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The Ropers

  • TV Series
  • 1979–1980
  • TV-PG
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
5.9/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,105
6,569
Norman Fell and Audra Lindley in The Ropers (1979)
SitcomComedy

Stanley and Helen Roper sold their apartment complex and moved into a new one. Their characteristic quirks are intact as they deal with new neighbors and frequent visits from Helen's sister.Stanley and Helen Roper sold their apartment complex and moved into a new one. Their characteristic quirks are intact as they deal with new neighbors and frequent visits from Helen's sister.Stanley and Helen Roper sold their apartment complex and moved into a new one. Their characteristic quirks are intact as they deal with new neighbors and frequent visits from Helen's sister.

  • Creators
    • Don Nicholl
    • Michael Ross
    • Bernard West
  • Stars
    • Norman Fell
    • Audra Lindley
    • Jeffrey Tambor
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.9/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,105
    6,569
    • Creators
      • Don Nicholl
      • Michael Ross
      • Bernard West
    • Stars
      • Norman Fell
      • Audra Lindley
      • Jeffrey Tambor
    • 18User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Episodes28

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    Top cast64

    Edit
    Norman Fell
    Norman Fell
    • Stanley Roper
    • 1979–1980
    Audra Lindley
    Audra Lindley
    • Helen Roper
    • 1979–1980
    Jeffrey Tambor
    Jeffrey Tambor
    • Jeffrey P. Brookes III
    • 1979–1980
    Patty McCormack
    Patty McCormack
    • Anne Brookes
    • 1979–1980
    Evan Cohen
    • David Brookes
    • 1979–1980
    Stevie Louise Vallance
    Stevie Louise Vallance
    • Jenny Ballinger
    • 1980
    Dena Dietrich
    Dena Dietrich
    • Ethel Armbrewster
    • 1979–1980
    Lois Hamilton
    Lois Hamilton
    • Debbie Hopper…
    • 1979–1980
    Rod Colbin
    • Hubert Armbrewster
    • 1979–1980
    Lucille Benson
    Lucille Benson
    • Mother
    • 1979–1980
    Richard B. Shull
    Richard B. Shull
    • Joey
    • 1979–1980
    Henry Sutton
    • Reverend Munson
    • 1979–1980
    Mickey Deems
    • Drunk…
    • 1979–1980
    Jillian Kesner
    Jillian Kesner
    • Linda Graham
    • 1979
    John Fiedler
    John Fiedler
    • Bill Marsh
    • 1979
    Richard Kline
    Richard Kline
    • Larry Dallas
    • 1979
    Barry Nelson
    Barry Nelson
    • Uncle Bill
    • 1979
    Carleton Carpenter
    Carleton Carpenter
    • Roland Calvert
    • 1979
    • Creators
      • Don Nicholl
      • Michael Ross
      • Bernard West
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews18

    5.91.2K
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    Featured reviews

    6JordanThomasHall

    The Ropers Move On Up

    Gaining widespread popularity from the hit sitcom "Three's Company", producers looked to give the Ropers (Norman Fell and Audra Lindley, respectively) their own series. The result is this short-lived spin-off (itself based on "George and Mildred", the British spin-off of "Man About the House", on which "Three's Company" was based). True to their characters, Lindley was excited for the opportunity while Fell was reluctant to leave a good role on a proven hit show. He was finally won over by a promise from the producers to give the show a year, and if canceled before that, they would return to their roles on "Three's Company". However, the legendary Don Knotts had come on board to replace the Ropers, and became a highly popular character in his own right. "The Ropers" ran for 28 episodes over two short seasons in 1979-80. The sitcom finds Stanley and Helen having sold their apartment building to move into a more luxurious locale in the affluent neighborhood of Cheviot Hills. Unlike her husband, Helen tries hard to fit in. Stanley is often at odds with their realtor, next-door neighbor Jeffrey P. Brooks III (Jeffrey Tambor), while Helen befriends his wife Anne (Patty McCormack) and their seven-year-old son David (Evan Cohen).

    Make no mistake, the Ropers are beloved characters of television. But, they thrive in short bursts or working off top talent, as the case with John Ritter and "Three's Company". A show revolving around them was a struggle to ever find a way to takeoff. The kept their character traits, but the writing was prone to weak plots. The comedy was there, however, and at times hilarious. In some episodes there are two plots- a storyline with the Ropers and a completely unrelated one with the Brookes. Unlike a show such as "Seinfeld" where the different storylines ingeniously connect, the ones presented here sometimes exist well apart from one another. In these instances, the Brooke's plot is vague, limited and weak. In the second season they "jumped the shark" by adding a young homeless girl who had unknowingly been living in their attic to stay on in a recurring role.

    A few personal favorite episodes are "The Party" (the only one with Jack, Janet, and Chrissy from "Three's Company"), "The Other Woman", and a tender script for "Baby Talk".
    5nickb-22813

    Better than Three's a Crowd

    The Ropers were spun off of Three's Company after the third season. This spin-off actually fared better than the later spin-off Three's a Crowd in 1984, lasting roughly two seasons versus TAC's one season.

    I personally find the Ropers (the show) to be very funny and humorous. Sure, it didn't have the sexual innuendos or physical comedic value that its parent series did but it had plenty of misunderstandings to make it a pleasant watch.

    Jeffrey Tambor excels as Jeffrey P. Brookes III, the snooty and high-brow real estate agent that ends up being the Ropers' neighbor. His wife Anne is very down-to-earth and genuine, making friends with Helen Roper instantly. But it's no surprise that Brookes and Roper wouldn't get along with Roper being very unsophisticated and Brookes the opposite. Roper and Brookes are funny to watch but they can't hold the series up by themselves.
    8OllieSuave-007

    A pretty good spin-off to Three's Company.

    This is a pretty good spin-off from Three's Company, where the kids' landlords, Stanley and Helen Roper, sold their apartment building and moved into a new house.

    The Ropers have the same dynamic as they had in Three's Company, and it was fun seeing them deal with their neighbors and visiting relatives. Not too keen on Jeffrey Tambor's character though - seems only a one dimensional character with no redeeming qualities.

    I do enjoy the guest appearances of the Three's Company characters - makes you feel like you're watching that show again. Quite an entertaining show - too bad it didn't last longer.

    Grade B
    Mister-6

    TWO'S Company?

    Back in the good old days, when "Three's Company" had just come on the air, there were plenty of laughs around for Jack, Janet and Chrissy. But it was the crotchety, nosy landlords Stanley and Helen Roper (Fell and Lindley) who got the big guffaws for their live-action version of "the Lockhorns". They were a riot.

    So, naturally, they got their own series titled, logically, "The Ropers". Having moved out of the apartment complex, they move into a duplex owned by the EXTREMELY stuffy Jeffrey P. Brooks III (Tambor, who was terrific) and his not-as-stuffy wife (McCormack). Eventually, it was the Ropers' turn to be spied on by a suspicious neighbor.

    The first few episodes of this series were great, as Fell and Lindley expanded on their corrosive repartee from the original series. Then, adding Tambor as a humorless foil to their slobbery and the double-entendres that occurred when guests would drop by (usually, Jack, Janet or Crissy) every so often, made things even more hilarious.

    But it was too good to last; the writing kind of slacked off as they attempted to make the ever-bickering Ropers more understanding and sensitive to each other. This, of course, entirely missed to point to their appeal; the constant bickering was their only form of communication and, by and large, the only way they could possibly stay together. Take that away, and what do you have left? Not too much else.

    A conversation I'll always remember is when Stanley (Fell) is complaining that something Helen (Lindley) was doing was effeminate. Her comeback - "I AM effeminate - just like you're emasculate." Cue laugh track.

    Well, I'll always remember the good parts of "The Ropers", anyway.

    Six stars for "The Ropers" - the best neighbors you could ever have - move away, that is.
    7matthew_cantrell21

    Not a bad spin off.

    Decent at most, "The Ropers" is a spin off to the ABC hit sitcom "Three's Company". The show is based off the British series "George & Mildred", which itself is a spin off of the series " Man About the House" the series "Three's" is based off of.

    Stanley and Helen Roper have sold their apartment and move to a townhouse in upscale Cheviot Hills. Their neighbor the pompous stuffed shirt Jeffrey P. Brooks is also their real estate agent. Played to hilarious perfection by Jeffrey Tambor. Brooks is a married man with a child, at times his personality clashes with Stanley's and it's up to his wife Anne (Patty McCormack) and Helen to calm their spouses down. At the same time Helen deals with her snobbish sibling Ethel and her forgetful mother.

    Some of the episodes are exact copies of the "George & Mildred" story lines. Much like "Three's" the series had special guest stars, and even introduced a certain actress named Stevie"Louise"Vallance who would later be one of the pioneers in Canadian animation. Unfortunately just as the series had finally found its footing ABC pulled the plug, citing bad ratings. Audra Lindley and Norman Fell both were hesitant to do this series, in fact Norman would only agree if the show flopped and he could return to "Three's", the producers decided to make the show go a season and a half and resulting in the agreement being null and void. Overall, the series was a valiant attempt but it proved that sometimes supporting cast members can not make it on their own.

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    Related interests

    Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry in Friends (1994)
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    Comedy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jeffrey Tambor later appeared in three episodes of "Three's Company" in seasons 5, 6 and 7 but as different characters.
    • Alternate versions
      Episodes aired in syndication feature the Three's Company theme instead of the series regular theme.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Three's Company: An Anniversary Surprise (1979)

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    FAQ16

    • How many seasons does The Ropers have?Powered by Alexa
    • What type of car do the Ropers drive? Some sort of Cadillac?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 13, 1979 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Los Roper
    • Filming locations
      • Studio 31, CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Boulevard, Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production companies
      • NRW Features
      • T.T.C. Productions
      • The Ropers Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 30m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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