when this show was airing but I watched these a couple of years back and wished I lived back then. I was born 16 years after the show ended.
This show never fails to amuse me. I salute the actors and the writers.
Interestingly enough, John Ritter’s father is a Freemason and so does George Washington, his cousin.