...if you think about how the show is remembered today. Everyone knows Chrissy's crazy hair, the Regal Beagle (which disappeared in the last few seasons), and the Ropers. Furley is also known, but I'd argue the Ropers are the more memorable of the landlords, and Don Knotts is mostly remembered for Andy Griffith Show.

People who aren't that familiar with the show barely recall Cindy, if at all, and Terri is kind of an afterthought to most people.

I'm not saying that's how it should be, but that's how the show is mostly remembered.

What baffles me is how weak season 4 is and yet that's how the trio is depicted in most "iconic" images---Chrissy's bleached clown look, Janet's short hair, and Jack in his Miami Vice shirts. I guess it had risen to popularity by that time so no one thought too hard about how much the writing sucked for that season.

I know in my case when I think of Don Knotts I immediately think of him as wacky ladies man Ralph Furley since that's how I saw him first and it probably true for most people that were born long after The Andy Griffith Show.

...if you think about how the show is remembered today. Everyone knows Chrissy's crazy hair, the Regal Beagle (which disappeared in the last few seasons), and the Ropers. Furley is also known, but I'd argue the Ropers are the more memorable of the landlords, and Don Knotts is mostly remembered for Andy Griffith Show.

People who aren't that familiar with the show barely recall Cindy, if at all, and Terri is kind of an afterthought to most people.

I'm not saying that's how it should be, but that's how the show is mostly remembered.

What baffles me is how weak season 4 is and yet that's how the trio is depicted in most "iconic" images---Chrissy's bleached clown look, Janet's short hair, and Jack in his Miami Vice shirts. I guess it had risen to popularity by that time so no one thought too hard about how much the writing sucked for that season.
The main reason the ratings declined in Season 5 after the show was in the top three for the previous three seasons was because The trio and The Ropers were broken up and the writing was just not that great in Season 4. Suzanne's contract dispute really probably didn't have much to do with it. It's not Don Knott's fault. He really wasn't used much in Season 4. It's just too much dumb Chrissy and Jack and Janet explaining things to her all the time, as you've acknowledged before.

Season 4 was clearly the show's peak of popularity, but the bad writing is what kept that peak from lasting. Suzanne's leaving shouldn't get any of the blame for it if you ask me. The writing became lazy and formulaic.

Without a doubt, it's the early years people acknowledge most when they talk about the show. People focus on the double entendres, Suzanne's Jiggling TV, and Stanley's gay jokes.

Noone ever talks about Jack's Bistro, Cindy's klutziness, or Furley or Felipe or Mr. Angelino or anything like that. And Terri can't come up that often either because just to me she's not all that memorable comedically-speaking. It really does seem like Priscilla is just there to be pretty if you ask me. We've acknowledged before Priscilla was basically a second straight man and it's true. She's too pretty to be goofy and her voice is not a comedic one either. All the best female comedians at the time at least had funny or unique voices. Joyce's and Suzanne's voices were definitely more suited for comedy than Priscilla's if you ask me. When Janet's voice would rise up when she was angry at something Jack would say, that was an underrated comedic moment. It's not recognized enough how good at comedy Joyce can be. Joyce is good at "reacting" to what other characters say if you understand what I mean.

I remember a MAD TV parody of Three's Company, a Spanish language version called "Tres Companeros" which featured Jack, Janet, Chrissy and Furley as the main characters. It is weird that those were the characters used in the parody considering that lineup was really only there for one season. Suzanne's couple of Season 5 appearances and phone conversations don't count to me.