She could have easily had a nice long TV career. I don't think Joyce gets as much credit since it's arguable that Janet was really the heart and soul of Three's Company. But with all the awards attention given to John Ritter and Suzanne Somers' shenanigans making the press, people forgot how she was the glue that held the show together.

I think she has done a LOT of regional theater stuff since the show's ended so I wouldn't say she left showbiz altogether.

However; between being typecast as Janet and having been on a show with SO many squabbles and power plays, I can't help but think she likely was burned out by the "Three's Company" experience and didn't want to go back to that!

She could have easily had a nice long TV career. I don't think Joyce gets as much credit since it's arguable that Janet was really the heart and soul of Three's Company. But with all the awards attention given to John Ritter and Suzanne Somer's shenanigans making the press, people forgot how she was the glue that held the show together.

She was sick of Hollywood and all its backstabbing and fakery. I think the way they spun off Three's A Crowd was the final straw. When John Ritter didn't tell her ahead of time that they were doing a spinoff without her she was really hurt. She found out kinda accidentally. The whole production crew had been very hush-hush about it, too, so I'm sure it felt like a slap in the face after eight years of hard work.

Theater was her first love so after a break she did go back to that. She did a few things in the 90s (I think a Lifetime movie or two) but has always been selective about the projects she takes and who she works with. After all the drama on the Three's Company set I don't blame her.