View Full Version : Who thinks the last few episodes of the series felt rushed?
1980stvfan 06-14-2023, 08:54 PM Who thinks the end of the series run of Threes Company felt rushed with the rushed introductions of Vicki and Phillip who didnt come in until the final couple episodes. Especially with Phillip since him and Janet met like 2 episodes before the finale before getting married.
I guess with Vickis case it was a way to give Jack the spinoff with "Threes a Crowd"
thejasoomian 06-14-2023, 10:46 PM In a way yes but also in a way no. I think they should have brought Phillip on earlier and had some more episodes with Janet and Phillip. So that felt rushed. I think giving the audience a taste of Vicky and her Dad in the last few episodes was the way to go. You wouldn't want to give away to much in the Three's Company episodes. You want them to tune in to Three's A Crowd to see what happens to Jack.
If I remember correctly those last few episodes had several months in between the other 8th season episodes before they aired. So they could polish the episodes. Remember "Cupid Works Overtime" was the introduction of Vicky. That episode also won John Ritter his Emmy award. It was a well-written episode in my opinion for only having 30 minutes to work with.
BestTVever 06-15-2023, 06:31 AM The show was ending. If it was not a sitcom but a drama show then it would have made sense to introduce the marriage partners earlier. The show was about 3 single people living together with lots of sexual innuendo and misunderstandings. None of them had serious relationships or engagements. If they were brought earlier then the scripts would change and it would not be the same sitcom.
Most sitcoms end in a stupid way. This was no different.
I had previously posted about this subject here (https://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=413435).
Duster76 06-22-2023, 11:53 PM Long before the show reached the last roundup it had become The John Ritter Show or Jack and Company. The only thing the producers and Ritter felt was important was the handoff to the new series. Terri was quickly dealt with, and I believe the Janet character would have received the same treatment if the producers thought they could have gotten away with it. Because of the length of time Joyce had been on the series they gave her character a little more of a conclusion, but yes it was rushed and felt fake. I believe they paid the price, many fans were dissatisfied with how the series ended and those feeling lingered leading to a lack of enthusiasm for the new series.
Mace Dolex 06-27-2023, 09:25 PM Yeah absolutely it felt rushed, no way a couple today within weeks of meeting each other do they decide to marry and/or live together.
Who thinks the end of the series run of Threes Company felt rushed with the rushed introductions of Vicki and Phillip who didnt come in until the final couple episodes. Especially with Phillip since him and Janet met like 2 episodes before the finale before getting married.
I guess with Vickis case it was a way to give Jack the spinoff with "Threes a Crowd"
One thing that I'm in agreement with (https://www.reddit.com/r/threescompany/comments/149o812/comment/jo68853/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) is that why weren't the Ropers and Cindy at Janet's wedding? Of course, there was no chance in hell that Chrissy was going to be there given the still lingering bad blood between Suzanne Somers and the rest of the cast and crew.
I would assume that Norman Fell and Audra Lindley were still on relatively good terms with the producers (despite the screwy way that they were written off of Three's Company in favor of their short-lived spin-off series) considering that they came back for one more episode (https://threescompany.fandom.com/wiki/Night_of_the_Ropers) in Season 5. Weren't they available to come back for the series finale?
Yeah absolutely it felt rushed, no way a couple today within weeks of meeting each other do they decide to marry and/or live together.
Also, even without watching Three's a Crowd, I could tell right away that Jack and Vicky weren't compatible. I mean, if you were in Jack's shoes, why would you want to stay with a girl who doesn't want to marry you and has an obnoxiously meddlesome father? I would run for the hills if I had to put up with that.
Long before the show reached the last roundup it had become The John Ritter Show or Jack and Company. The only thing the producers and Ritter felt was important was the handoff to the new series. Terri was quickly dealt with, and I believe the Janet character would have received the same treatment if the producers thought they could have gotten away with it. Because of the length of time Joyce had been on the series they gave her character a little more of a conclusion, but yes it was rushed and felt fake. I believe they paid the price, many fans were dissatisfied with how the series ended and those feeling lingered leading to a lack of enthusiasm for the new series.
Even though the centerpiece of the series finale was supposed to be Janet's wedding, she and Terri really feel like afterthoughts because Jack's relationship issues with some woman that he just met (Vicky) is taking up all of the spotlight and focus. I really don't care about Jack's involvement with Vicky because like I said, the audience barely knows this girl to really get some kind of emotional investment.
Yeah, the whole thing is supposed to lay the ground work for Three's a Crowd, but the producers and writers should've worried about that when the time finally came. It would be like watching a movie and the a much of time is spent setting up the plotline that will actually play out in earnest in the sequel.
My point is that you need to focus on the "then and now" and the "now" in this regard were the characters that you already had and followed for many years. Why is Vicky and her dad a bigger priority in the final episode of Three's Company than Janet and Terri, when we as an audience love and care more about Janet and Terri?
This website that ranked (https://www.nostalgiclogic.com/threes-company-episode-rank-guide/) every Three's Company episode (https://www.ranker.com/list/best-threes-company-episodes-of-all-time/ranker-tv) per season also argues that the series finale was rushed:
Three’s Company: Season 8 (https://jacksonupperco.com/2015/07/28/the-ten-best-threes-company-episodes-of-season-eight/) Episodes Ranked
#21/#22: “Friends and Lovers” (2 parts)
https://www.nostalgiclogic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Final-episode-1-300x230.jpg
Even though it’s broken up into two parts in syndication, the “Three’s Company” episode “Friends and Lovers” originally aired as an hour-long episode.
Nevertheless, both parts are a bit of a downer and rank at the bottom of season eight’s list. Yes, it’s bittersweet with these being the final “Three’s Company” episodes that end the series, but they just seem rushed so things can be quickly wrapped up. Even Mr. Furley quietly pausing before walking out of the kids’ apartment for the very last time doesn’t seem right.
“Friends and Lovers” felt incomplete, rushed, and lacked proper closure.
BestTVever 07-25-2023, 08:16 AM Very few sitcoms ending dont feel rushed. Nothing was as rushed as Alice. At least Threes Company had a 2 part ending. The Jeffersons ran for 10 or 11 seasons and never had an ending. So while I dont disagree it may have felt rushed, it was a fitting ending for a spin off featuring the same character that was up in running weeks after TC ended.
Everyone hated the Seinfeld ending. You can go on and on how bad sitcoms end. When you look at the big picture Threes Company was the least rushed of them all.
BestTVever 07-25-2023, 08:17 AM Very few sitcoms ending dont feel rushed. Nothing was as rushed as Alice. At least Threes Company had a 2 part ending. The Jeffersons ran for 10 or 11 seasons and never had an ending. So while I dont disagree it may have felt rushed, it was a fitting ending for a spin off featuring the same character that was up in running weeks after TC ended.
Everyone hated the Seinfeld ending. You can go on and on how bad sitcoms end. When you look at the big picture Threes Company was the least rushed of them all.
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