Joyce DeWitt's Argument about Three's a Crowd made no sense at all

[JackJanetChrissy]

I don't think it's likely she felt that the whole production was a family, but I do think Joyce was close with John and Priscilla toward the end. She felt betrayed by John, who went behind her back and agreed to do another show that was basically riding the coattails of TC, which she helped make a success. Maybe if he had been more upfront about it she wouldn't have protested so much.

I actually kind of agree with TVFactFan who said earlier that it would've been another TC if Joyce had signed on....and it wouldn't have made much sense for Janet and Jack to get together after eight years of being friends. But it does seem a little weird to have Jack and not Janet. I guess the formula just works so well.

[JSP]

Originally Posted by JackJanetChrissy

I don't think it's likely she felt that the whole production was a family, but I do think Joyce was close with John and Priscilla toward the end. She felt betrayed by John, who went behind her back and agreed to do another show that was basically riding the coattails of TC, which she helped make a success. Maybe if he had been more upfront about it she wouldn't have protested so much.

I actually kind of agree with TVFactFan who said earlier that it would've been another TC if Joyce had signed on....and it wouldn't have made much sense for Janet and Jack to get together after eight years of being friends. But it does seem a little weird to have Jack and not Janet. I guess the formula just works so well.

Yeah it does seem weird that John Ritter was willing to participate in keeping it a secret. If he had revealed, what was the worst that could have happened? Would the producers have not gone through with the spinoff? Doubtful as there was money to be made. Maybe I don't understand the ins and outs of a business but I probably couldn't keep such a thing under wraps from the other cast members. Then again that's why I wouldn't be a good actor.

[WalterTheDrinker]

I haven't read through all the pages of the thread, so I may have overlooked something.

But it seems that no one is aware that Three's a Crowd was simply following the formula of Robin's Nest. Robin Tripp didn't end up with Chrissy or Jo when Man About the House turned into Robin's Nest. So there was no precedent for Jack Tripper to end up with Janet Wood in Three's a Crowd.

That would have been a very easy thing for the producers of Three's Company to explain to Joyce DeWitt. Why they dodged and hid is a mystery to me.

[JackJanetChrissy]

I think they dodged and hid because they knew the kind of reaction to expect from DeWitt.

She regularly challenged the producers on material and script, at least in earlier seasons, so they probably just didn't want to "hear it."

If she hadn't come in early and overheard the plans, she wouldn't have heard the truth for a while. The producers were probably waiting until a table read to broach the issue so she couldn't make too much of a scene.

While you bring up a good point about Robin's Nest, I'm sure that wouldn't be a viable excuse in DeWitt's eyes. Three's Company was on for 8 years and had become its own thing, running four seasons beyond the original MATH and establishing its own cred. So by the time Season 8 rolled around I'm sure comparisons to MATH were no longer considered solid excuses for anything.

[TVFactFan]

The season 6 episode of TC already showed that Jack and Janet were more compatible as friends