User reviews

In the 1970's it was considered odd for a man to be sharing an apartment with two women. It was almost an invitation to be scrutinized by the public. Now many single guys share living arrangements with one or more girls. In the 1970's being gay was considered very odd or "queer". Now being gay may still put you in a minority, but it is commonplace. "Three's Company" which began its formidable run on ABC in 1977, brought to the forefront these taboo subjects.

A strange man whose name is Jack is found sleeping in the bathtub after a wild party the previous night in the girls' apartment. The girls want him out of their apartment until they find out that Jack (John Ritter) is a master cook, and since their cooking is lousy the girls Janet, (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy, (Suzanne Somers) ask Jack to live with them. They're working. He's unemployed but being their personal chef will pay his room and board.

Mr. and Mrs. Roper are the landlords of this beach front L.A. apartment complex. Stanley Roper (Norman Fell) is an old fashioned sot who is very much set in his ways. There is no way he would ever allow a man to share an apartment with two women, in his day and age and even this day and age until of course the girls tell him a fictitious story that Jack is 100% "gay".

Stanley's wife of many years Helen Roper (Audra Lindley) quickly discovers that Jack isn't really gay, and kids are only trying to fool her husband into allowing them to share the apartment. But Mrs. Roper couldn't care less. She's more concerned about the lack of action going on in her apartment with Stanley than Jack's possible hanky panky with the girls.

This great 1970's sitcom is carried by two important themes, the gay agenda, and mistaken identities. The first three years of the sitcom with Norman Fell and Audra Lindley the gay theme carried the show. When the Ropers left the show in 1980, and Don Knotts took over as the kids' landlord, mistaken identities dominated the plots. The comedy was based on the characters always overreacting and jumping to conclusions before they knew all the facts about a given situation. I liked Don Knotts as the bumbling bachelor Mr. Furley, but the early shows with Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as the long suffering Ropers were absolute classics.

"Three's Company" was not as good as some of television's best sitcoms plot-wise- namely, "The Honeymooners", "All in the Family" and "Seinfeld", but often times "Three's Company" was a lot funnier than these other three great shows. "Three's Company may not be one of TV's greatest sitcoms, but it was certainly a formidable one. Recently I saw the episode where Jack finds himself in bed with Mr. Roper, and I was balling with laughter, as though I had never seen this episode before.

"Three's Company" basically centers around two important verbal exchanges, the one between Mr. and Mrs. Roper and the one between Mr. Roper and Jack.

Mr. Roper will say something to Mrs. Roper like "What's all that banging upstairs in the middle of the night? It sounds like one of the kids is moving their bed." Helen Roper typically responds, "I only wish you would move our bed like that Stanley."

A typical dialogue between Mr. Roper and Jack:

Roper: "Jack. Helen wanted me to invite you and the girls over for Thanksgiving dinner tonight. You like turkey don't you?" Jack: "Well I like the drumstick. I don't care much for breasts." Roper: "Yeah I know. I've already figured sweeties like you out." Then Norman Fell as Stanley Roper turns to the camera and unleashes one of his goofy classic smiles.

John Ritter was the king of physical and slapstick comedy, beginning from the day his character Jack TRIPPER TRIPPED all over himself trying to leave the bathroom in Janet/Chrissy's apartment. And of course it is classic laugh out loud comedy every time Jack acts openly gay in front of Roper or Furley in order to stand by his cover story that he really is homosexual and needs to cohabitate with these two girls because (a) he can't share an apartment with men, and (b) his relationship with the girls is strictly platonic.

It was classic Ritter physical comedy every time his Jack Tripper character was caught by Roper- or later- Furley making a move on a girl, and he has to cover his hide by pretending to be openly gay and sometimes even sissy-like so he won't be evicted by his landlord. Then of course is the classic Mr. Roper line. "Helen. That guy up there, he better be gay or he's outta here. I'll throw him out on his ear." Roper often suspects Jack is not gay, but Ritter's Jack outwits him with his classic gay mannerisms. Jack eventually tells Mr. Roper he's straight and Roper thankfully doesn't believe it. Roper has so convinced himself that Jack is gay. Mr. Roper says "If you're straight, than I'm the King of Siam, and you're the queen."

"Three's Company was a great back in the day comedy." Norman Fell and Audra Lindley and of course John Ritter formed the unbreakable comic triangle which made the sitcom certainly one of the best of the 1970's, ending its strong run in 1984. "Three's Company" joined "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley" to dominate ABC Tuesday nights the way "The Cosby Show", "Family Ties" and "Cheers" ran NBC Thursday nights in the 1980's.

This series is simple, slapstick humor, with no real seriousness to it. The perfect show if you just want to lay back and have a few laughs. Great actors, especially actor John Ritter, and funny story lines. I saw some interesting trivia at endedtvseries.com Terri is under looked though. Terri Alden (Priscilla Barnes)-Terri is the roommate who comes along to replace Cindy, after her character decides to leave and attend UCLA. Also blond like her two predecessors, this is where the similarities stop, as Terri is a registered nurse, hardworking, dedicated to her job and intelligent. Although she and Jack do have a rather unfortunate first meeting, they do warm up to each other after a short while.

...make it "Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs." If you've never seen "Three's Company," one of my favorite shows of childhood, I can tell you that the show suffers with the passage of time. The pacing of most episodes is slow; the writing is sometimes painfully trite and contrived. Even some of the premises are dated. But the acting holds up, most notably that of John Ritter as Jack. Engaging, energetic, and sincere, with a charming innocence, Ritter WAS "Three's Company." And never was he funnier than in the wonderful episode "Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs"--the first episode of Season Five.

Similar to the finest "Cheers" episode "An Old-Fashioned Wedding," "Upstairs" plays like a French farce, moving along like a locomotive, with crisp writing and sharp performances, especially that of Ritter. And even though Suzanne Somers ("Chrissy") had begun her famed contract dispute, she did indeed appear in this episode, which means you'll see the REAL "Three's Company," because the show was never the same without her. In short, this episode plays like my memory of the show, which is quite a compliment. If you pick one episode of this show to watch, this should be it.

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.

Three's Company is the greatest show! It's really funny and tells people what life was like in the 70s. I wasn't around in the 70's but I wish I was because the show makes it seem so fun. My favorite character was Jack because he was always funny and was the main part of the show. I have a message for all fans: If we want our voices heard on Three's Company to DVD, please register for free and vote for Three's Company. You also can of course email DLT Entertainment and ask them to bring Three's Company to DVD. Every vote counts! Try to even get people who aren't fans to vote! Thanks!

Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Christmas "Chrissy" Snow (Suzanne Somers) are cleaning up after throwing a going-away party for their roommate. They find party crasher Jack Tripper (John Ritter) sleeping in the bathtub and take the student chef as their new roommate. The only problem is that landlord Mr. Ropper (Norman Fell) objects to a guy moving in with the girls. That is until Janet comes up with the lie about Jack being gay. His sleazy used car salesman friend Larry joins the show. The Roppers sell the building after two seasons and is replaced by Ralph Furley (Don Knotts) who manages the building for his brother. The Roppers get their own show which only lasted two seasons. In the fifth season, Chrissy leaves and gets replaced by her accident prone cousin Cindy Snow (Jenilee Harrison). With Cindy going to school at the start of season six, they take in nurse Terri Alden (Priscilla Barnes) as the new roommate although Cindy keeps coming around during that season. Jack starts working for and then rents his own restaurant from Frank Angelino.

This is classic network sex romp sitcom. John Ritter is completely charming. Suzanne Somers is a great flighty sweetheart. Joyce DeWitt is the perfect down-to-earth best girl. This is at the top of the pile for iconic sitcoms of its era. The show gets a little bumpy after Somers' departure. Cindy Snow is a bumbling giraffe. She's not much of an actress and mostly plays in the physical slapstick realm. Priscilla Barnes is able to bring a lot more sass to the role while doing a lot of the slapstick.

The original three has great chemistry. While the fun never falters, it is stuck at a certain level. The main leads are never allowed to have relationships with each other. It's telling that Terri asks Janet if Jack ever hit on her in the last episode. In truth, any flirtations are fleeting. While it is a sexual sitcom, the morality is always rather conservative. Like Vicky says in the last episode, Jack is traditional. Any relationship between the main three would threaten the simple formula which mainly consists of misunderstanding leading to screwball pratfalls with a healthy dose of sexual innuendo. It almost never pushes the envelop into serious territory. The gay panic joke eventually wears out even if it is laughing at the gay panic. This is an iconic sitcom of its time. While recently rewatching it, I'm surprised how much of it has seared into my brain. I remember almost every episode. That is not nothing.

This show was a groundbreaker!!! Can't say enough about the slapstick, physical comedy aspect of this show... Jack Tripper is one of the greatest T.V. characters ever!!! R.I.P. John Ritter

I would like to give another star as I really do like this show. Ritter was a great talent. But it is not a great show in comparison ti other classics and the writing was a little weak. But it is good.

This sitcom features a man living with two women---a titillatng premise, but they are platonic roommates, not romantic partners. Whatever trials they face, they are a de facto family that stands together, so despite the innuendos, the series has a heartwarming center.

John Ritter plays Jack Tripper, a chef, and his mugging and physical comedy are the core of the humor. Considered by some to be a comic genius, Ritter follows in the footsteps of Dick VanDyke.

Joyce Dewitt is Janet, a girl next door type, and Suzanne Somers is Chrissy, a naive blonde.

The show's comic style is mostly farce. It's main drawback is the portrayal of the trio's landlords, the Ropers. The wife is a nagger who constantly complains about her husband's lack of interest and sex drive. He endures her, but periodically lashes out and grins creepily. The result is more sad than funny.

Mostly lighthearted and antic, this show endured numerous cast changes, but remained reliably funny and fun.

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.

Wait, that's every episode. That is what I love about the show, though. I absolutely love Three's Company and have since I was probably 10 years old. John Ritter is amazing to watch. He has the best comedic timing and his facial expressions are hysterical. Definitely one of the best actors I've seen. I was watching a Three's Company marathon yesterday and couldn't stop watching. I don't think there is a show that has ever came close to capturing what this show had. It was just a wonderful, hilarious show. It's just so comical that the same group of people always ends up accidentally overhearing something and thinks someone is cheating, coming to kill them, or some other crazy thing. It was so outrageously ridiculous that it worked. Great show.

I would watch this almost religiously when it was aired. The theme song has a catchy jingle to it. The cast will quickly begin to feel like family to you except the blonde girl who is often exchanged for another room mate through the years of the show's time on TV.

Doing a role like this takes so much practice and agility so you will come to find that Jack Tripper (played by John Ritter, RIP) is perfect for the role that will leave you laughing oftentimes uncontrollably.

Is it good for children? I'd say so. You won't have to worry about language needing to be filtered or inappropriate scenes.

Is it good for the family? I'd say absolutely.

They should have paid Suzanne Somers everything she asked for. She should have been paid as much as John Ritter. Norman Fell should have gotten a raise, too. He was hilarious. John Ritter thought the story was all about him, as if! Just like David Hasselhoff thinking he was the reason for Baywatch being a hit.

This is one of those shows I grew up on, videotaping each episode as the show ran in syndication, and watching it again and again. I never grew out of the laughs. John Ritter as Jack, Joyce DeWitt as Janet and Suzanne Somers as Chrissy were hilarious, trying to find their way out of every misadventure that comes their way. One of my favorite episodes was when Ralph Furley (Don Knotts) threatens to kick Jack, Janet and Chrissy out of their apartment due to their overbearing noise. As a result, knowing that they will have to hit the streets anyway and thinking they were invited to stay on a luxurious apartment complex by a man Jack saved in a restaurant, the three purposely makes more noises by slamming pots and pans on the floor and dropping the telephone on the desk-hilarious. Norman Fell and Audra Lindley delivered good comprehension as the Ropers, displaying their "platonic" relationship. Furley delivers one wisecrack after the other.

The show pretty much declined after the Suzanne Somer debacle. Her leaving the show really left a void in the comedy, but Jenilee Harrison and Priscilla Barnes did pretty good as Cindy Snow and Terri Alden, but not as charming as Somers.

But, a very fun show to watch again and again. This is one of those shows that is just one silly misadventure (sometimes childish) after another, don't have to find a specific purpose to follow.

So, come knock on their door and watch "Three's Company."

Grade B+

While I admit to sometimes tuning in to this admittedly amusing sitcom, I found that unfortunately the vast majority of the humour revolved around sex. This series chronicles the misadventures of a likable young man named Jack, who for financial reasons shares a Santa Monica apartment with two attractive women, Janet & Chrissy, as room mates. The relationship is platonic, but not in Jack's mind! He has pretended to be a homosexual so that the strict landlord, Mr. Roper, will allow this room mate arrangement.

The incomparable late Jack Ritter was incredible in the role of the bumbling culinary student, Jack. Frankly, he was the reason for my tuning in whenever I did, he was simply so funny. Joyce DeWitt plays the practical, skeptical brunette Janet, while Suzanne Somers is perfect as the sexy but naive blonde Chrissy. Chrissy's main purpose with the audience probably revolved around the jiggle factor. Later due to a contract dispute, Somers unfortunately left the series and after that, I never much watched the show, finding the two subsequent room mates, Cindy and Terri, inadequate replacements for Chrissy.

Jack has a genuine close friendship with his two room mates and is actually quite protective of them. However, all the laughs mainly revolve around sex, from two sources. First, we have Jack constantly ogling his female room mates, especially Chrissy...the entire premise behind the show.

Second is the tedious relationship between the Ropers, the married couple upstairs. Mrs. Roper is always desperately seeking sex with her husband, but Mr. Roper consistently shows no interest. Same old joke. I found these pathetic, repetitive attempts at humour tiring. So while there are indeed some laughs and Ritter especially is great in the series, it's pretty much one dimensional in its sex theme humour.

There will never be another show quite like Three's Company. There are very few shows that are laugh out loud funny, but Three's Company is one of them. The entire cast was great, even through the changes over the years. John was superb in his role and was clearly the engine that made the show run. The Ropers were hilarious and you'd think they'd be a tough act to follow but Mr. Furley was just as funny and the show didn't miss a beat. Suzanne was great as the dumb blonde, it's unfortunate that her selfishness got her canned from the show. I thought Cindy got a bad rap, she was funny and did some great physical comedy with Jack. Unfortunately, the writers never really developed her character. Terri was great, too. Although she seemed to alternate from smart to dumb, depending on the episode which seemed kind of odd. The Janet character was very underrated and was instrumental in the success of the show. You can't forget Larry, either. He was great as the sleazy used car salesman and swinging bachelor; a great foil for Jack. An awesome cast all the way around that had great chemistry on the set. I've heard some of the knocks that the show was silly, unsophisticated, used cheap sex jokes, and always had the same premise - some sort of comedic misunderstanding. All this is true but so what. The show was funny, very funny, and in the end, isn't that what being a great comedy is all about? I believe the reruns will still be on 100 years from now. This show stands the test of time and will be beloved in any era. They broke the mold when they made this show. Greatest comedy ever. Period.

I think Three's company is one of the funniest television shows I have ever seen. My second funniest television show is Who's line is it anyway?

I don't remember anyone episode. I used to watch Threes company when I was very young. I always liked it when Lucille Ball was on and she would what was it she did. I think she would talk about funny moments from three's company and then the clips of the moment would be shown.

Oh, I just looked it up and Lucille ball was on the best of three's company episode in season 6. I thought she did a lot of episode like that but, I guess it was only one. So that has got to be my favorite episode of three's company. Its the one I remember the most.

Most comedy television shows don't make me laugh. Maybe a giggle here a giggle there but, three's company makes me laugh hard.

My favorite character's are Jack Tripper and Ralph Furley. I always liked the way Mr. Furley dressed. Very cool. And Jack was also very funny.

So Three's company is a hilarious television show. I have no idea how many episode of the show I have watched? IF I have not watched them all I want to. A great show. For comedy at least.

Three's Company is one of the few shows out there that always had the same plot but it always worked. No matter what happens there's always a big misunderstanding and everything gets screwed up, but in the end everything works out.

What made the show work was it's excellent cast. Each and every character played a unique role that added to the mess which they have gotten themselves into. Jack, Janet, Chrissy, or Terri and Cindy always got themselves into something, and then the Ropers, Furley, Larry, or Lana always managed to make things worse by trying to make things better.

Three's Company was a ridiculous show with great underlying humor. This show is a true classic. One of the best sitcoms to ever air on television.