Three's Company

Come and knock on this door, "Three's Company" has been waiting for you. Jack Tripper (John Ritter) is an everyman who has to feign homosexuality to live in an apartment in Santa Monica. He lives in the apartment with sly Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and ditsy Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Somers). Jack's supposed homosexuality often incurs the unpleasant-ness of sour landlord Stanley Roper (Norman Fell), whose wife Helen (Audra Lindley) always seems ready to leave him.

My favorite parts are always the dialog between Jack and Stanley. It sort of mirrors Buddy's comments about Cooley on "The Dick Van Dyke Show", what with Stanley's homophobia. Eventually, the Ropers got their own show and were replaced by Ralph Furley (Don Knotts), who would occasionally get himself into embarrassing situations.

"Three's Company" went through many changes over its run, but it never lost its timing. It's always a pleasure to catch the reruns on TVLand. Finally, I think that it's safe to say that John Ritter will truly be missed. He was always great on this show.

From the first time I saw Three's Company, I developed a crush on John Ritter! If I were one of his roommates, I don't think I'd be able to keep my hands off of him! (Being a red-head myself, I'm happy that he married Amy. They were such a cute couple.)

When I heard that he was dead, I cried for days. :-( Part of me died, too! Immediately, I went to IMDb and read his entire biography. Then, I watched my Three's Company videos from start to finish. After awhile, I started to laugh again. Just watching him stumble as he charmed the ladies brought me out of my depression.

His handsome smile is a treasured memory to me!

When this show first premiered, it was thought of only as a jiggle show. However, it turned out to be one of the best examples of slapstick comedy in the history of television. John Ritter showed that he was a master of physical comedy and it really showed on this show. Another thing that really helped to make this show great was the whole ensemble. I feel that Joyce DeWitt was totally underrated in her role as the sensible Janet and that she was the perfect counterpoint to Jack's leering personality. The only thing I was disappointed with was how they devolved Suzanne Somer's character, Chrissy. If you look closely at many of the early episodes, Chrissy wasn't quite the dumb blond that she later turned out to be. If anything she was more naive then dumb. Other than that, this show will always be a classic of the era it was produced in.

My all-time favorite TV show. They sure don't make 'em like this anymore. John Ritter is priceless in his classic role of Jack Tripper, the clumsy, good-hearted ladies man who aspires to become the world's greatest chef. Joyce DeWitt is cute as ever as the level-headed, sexy and intelligent florist. The rest of the cast, particularly Suzanne Somers and Don Knotts, were all memroable and great as well. Every episode is worth watching, but the best seasons were 1979-80, 1981-82, and 1982-83.

Three's Company has held up so well over the years. I know it's not like it was on fifty years ago or anything like that. What I mean is that the story lines and problems for each episode are just as funny during each viewing.

The actors are amazing. Suzanne Somers, who was given way too much credit for her portrayal of Chrissy Snow, gives a good performance as the always ditzy blond. Joyce DeWitt, who wasn't given enough exposure to, keeps me laughing with her serious but not too serious character of Janet Wood. John Ritter, one of the funniest TV characters/actors I have ever watched, is probably the best thing about this show.

I'll admit that some of the episodes and problems they run into are stretched to the point where it becomes ridiculous only because they aren't funny. And while the audience keeps on cracking up, I find myself saying 'come on, get serious.'

The writers of Three's Company deserve a lot of praise and credit to. After all, they are who made this show what it is. I think that the writing is very creative with bits of hysterical comments thrown in at the most unexpected times or sequences. Everything that the crew put in and not so much the actors, are excellent.

One thing that is kind of wrong but good at the same time, was the change of landlords. The Ropers (Lindley and Fell) acted well together as the disgusted married couple. It goes a little too far to where the same joke or comment made by Mrs. Roper can be told and still be laughed at. The cancellation of The Ropers and the Ropers on Three's Company was a change that took some time to get used to. Fortunately, the humorous Don Knotts stepped in. All three of the landlords added a special something to the show that kept/keeps us laughing.

Everything from the tiniest mishaps to that groovy theme song, is what made this show stay on the air for so long. Not a huge amount of time, but long enough. Thanks to Nick at Nite, I have the opportunity to watch this hilarious show twice every night. The majority of the time, I will end up missing it but it's nice to know that an older show as good as this one can still be seen.