Two's Company

I remember this from its original airing in the good old days. Donald Sinden, a highly respected Shakespearian actor and Elaine Stritch, a similarly regarded American performer team up for some of the best, wittiest humour that has been labelled 'situation comedy' ever. When I found it on Ebay, I had to buy it and I'm delighted that I did. The next generation also enjoyed watching it. The humour comes mainly from the clashes between employer/employee (the power tilts like a see-saw) but also from the silly situations they find themselves in. The invitation to a luncheon at the Palace was absurd, as was the trip to the Casualty ward at the local NHS hospital. Very funny, a snapshot in time and well worth capturing if you like quick repartee.

The British tend to take greater care to craft and create their television comedies. This is one of them. There are so many Britcoms which are far superior to American fare...the only thing is that as Americans we never get to view them except for the exceptional Public Television offerings. And thank God for them.

Two's Company is a rare gem! Enjoy the relationship between Dorothy and Richard. It is precious and priceless! I own all these episodes and I can honestly say they are a treasured collection since I savored them nearly two decades ago, and the soothing bantering and comedy hold true today.

My recommendation is buy buy buy the four season collection before they are discontinued...and they will be!

Seeing as how no-one from the U.K. has commented on this wonderful show, I thought I'd be the first. 'Two's Company' was a kind of British 'Odd Couple'; it starred Elaine Stritch as bestselling American writer 'Dorothy McNab', with Donald Sinden as her snooty, sarcastic English butler 'Robert'. There was an occasional 'battle of the sexes' feel to the show, but mostly it was culture-clash humour. It was rare to find an I.T.V. sitcom in the '70's that featured wit, as opposed to belly laughs. Some of Robert's put-downs were priceless; he told an Australian home-help in one episode: "Regrettably, we have no billy cans for you to drink from. But if you like, I can always arrange a small saucepan!". Complaining about the number of parked cars outside her home, Dorothy is told: "I'll get the police to tow them away, Madam!".

Despite their constant bickering, there was an unspoken bound of affection between Dorothy and Robert. There had to be, or else she could easily have fired him. 'Two's Company', whilst never a big ratings hit for I.T.V., was nevertheless popular, and lasted several seasons. Greg Smith, producer of the 'Confessions' movies, wanted to make a big screen version with Lucille Ball replacing Elaine Stritch, to make it saleable to the American public. It never got made. However, the format was bought by U.S. television, and reworked as the dreadful 'The Two Of Us', with an utterly miscast Peter Cook in the Sinden role.

Have the dvd series. Absolutely love this series! As a teenager, mother would watch this show when it originally aired. Now, years later, I also have the pleasure to see what made my mother laugh all those years ago. Stritch and Sinden worked very well together and you can tell they both got quite a charge out of performing in this series.

Two's Company describes the interplay between a female American author and a traditional British butler.

Is this TV show a laugh a minute riot-fest filled with double entendre, broad humour, and farcical shenanigans? Nope. What this series is about is understated, witty humour between two people who both think they can best the other.

So, there is sharp dialogue, witty comments, razor sharp wordplay, with both characters easily being able to dominate the screen on their own. The fact that they are both trying to do so is where the humour shines through.

If you are looking to be hit over the head with humour and not have to think, then this show is not for you. But if you're willing to be patient, and have the ability to analyze smart writing, delivered by two great actors of the stage--you'll love "Two's Company".