Three’s Company (ABC 1977-1984, John Ritter, Suzanne Somers)

Three’s Company was a sitcom based on the UK Original Man About the House.

The show had a simple (but for the 1970’s risqué) premise, a guy shares a flat with two girls. Jack Tripper, a would be chef, moved in with Janet Wood and Chrissy Snow; Janet was a florist and Chrissy was a typist. Living downstairs were their landlady (the sex starved) Helen Roper and her husband Stanley. Most of the action revolved around Jack either wanting to “get it on” with his room mates or doing his best to persuade his landlord that there was nothing going on between the three of them. Audra Lindley as Helen Roper and Norman Fell as Stanley Roper.

The Ropers later left the series in 1979 (they had been given their own series also called The Ropers) and new landlord Ralph Furley was drafted in. Then the following season Suzanne Somers who played Chrissy announced she wanted a large pay rise, the producers wouldn’t accede to her wishes and reduced her role to practically nothing (they sent her home to care for her mother and she would only be seen in occasional phone calls to her friends), she then left the series proper. A further room mate in the shape of Chrissy’s cousin Cindy arrived quickly replaced during the 1981 season by Terri Alden.

By the time the series ended Jack was running his own restaurant called Jack’s Bistro (the UK version of the show had done much the same thing albeit in the spin-off Robin’s Nest) whilst Janet had married and Terri had moved away. There was another spin off (a continuation really) called Three’s A Crowd featuring Jack moving in with his girlfriend.

production details
USA / ABC / 172×30 minute episodes / Broadcast Thursday 15 March 1977 – Tuesday 18 September 1984

Creators: Johnnie Mortimer, Brian Cooke / Theme Music: composed by Don Nicholl, Joe Raposo, sung by Ray Charles and Julia Rinker.

cast
JOHN RITTER as Jack Tripper
JOYCE DEWITT as Janet Wood
SUZANNE SOMERS as Chrissy Snow (1977-81)
AUDRA LINDLAY as Helen Roper (1977-79)
NORMAN FELL as Stanley Roper (1977-79)
RICHARD KLINE as Larry Dallas (1978-84)
DON KNOTTS as Ralph Furley (1979-84)
ANN WEDGEWORTH as Lana Shields (1979-80)
JENILEE HARRISON as Cindy Snow (19870-82)
PRISCILLA BARNES as Terri Alden (1981-84)
BRAD BLAISDELL as Mike (1981-84)