Three's Company

By Persona Non Grata

First airing in the spring of 1977, Three's Company was picked up as a regular series in the fall of 1977. Janet Wood (Joyce DeWitt) and Chrissy Snow (Suzanne Sommers) need a new roommate in their Santa Monica apartment. They decide to let Jack Tripper (John Ritter) - a man found sleeping in their bathtub after a going away party for their last roommate - take the spare room. Over the objections of their parents and the landlords, Stanley (Norman Fell) and Helen Roper (Audra Lindley), Jack stayed using homosexuality as a subterfuge to prove he was uninterested in the two girls. Sexual innuendo and misunderstandings were the basis for the comedy which, despite three years near the top of the ratings, was panned both by critics and religious leaders.

Paul Gaita

Launched on a six-episode trial run in the spring of 1977, Three's Company's first season immediately won over viewers with its racy scenario--a single man (Ritter) moves in with two single women (Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers) and avoids the wrath of his landlords (Norman Fell and Audra Lindley) by pretending to be gay--and double entrendre-laden gags. Regardless of whether you think it was one of TV's funniest or most puerile series, Three's Company did bring Ritter to deserved stardom and gave choice roles to veteran scene-stealers Fell and Lindley (later replaced by Don Knotts), and therefore deserves its place in television history.

The second season of the much-loved TV sitcom Three's Company arrives on DVD with enough extras to satisfy even the most rabid fan. After making a splash during its first-season run in 1976, ABC parked the show in its unstoppable Tuesday night lineup (following Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley and preceding Soap) for the 1977-78 season, where it exploded into one of primetime's biggest successes. The secret to the show was its naughty-but-harmless tone, which was capably delivered by its talented cast. Though Suzanne Somers was the breakout star, John Ritter's effortless physical and verbal comedy won respect among viewers. All 25 episodes of the second season are compiled in the six-disc set, highlights of which include appearances by Richard Kline's hapless Larry in four episodes (before he joined the cast in season 4), Jack's turn as a nude model in "Jack Takes a Job," an amusing Christmas episode ("Three's Christmas"), and Loni Anderson in the season closer, "Coffee, Tea or Jack."

Like a scoop of ice cream on a hot day, Three's Company's second season is light, refreshing, and pleasantly nostalgic entertainment.

		Three's Company on DVD!

Three's Company is now available on DVD! Get it at Amazon.com! Season One, Season Two, Season Three, Season Four, Season Five

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Check out our Three's Company forum! Do you have a favorite episode of the show? What do you remember about the series? Do you have any questions about it or its stars? Now you can post comments and questions directly to our TV forums! Click here to see what other Three's Company viewers have said or to post your own comments about the show!

		Your Memories Shared!

Well Three's Company is my favorite show because it was always well rounded. There were hilarious moments like in my favorite episode "UP IN THE AIR" when Jack hisses after drinking "The Rocket" and then there are other moments that are really touching like the end of "JACK BARES ALL" When he decides to let Terri live there. Or at the end of "STAR STRUCK" when Jack hold Terri tight when she finds out her fiance was cheating on her. And then there was that time in "SOME OF THAT JAZZ" and it just reached out to me. But the most touching was Janet's wedding which really brought the tears. There are moments that are funny and there are moments that are sad and Three's Company had both. --Angele

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