Three's Company: Difference between revisions

Long-lived iconic 1970s slapstick sex farce/comedy of errors. Frequently dismissed as the archetypal [[Jiggle Show]], it's also [[Better Than It Sounds|marked by clever writing, strong performances and fantastic physical humor]]. Based on the [[Britcom]] series ''[[Man About the House]]'', it originally aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] from 1977-1984.

In order to share an affordable apartment with two lovely young ladies, [[Brainy Brunette|Janet Wood]] (Joyce DeWitt) and [[The Ditz|Chrissy]] [[Dumb Blond|Snow]] (Suzanne Somers), cooking student [[Handsome Lech|Jack Tripper]] ([[John Ritter]]) must pretend to be gay around Stanley Roper (Norman Fell), the repressed, bigoted [[Landlord]]. (Andand not [[StraightInvisible Gayto Gaydar|an average homosexual male]], but rather [[Camp Gay|an over-the-top stereotype]], because that's the only kind of "gay" Mr. Roper - and the average viewer in [[The Seventies]] - knows.). Roper, in turn, frequently finds himself fending off the advances of his good-natured but sexually repressed wife Helen (Audra Lindley), who knows Jack's secret but likes him and the girls enough to keep mum. Complications are introduced through a variety of misunderstandings and mishaps, often caused by the thinking-impaired apartment mates or their cumbersome friends. Everyone in this series suffers from [[Genre Blindness]] at one point or another, which is expected considering the show is essentially a comedy of errors. The show launched the careers of the Ritter and Somers, and revived that of Don Knotts (who joined the cast as new landlord and wannabe-swinger Ralph Furley after the Ropers left for [[The Ropers|their own series]] following the third season).

Codified, if not actually created, [[MistakenComedy forof IndexErrors|an entire set of plot tropes]] based on silly misunderstandings and leaping to conclusions. [[Lucille Ball]] was a huge fan of the show thanks to its pitch-perfect use of sitcom tropes and physical comedy, and even appeared to host a [[Clip Show]].

* [[Brainless Beauty]]: Chrissy.

* [[The Bus Came Back]]: The Ropers returned for one seasonSeason 5 episode following the cancellation of [[The Ropers|their spinoff show]].

* [[Censor Steam]]: Mentioned.

'''Chrissy:''' You don't have to be embarrassed. The little bubbles hid everything. }}

* [[Chivalrous Pervert]]: Jack Tripper.

* [[Cranky Neighbor]]: Mr. Roper.

* [[Cute Clumsy Girl]]: Cindy.

* [[The Ditz]]: Chrissy.

* [[Heel Face Revolving Door]]: Felipe.

** Earlier in the 1992 film ''[[Stay Tuned]]'', John Ritter plays a man who gets [[Trapped in TV Land]]. At one point, John's character stumbles through a channel onto the set of [[Three's Company]]. Two women dressed as Chrissy Snow and Janet Wood shout "Where have you been?", a snippet of the Theme Song plays, and he screams in terror and changes the channel. (Thisthis clip ended just about all versions of the trailer and assorted ads for the film).

* [[Informed Attractiveness]]: In one episode, Janet gets breast implant surgery in one afternoon, and when she appears the audience is whooping with laughter at the shock of her [[Gag Boobs]] while Jack is absolutely speechless. For the [[Values Dissonance|viewers of today though]]... she looks pretty much ''exactly'' the same.

* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Larry.

* [[Local Hangout]]: The Regal Beagle.

* [[Locked in the Bathroom]]: Jack's date locks herself in the bathroom while Jack is having a food critic over for dinner. Mr. Furley, the landlord, arrives, announces himself as the manager of the building and demands that she open the door. When she refuses, Mr. Furley attempts to [[Skeleton Key Card|unlock the door with his credit card]], which she takes when he pushes it through the crack.

* [[Not What It Looks Like]]: orOr sounds like, much of the time.

** Chrissy's given name is "Christmas Noelle Snow".

* [[Put on a Bus]]: The Ropers, Chrissy, Cindy.

* [[Real Life Writes the Plot]]: Somers was holding out for more money so the studio just called her bluff -- because they couldn't technically fire her due to the terms of the contract, they instead let it run out by [[Written in-In Absence|moving her away]].

* [[Took a Level Inin Jerkass]]: After trying on a blonde wig and seeing the attention she gets, Janet starts to more and more embody the [[Dumb Blonde]]. Problem is, unlike Chrissy or Cindy, she gets downright obnoxious and insulting. Fortunately, she has a [[Heel Realization]] in the end and cleans up her act.

* [[Trans -Atlantic Equivalent]]: ofOf the series ''and'' both [[Spin-Off|spinoffs]]!