Three's Company (1976–1984) User Reviews

Back In The Day, The Landlord Lets You Stay, Only If He Thinks You're Gay

[[e-mail] · 8/10 · 13 March 2006]

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.

One of the funniest tv shows ever

[moivieFan · 8/10 · 19 December 2020]

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.

If you watch one episode...

[shumashu · 9/10 · 22 May 2009]

...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.

The Best Slapstick Comedy of the 70's

[Sargebri · 3 July 2003]

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.

Best show!

[mickfoley123 · 10/10 · 31 May 2003]

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!

Still fun after all these years.

[reb-warrior · 10/10 · 30 May 2021]

I know this comedy is mainly based on misunderstandings, people getting the wrong idea, but every episode still cracks me up all these years later. It's simple, silly, funny, light, and entertaining.

I wish they had kept the Ropers in some sort of capacity as recurring characters. I mean I love Mr. Furley, but the Ropers were just as fun too. I've read some articles and saw some shows about what happened to the two actors after they got their spin-off and then wanted to come back as per what they thought was an agreement. I think they both got royally screwed over. Why did they do that to a couple of people that helped to make the show successful in the first place? Just utter greed I think.

My favorites for "the three" were Jack, Janet, and Chrissy. Suzanne Somers doesn't get enough credit, but she did do a great job playing "the dumb blond." She was really funny. Isn't it interesting after all these years how now there is much more demand for pay equity? Somers, was right in what she did, ahead of the times I think. Unfortunately, back then execs were so backward and frankly greedy a**holes. As far as I'm concerned the show had three leads, Jack, Janet, & Chrissy. They played their humor off of each other brilliantly. I mean, yes, Jack was the catalyst for the premise of the show, but the three of them contributed equally to the show and humor.

I did like Cindy and Terri too. But it's kinda true that the actress that played Cindy wasn't very good. When she delivers her lines it sounds like she's reading them. However, I did love the physical comedy her clumsy character set-up, especially with Jack. As for Terri, she was a similar personality to Janet. Not the "dumb blond." So I found she wasn't as interesting(and funny), since we already had that persona with Janet.

As for the ending when Jack got a spin-off with 'Three's A Crowd,' I think they missed a major opportunity. It should have been Jack and Janet that fell in love and got hitched or lived together. Or the show should have just ended with the two of them. They already acted like an old married couple in many ways. Sort of bickering and teasing throughout the series. It really should have been the two of them. I think that really would have propelled more viewers towards it. The show was canceled after one season. It just goes to show, that as much as we all loved Jack, even the viewers weren't willing to follow him alone to a new series with some new unknown female character who wasn't funny. In other words, this is proof that the show really had three leads that the viewers loved, and not just one lead(Jack). With a spin-off, they could have had at least two of the leads in a new premise. Maybe even bring the Ropers back.

They can never reboot this. I mean in today's society having someone pretending to be gay just wouldn't work. It's no longer a big deal if two women lived with a guy. No one cares. Even if they did the setting in the 70s, it still wouldn't work. I think there would be an outcry in our modern times of having a straight man pretending to be gay for laughs.

I think the show was a perfect blend of things all coming together at the right time in history with a talented cast and writers. I'm watching this right now, and it's still funny to me. With some of the dark things going on in the world, this light, silly, simple comedy really helps me to relieve some stress. 10/10.

Great Show!

[buz-762-511954 · 7/10 · 15 June 2015]

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.

Why do people take this show so seriously?

[nicholaskutzin · 10/10 · 14 January 2021]

I'm reading all these reviews that say this show has bad writing or is illogical. Of course it is! It's a comedy. While the theme may come across as homophobic, it really doesn't bother any of the people I know who are gay. I have may gay friends who have watched this show and they all think it's hilarious. This is one of my favorite shows of all time and I am sad it ever ended. Hilarious!

classic 70s

[selenedm999 · 7/10 · 29 July 2007]

It had been a long, long time since I watched Three's Company on TV, so when I found the first-season DVD in a bin for $5, I scooped it up. The first thing I noticed was how comfortingly familiar, yet dated the whole look of the show is. Yes, this was actually 1977, not 200- trying to look like 1977. No cell phones, no Internet, and $300 rent! In a nutshell, the show revolves around two women and a man in their early 20s, who are living together to cut down on expenses. When I was a kid, watching it on TV, it didn't feel as relate-able as it does now, having been there as most people are in their early 20s. Each show revolves around how to solve their basic problems, while trying to keep their landlord from finding out that they're all heterosexual, yet nothing is happening between them. Why the landlord would care is beyond me, however...

Much of the slapstick physical comedy holds up very well, and is a great homage to John Ritter's talent. Although there are probably more sophisticated styles, John Ritter's never-ending pratfalls and the entire cast's misunderstandings and double-entendres are still amusing after 30 years.

The one thing I never noticed before, but notice in a big way now, is that the Three's Company universe doesn't have a problem with its own conflicted morality. Everyone seems completely accepting of homosexuality, in Jack's cover-up and in the couple next door, yet heterosexual sex between consenting adults is a BIIIG no-no! It's a comforting thought, and I'm very curious how it went over in the gay community of the time.

Overall, watching Three's Company, and Jack, Janet, the blondes, and the others get up to their hijinks is satisfying and entertaining. Forget reality TV. Sitcoms were the reason we used to watch--what happened?

One of the Best! Could have been more interesting....

[bobpiffle · 10/10 · 21 February 2019]

I loved Three's Company, along with the spinoffs, The Ropers and Three's A Crowd. They were just a hoot! All the misunderstandings, all the innuendo, the sexual tension, the gags, the laughs! Hoo boy! Whenever anyone of those shows comes on, I drop everything (sometimes my pants! oops! haha), get some popcorn, and watch. And then I laugh and giggle, giggle and laugh, sometimes so hard, I can't seem to catch my breath. I'm a heavy, heavy smoker, and breathing and laughing can be difficult at times. But for these shows? it's totally worth it! The only thing I wish the writers had done, was add more adult, serious content or situations. Life is not always a laugh, I can tell you that. Not long ago I wrote to the producers of Three's Company, asking if any of my ideas just might have been used. I'll tell you at the end how they responded!

Chrissy was poorly written out of the show, due to a contract dispute. I had suggested all of the following: a) Chrissy began dabbling with narcotics; became a junkie b) Chrissy fled with Rama Mageesh, the cult leader/guru, never to be heard from again c) Chrissy became fat; Jack, Janet, Larry, and the Ropers (and William Conrad from Cannon who is in this episode and the instigator), not liking her for being fat, ask that she move out immediately. Cannon asks to move in d) Chrissy gets abducted by Bigfoot and Wildboy in the mountains e) Chrissy is murdered by Dean Travers and Jason DeFarge

Some other storylines I mentioned: *Jack finally gives in to the advances of Lana; Lana gets pregnant; Furley, Larry, Mike the Bartender, Mr. Roper, and Teabag McGee all think they are the father *The Ropers never leave; destitute, they move into the basement after Bart Furley purchases the building *Cuddles the kitten is carrying a virus that everyone gets; the virus causes paralysis, foaming of the mouth, delirium, and severe fevers. Larry loses his left foot due to the virus *Janet is running drugs out of the flowershop *After moving in, Cannon is mysteriously electrocuted to death in the bathtub

I have many, many, many more ideas. And I submitted them all iun letter form to the old producers of Three's Company. I am still waiting for a reply.

Entertaining, Pleasant and Funny

[Wiedinger-283-953843 · 7/10 · 25 September 2019]

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.

Can't say enough!!!

[gregory_ahejew-501-236813 · 10/10 · 25 January 2019]

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

iconic sitcom

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 18 September 2018]

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.

I cannot believe how much this was loved

[qpx3 · 3/10 · 10 January 2007]

That this program was so beloved in America, and is touted in the one published comment as the pinnacle of American sitcoms is terrifying; the genius of Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, M*A*S*H, and Cheers must be overly cerebral for this viewer. Predictable buffoonery was the order of the day for this show, and had it not been for the talent of almost every member of the cast, the lack of creativity in the production and writing staff would have destined this to be an overnight cancellation. Ritter went on to earn the respect due him in a number of dramatic roles, and I must agree with the aforementioned viewer that fell was surprisingly good at comedy, having always been a dramatic character actor previously.

If any Brit who had seen "A Man in the House" were to have seen this program, I'm certain that he would turn off US TV forever.

TV at it's finest

[yonko · 12 May 2003]

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.

Harmless silliness and exaggerated situations make for a funny show!

[ronnybee2112 · 8/10 · 5 March 2022]

This was a somewhat groundbreaking show when first released. Some of the situations presented in the show had not been dealt with on television very much yet. However,the show was basically harmless,silly and sweet,it was also quite funny. Many of the situations were ridiculous indeed but the show had heart. The cast was very relaxed and worked very well together,they all seem quite natural and at-ease with each other. All in all I think it was a pretty-good show that does what a good tv show should,it entertains and it will make you smile if not laugh out loud at some of the episodes. 8/10 consistently a very good show.

Physical comedy at its best

[angelahptrio · 8/10 · 27 September 2018]

I can see this over and over and still laugh. It is suppose to just make you laugh. That's all.

Lighthearted Fun

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 11 March 2019]

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.

Great sitcom

[ajlposh · 10/10 · 18 November 2006]

This is one of the best sitcoms of all time. I'm fifteen, so I wasn't around during the show's initial run, but I watch it on TV Land all the time. During the first few seasons, when we had Norman Fell and Audra Lindey, they were funny with all their bickering. However, they left for their unsuccessful TV Show, The Ropers. It was sad that they left, but the great Don Knotts filled the void as Mr. Furley. Then, the next season, Suzanne Sommers left over a contract dispute, and we gained another roommate named Cindy. She was good, but not as good as Suzanne. Then she left, and Terry stepped in. The show is better with Suzanne Sommers, but either way, it's good. Besides, if there's no Suzanne Sommers, you still got the legendary Don Knotts. In conclusion, this is a funny show!

Simple but funny. Seven star averaged out.

[PeteB123 · 7/10 · 7 April 2021]

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.

One of the greatest shows of all time!

[isabellacatgirl · 10/10 · 8 January 2022]

I actually find it funnier than Seinfeld,but then that makes me wonder what if Three's Company was made with the 90s filming technology of Seinfeld? Nonetheless on some level there probably wouldn't be a Seinfeld if it wasn't for TC. John Ritter was just a genius physical comic actor,he alone was more funnier than the whole cast of Seinfeld together. Add the great roommates and landlords interacting with his legendary humor. Some of it seems politcally incorrect,but it's still funny to this day. My favorite interactions are with Furley and Tripper,especially when Ralph reacts to Jack's "gayness" LOL They wouldn't dare show something that risky today either. Can't pick an episode that's my ultimate favorite either,they're all equally legendary imo. Great time capsule of the early 80s disco era also. I don't trust anyone that doesn't like this show. The only thing I think that could've been better is I wished they did not fire Suzanne Summers. I love the other roommates too,but imagine if Chrissy appeared on the later seasons instead of Teri,imo it wouldv'e been more funnier as she was the funniest out of the blonde roommates imo. Imagine Chrissy in the background of the later episode "Jack's Tattoo",I think it would've been more hilarious. Chrissy laughing at Jack's butt tattoo with that snort laugh of her's,that was definitely missing there. I prefer Mr. Furley episodes over the Roper ones too. This show is definitely in my top 3 along with Seinfeld and Alice. I even just bought John Ritter's autograph lately,I love him so much,and Hollywood hasn't been the same since he left.

Amusing but predictable room mate sitcom, all humour sex related

[roghache · 6/10 · 17 May 2006]

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.

One of the funniest shows I've watched

[Dana_Sibilsky · 10/10 · 2 September 2015]

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.

Cheerful, low-brow crack up clearly paints the Disco era and the 80's, but beware..

[famelovingboy68 · 7/10 · 7 May 2020]

Back in the late 70's this ground breaking sitcom was one of the steamiest shows on TV, and most kids were not allowed to watch it, and yet by today's standards it is fairly wholesome. The program ended shortly before I was born, but I am nostalgic and I have watched it for many years. This apartment life crack up revolves around farce, such as its theme of frantic misunderstandings and slapstick, and the lowbrow series paints a cheerful and happy picture of the L.A. area in the Disco era and the 80's. Chrissy wasn't truly a dumb blonde, because she wasn't that focused on her appearance or her hair, she an airhead and her scatterbrained, somewhat child-like personality and expressions made her as funny as anyone on the show. yet her and Cindy received criticism and some controversy about the characterizations of the blonde women in the show, and that is where Nurse Terri Alden came in. In reality all the main cast members in the apartment were rather ditzy, e.g. they NEVER learned to close doors so noisy neighbors like Larry, the Ropers, Mr. Furley and Lana don't drop in and have a frantic misunderstanding, and after all the chaos and slapstick they NEVER learn to be half decent at communicating and state WHAT they "know" the other person is up to or what happened to them. it doesn't take many examples to show they wasn't a really sharp, straight man in the apartment: Mr. Roper hearing about Chrissy's Wart through a busted sink and frantically thinking she's having a baby! Then there was where Chrissy injured her head by slipping and hitting her head on the bathtub and Jack and Janet saw her in the Hospital the next day and she was acting perky and bubbly as ever, but because the doctor laughed so hard at her jokes the her was crying the two thought she was about to pass through the veil. How about the time after Jack, Janet and Terri argue over an article about an older woman marrying a younger man and then Janet hired Furley's shy, wholesome 18-year old nephew to fix a stereo as a surprise, and after Jack spots them at a restaurant for lunch he and Terri panicked, thinking they were having an affair. I heard i said, "there wouldn't be a comedy show" without that lack of common sense regarding communication and insuring privacy. The slapstick often involved food, beverages and paint and other materials being dumped on people, falling of things like ladders, and guys getting punched in the face or other parts of the body. Another one of the pratfalls was a ladies man like Jack trying to date when he shared an apartment with two women in a platonic relationship, and hiding them or trying to get them to buy that they were just friends or relatives et cetra. Another central aspect of the show that made it really silly was a ladies man pretending to be gay to the landlords, except for Mrs. Roper. Add it all up and it was one of the funniest lowbrow sitcoms. The racy humor is mostly suggestive, I don't think it was naughty farce, but it was known for its innuendos. I found Mr. Roper at least as funny as Furley. Jack seemed less rigid about his pretend homosexuality with Roper, he felt free to hug women and kiss them on the cheeks, but seemed more rigid around Furley to the point of acting revolted when trying to kiss a woman and afraid to touch them affectionately when Furley was gullible enough to be convinced that Jack's date who looked plenty like a women was a man! In another knee-slapping episode Jack convinced Furley that he had a twin brother, Austin, from Texas, and was able to pretend they were in the same place at once by talking to him while shifting from his left to his right ! However, the show's biggest weakness was the bad stereotypes. The highly air headed Chrissy, although, like I said, she wasn't wrapped up in her appearence, so she was just an airhead, and she was rather innocent and sweet, like Cindy, plus the blondes in the show often seemed to be airheads and Terri was talented as a Nurse, but seemed rather scatterbrained and naive away from work, but not dumb. Then there was Jack strutting around trying to be a macho man, often being overly assertive about being a "man", and his weakness for dimwitted, skinny women, often blondes with loose morals, then there was Larry, the deceitful womanizer who frequently lies and cons his way into things ,and worked as a used car salesman ,and often brought home naive, skinny, gullible women. I don't know why Jack chose the depraved player as his best friend, but he also has a good, caring side. Mr, Furley also tried to assertively act like a real macho man, but much of the time he openly acted in the opposite fashion a la Don Knotts. He sacrificed his usual wholesome image in the show as a wannabe ladies man, but he was as funny as ever. Then back to the women, Chrissy had a real weakness for a certain desert in a battle of the sexes episode, Janet and Chrissy went on fighting like silly kids, loudly mocking and imitating each others annoying habits (albeit in a pretty amusing bit) over the idea that Jack was having an affair with one of them, Mrs. Roper was terrified to sleep in her apartment alone, and her and Janet would say they were brave and together or it was nothing and the next instant they passed out on different occasions. Then there was the Women's taste in men as another example of the stereotypes, the men they dated and were sweet on all seemed to be classic hunks with nice hair, no beards, and were mostly tall or on the tall side. Then there were the stereotypes made by Mr. Roper and Mr. Furley about gay men. But on the other hand Jack did most of the cooking as he was a cooking student who later got his own restaurant with the hard-nosed Mr. Angelino. Good viewing that usually makes me feel better.

A third rate show with a worn out theme

[Goodday-3 · 3/10 · 20 September 2009]

Three's Company never showed any real imagination in it's writing. It was nothing more than one two bit easy shot sexual innuendo after another. Had the girls not been so pretty I am more than a little sure the whole thing would have crashed & burned after the first or second season. THAT was what sustained the show.....Lonely people with no company at home wishfully imagining a ("Not so funny"... But very NON Lonely) situation of TV make believe with sub-standard hack sexual comic writing. The recorded laugh track was... I will admit was used well and often. It is sad that there are that many painfully lonely Elleneror and Eddie Rigbies out there painfully using their TV's as a substitute for real people company and instead opt for Three's Company! ..... Louie Orduna